REP July 23

A Hub for

Invest in Yourself This Summer

July tends to be a slow time for those of us in med/surg sales. In many ways it is the calm before the storm of back to school and respiratory season. It’s a time to relax and go on vacation with our family and friends so that we can recharge and prepare for closing the year strong.

As you take the next 4-6 weeks recharging and getting a little down time, also take some time to catch up on investing in yourself and your career. Take a good business book on holiday with you or invest in the Master Class series. This series has several great programs on content, negotiation, and management. It also has some excellent cooking / BBQ classes.

From an industry standpoint, I’d encourage you to take advantage of the tools we have for you. If you’re not caught up on your Repertoire issues, the last few have a ton of great content around key changes coming to our space and to your customers. You can find each of these issues in RepConnect as well as the printed version.

Speaking of RepConnect, we featured the app during each of the national meetings this spring to great reviews from hundreds of reps. This app is free to download and found in the app store. It can save you countless hours of afterhours work.

RepConnect Features:

ʯ Each day the industry news is updated. These articles can easily be shared with your customers and posted on your social media.

ʯ The latest issue of Repertoire can be read in the app.

ʯ Manufacturer listings with their rep rosters and collateral material are in the app. You can e-mail and call your local rep directly from the app as well as send collateral material directly from the app, so you don’t have to go to 10 different manufacturer sites each day looking for it.

ʯ The Repertoire podcast library is in the app.

ʯ There are over 50 2-minute product training videos in the app as well as enduser videos, which you can share with your customers directly from the app.

WHY SHOULD YOU download and use RepConnect:

ʯ Stay up to date on industry news daily.

ʯ Saves you time.

ʯ Provides you with content to enhance your abilities.

ʯ It’s free.

I realize I talk about our tools often in this column. I do this because I firmly believe in you and distribution’s importance to the success of our country’s health. Each and every thing we create is to help you invest in your career.

Happy Birthday Month America!

R. Scott Adams

editorial staff

editor

Mark Thill mthill@sharemovingmedia.com

managing editor

Graham Garrison ggarrison@sharemovingmedia.com

editor-in-chief, Dail-eNews

Pete Mercer pmercer@sharemovingmedia.com

art director

Brent Cashman bcashman@sharemovingmedia.com

circulation

Laura Gantert lgantert@sharemovingmedia.com

sales executive

Amy Cochran acochran@sharemovingmedia.com (800) 536.5312 x5279

publisher Scott Adams sadams@sharemovingmedia.com (800) 536.5312 x5256

founder Brian Taylor btaylor@sharemovingmedia.com

Subscriptions www.repertoiremag.com/subscribe or (800) 536-5312 x5259

Repertoire is published monthly by Share Moving Media 350 Town Center Ave, Ste 201 Suwanee, GA 30024-6914

Phone: (800) 536-5312, FAX: (770) 709-5432; e-mail: info@sharemovingmedia.com; www.sharemovingmedia.com

Cash Flow and Your Customer’s Lab

Financial concerns are not going away. What reps can do to solve customer concerns and keep their business growing.

If 2020 and 2022 were to be infamous for both the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues, it’s very clear that 2023 is going to be the year of financial challenges and considerations. This is true of the entire U.S. economy, but several financial issues are rippling through our customer base, and these issues impact our overall business as well as our lab business.

To a certain extent, we should not be surprised, but we do need to be prepared to face these challenges head on and be the very best consultants to our customers that we can.

At the moment, there is no doubt that inflation and the cost of money are high on the list and top of mind for customers. In this column I plan to look at both factors and their trends over time. I will also provide some

ideas I hope are useful to the savvy account manager looking to consider some options to know, understand and help their customers to navigate these challenging financial times.

The problems

Let’s start by looking at inflation. Inflation is certainly on everyone’s mind and impacts us personally and professionally every day. First,

By Jim Poggi

for a little perspective, let’s all be grateful we are not planning our Christmas shopping in late 1980. Why? In addition to some questionable hair and fashion trends,

Dec. 19, 1980, was the highest inflation rate on record – 21.5%. Not exactly a formula for a merry Christmas if you were last-minute shopping that year.

How does this contrast to the present day? From 2013 to 2020, we were blessed with very low inflation rates. In 2013, the rate was 1.5%, and reached a low of 0.7% in 2014. It never exceeded 2.3% during that entire time. While we all benefitted from the stable costs and pricing we enjoyed then, the sharp upward trend in pricing becomes even more surprising when it follows such a prolonged period of stable pricing. Inflation has taken off sharply since 2020 with a high of 7% in 2020. Between then and now, it has moderated slowly, with the rate at 6.5% in 2021 and the current rate standing at 4.9%.

While the current rate is an improvement, it does not appear likely to drop back to the rate of inflation we saw 10 years ago, so now is the time to address customer concerns. Before we get to options to effectively consult with our customers, what is driving inflation down and how do those factors impact us and our customers? From an anecdotal basis, really high levels of demand for lab, PPE and blood collection products have dropped significantly from their high levels during the pandemic. This is a two-edged sword: while we enjoyed the lift that COVID brought, NO ONE enjoyed the pain brought on by back orders related to critically needed product.

For the most part, it seems supply and demand are back in sync again. While revenue has dropped to more normal levels, the pressure on the supply chain has abated substantially, freeing up more time for selling as opposed to managing back orders and looking for creative substitutes for needed products. Other than supply and demand, changes in the prime lending rate by the Federal Reserve, and the ripples caused through every

In my experience, many manual tests, especially urinalysis, get missed. And missing these tests can be impactful. It is worth discussing with your key lab manufacturer and consulting on site to understand the situation and applying solutions to help.

lending entity have also brought customer concerns with it. Customers looking to rent larger space, purchase substantial lab or other capital equipment or obtain any other highcost capital items are looking at rates much higher than before.

While our customers do not buy at prime, the largest banks do, and the increase in the prime rate filters down to even relatively small capital expenditures. In March 2020, the prime rate ranged from 3.25 to 4.25%. As of this writing, it sits at 8.25% and the likelihood is that it probably will not increase much if at all through the rest of 2023. The net result of increases in inflation coupled with rising costs of money is an increase in focus and pressure on our customers’ cost of doing business across the board. We have a “cost to serve” and so do our customers and wages, costs of borrowing, some consumable costs and benefit costs are all headed in the wrong direction. I know I am not telling you anything you do not experience every day here, as I receive questions and comments frequently regarding how to properly address these customer issues. Some, like the cost of money and overall inflation are well beyond our control, but others DO provide us the opportunity to showcase our knowledge and skills to add a little relief to our customers’ challenges.

Now let’s look at some of the options and solutions we can offer.

Cost of consumable items

In my experience, one of the first places customers ask for help is regarding reducing our costs of reagents and supplies. This may be one of the most difficult questions and customer perceptions to manage since they pay the bills related to these costs on an ongoing basis. But

facts first: If the customer looks at their overall cost to serve, unless they are grossly out of line with the average customer, they SHOULD find reagent and consumable costs in the 3% to 5% range of their total costs. Personnel averages more than 60% (as much as 65%) and rent and other fixed costs easily exceed the cost of supplies, lab or otherwise.

While it is useful to thoughtfully and respectfully ask the customer to consider the “big picture,” in my experience that never makes the question go away. They are hurting

and they expect you to do your share to help.

There are two relatively painless ways to provide help without creating major issues with your customer margins. First, look for private label opportunities, not just for lab products but for the entire range of customer spend. Properly positioned, this can be a “win/win” solution with the customer seeing cost reduction and the account manager seeing stable or improved margins.

At the same time, you need to look at test mix and ordering

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patterns. Are they buying reagents and consumables in the right package size? This should be an easy one if there are more economical sizes to consider. Are there low volume/low value tests they should stop performing? Are there useful tests that they need to consider implementing? These ideas can make the customer more efficient and position you as an effective and concerned consultant.

Overall lab efficiency

To a large extent, making sure they are performing the most needed tests and offloading the low volume/low value tests is the basis of creating an efficient lab. But there are other considerations. For instance, are they using their

EMR/LIS connectivity effectively to make sure all lab tests are being billed? In my experience, many manual tests, especially urinalysis, get missed. And missing these tests can be impactful. It is worth discussing with your key lab manufacturer and consulting on site to understand the situation and applying solutions to help.

Training of lab personnel is also an overlooked approach to efficiency. Is the staff confident and well trained? Is their workflow smooth and well organized? You and your key manufacturers can save staff frustration and potentially reduce staff time by carefully evaluating lab workflow. From a longer-term perspective, is their lab equipment scaled to their daily testing needs?

Not too big, not too small, just right is clearly the goal.

Leasing new lab or other equipment

While we lease lab and other equipment on an ongoing basis, most of us, me included, tend to wait longer than we should to get renewals going and to also rely heavily on our manufacturer partner or leasing company to drive the proposal. In the current environment, while I do not expect any of us to suddenly become leasing experts, it’s time to pay attention to the details. For example, should we recommend a longer lease term or higher down payment to reduce monthly payments? It’s up to us to understand the customer’s perspective balancing current cash outlays compared to the stream of monthly lease payments. Does our preferred lender offer deferred payments? If so, what is the trade off in rate? There are a relatively small number of variables to consider implementing a new or renewal lease, but it all starts with a customer interview asking the right questions. If you understand their tolerance for longer terms, higher down payments and monthly payments, you will be in the best position to develop this lease and future ones to comfortably match the customer’s expectations.

Financial concerns are not going away any time soon and the best distributor account managers stay informed, stay up to date with new approaches to solving customer concerns and keep their business growing. Tough times bring out the best in all of us. Be informed, creative and bring your problem-solving skills to bear related to your customers’ financial concerns and reap the rewards. Both you and they will be glad you did.

Inflation is certainly on everyone’s mind and impacts us personally and professionally every day. First, for a little perspective, let’s all be grateful we are not planning our Christmas shopping in late 1980. Why? In addition to some questionable hair and fashion trends, Dec. 19, 1980, was the highest inflation rate on record – 21.5%.

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IMCO’s 2023 Annual Convention and Trade Show celebrated industry partnerships and looked toward a bright year ahead. Courtesy of IMCO

With a theme of “We in 23”, IMCO’s 2023 Annual Convention and Trade Show highlighted the importance of unity and partnership. We are focusing on the spirit of how we work together as individual companies within our collective group. The way we each achieve success may be measured differently, but as we work together collaboratively, our success is multiplied exponentially. Our Convention is efficiently designed for Members and Vendors to connect, network, and develop a working roadmap that benefits everyone involved. Together, “We” are powerful – and that was echoed during this year’s Convention.

Attendance at IMCO’s 2023 Annual Convention and Trade Show was the highest in four years. There was a 10% increase in both Vendor and Member companies that attended from 2022.

IMCO added seven new Members and eight new Vendors to the IMCO Team since last year’s convention.

Highlights

In response to positive feedback from both Members and Vendors, we continued our Sales Playbook session, featuring IMCO’s Sales Emphasis Line (SEL) Program Vendors. In this session, Vendors presented to IMCO Member reps in a TED talk style format, highlighting

their value proposition and why IMCO Members should lead with their products. IMCO has worked hard to enhance the value of the SEL Program, and this session demonstrated our commitment to the program and Vendors.

The EPIC (Equipment Performance Incentive Contest) continues

“We in 23”

CEO Bill McLaughlin on stage during Monday morning’s General Session.

to impress! We had another record year! Members grew reported sales of over $1 million with participating Vendor partners last year! Six new distributors signed up to participate as well.

One of our most impactful programs each year is our Member Incentive program or MIP. Roughly 92% of our Members earned dollars on this program! More than $1.1 million incentive dollars were handed out to MIP participants on the tradeshow floor.

Celebrating Members and Vendors

Dukal won our 2022 Vendor of the Year. Members valued their ‘strategic partnership’ and support and flexibility in the field alongside the substantial growth seen throughout this year.

We would also like to note that for the first time ever, a Member nominated another Member for their hard work and help during industry challenges and shortages.

2023 Steve Dennison IMCO Convention Scholarship winners:

ʯ Larry Wenthe –Shared Service System

ʯ David Heisey –Manheim Medical Supply Inc

ʯ Shelby Winton –After Action Medical And Dental Supply, LLC

IMCO’s Equipment Performance Incentive Contest (EPIC) is a yearlong equipment selling contest in which Members sell 10 key Vendor lines of products and earn points based on sales orders and Vendor interactions throughout the year. The 2022 EPIC Winners are:

ʯ 10th Tim Doughtery –Shared Service Systems

ʯ 9th David Ellis –Atlantic Medical Solutions

ʯ 8th Tyler Reichenbach –Medical Resources

ʯ 7th Kevin Giles –Shared Service Systems

ʯ 6th Brian Hodgson –Omni Medical Supply

ʯ 5th Larry Wenthe –Shared Service Systems

ʯ 4th David Gordon –Unimed (USA) aka DMJ Enterprises

ʯ 3rd Victor Amat –American Medical Supplies & Equipment

ʯ 2nd Angi Muse – Booth Medical

ʯ 1st Derek Shirley –Tagg Industries

Our $1,500 Tuesday Night Bootleggers Ball gift card raffle winners:

ʯ Denise Coulombe –Surgo Surgical Supply

ʯ Ken Spence – Medgluv

Events and speakers

Our Sunday evening welcome reception was held outside in the beautiful Florida sunshine. We had games, including giant Jenga and cornhole, that are always a hit and allowed for great networking between new and established Members and Vendors.

Monday evening, we had a happy hour outside before giving Members and Vendors the opportunity to explore downtown Orlando on their

IMCO’s 2023 EPIC Award Winners.

Omni International checking out our Vital Link Marketing Services with Kevin Manley.

own or with their fellow Members and Vendors for the evening.

Keynote speaker Colette Carlson spoke on “You Management: Strategies to Avoid Burnout, Boost Resilience, and Accelerate Success”. Colette addressed the elephant in the room – new challenges that have collapsed the boundaries between work and home, leaving people juggling opposing demands for time, energy, and attention. Her engaging content and laugh-out-loud humor helped our audience receive new insights on personal prioritization and management.

After Bill’s opening address, we had our highly acclaimed TEDstyled Industry Insights presentation featuring Al Bates, Distribution Performance Project speaking on The Challenge of Being the Best; Mark Shonka, IMPAX Sales Performance speaking on The State of Sales and Relationship Management; and Mike Marks, Indian River Consulting speaking on the Tale of Two Perspectives: Managing Your Business.

Sunday Highlights:

ʯ Successful Selling in Today’s Market, Discussion and Panel Facilitated by: Angie Euston, Adam Deets, Jay Butler with Panelists:

ʯ Bert Pineres, American Medical Supplies & Equip.

ʯ June Power, Surgo Surgical Supply

ʯ Julie Dillard, Medical Wholesale

ʯ Larry Wenthe, Shared Service Systems

ʯ Rob Arnold, Grove Medical

ʯ Owner/Manager Roundtable with Bill McLaughlin and Mike Marks, Indian River Consulting

Monday highlights:

ʯ Breaking Down the Profit Barriers –Al Bates, Distribution Performance Project

Bill and Ashleigh McLaughlin at Sunday Welcome Reception.

PJ Horton of First Medical, David York of Grove Med, and Jane Davis of Bemis Healthcare playing cornhole at our Sunday Welcome Reception.

Monday morning’s breakout session with Al Bates.

2023 Bootleggers Ball costume winners from Canada Medical.

2023 Trade Show Floor

ʯ Creating a Powerful Competitive Strategy – Mark Shonka, IMPAX Sales Performance

ʯ Digital Strategies for Success

(+AI) – Kevin Manley | IMCO

ʯ The Sales Playbook Featuring our Sales Emphasis Line (SEL) Vendors

ʯ HIDA Government and Regulatory Update –Linda Rouse O’Neill, HIDA

Tuesday highlights:

ʯ Collaboration Connection – At the start of Tuesday, we kicked off the morning by having market based, roundtable discussions over breakfast. The tables were full of Members from all markets and geographies ready to discuss what they are seeing in their markets. The conversations were very good for all in attendance. It was a productive start to the day before the trade show began!

ʯ The Tuesday Trade Show floor was busy from start to finish! There were 98 booths with Vendor representatives ready to provide demonstrations of their products and services. Both Members and Vendors commented on the incredible conversations and opportunities they left with. A quote from a Vendor partner “there is no substitute to having a tradeshow booth to show your Members the key benefits of our products and how it can help their customers provide more efficient and better care.”

ʯ Much like the IMCO Convention, the ’20s was a celebration of progress and the pioneering, independent spirit. This year we asked our Vendors to theme their trade show booth in recognition of this remarkable decade and they delivered! We had a Great Gatsby-esque setup by IHC, Sempermed created a true 1920s police and criminalfilled street, new Vendor Medgluv

Angie Euston, Ashleigh McLaughlin, and Karen D’Arcy with Vendor raffle winner Ken Spence of new IMCO Vendor Medgluv.

2023 Booth of the Year Winners at the Bootleggers Ball.

Clarity Diagnostics on the 2023 IMCO Trade show floor.

2023 Trade Show Floor

settled into the more rural feel of prohibition with their moonshine stand, and new Vendor IPTOR gave out cigars for the occasion.

Tuesday evening, we celebrated the end of our 2023 National Convention with a Bootlegger’s Ball. Staying in theme, we took it back to the glamorous & prosperous 1920s with a jazz band, ‘juice’, and a disguised entrance to our secret soiree. We had flyboys, flappers, gangsters, golfers, and dolls all in attendance. It was especially great seeing some of our new Members and Vendors embrace the festivities.

Best Booth went to Vanguard Safety and their 1920s murder mystery CLUE theme, which featured a true 1920s living room, personalized Clue cards to mark the victim, suspect, and glove used, and edited vintage portraits of the IMCO crew.

Awards for Best Costume awarded Tuesday night went to:

ʯ 1st Canada Medical

ʯ 2nd Sempermed

ʯ 3rd Pocket Nurse

Attendee Responses to the IMCO Convention

Ken Spence, Medgluv (New Vendor): “There was a great family-like atmosphere and togetherness of the staff and members. Attending over 30 years of trade shows and conventions, IMCO rated above all of those that I have attended.”

Diane Farris, IPTOR (New Vendor): “For our first time attending the IMCO National Convention, we were extremely satisfied and cannot wait to see the results of the leads we received. Not only the members but also the vendors and the IMCO team were very supportive of IPTOR!”

Victor Amat, American Medical Supplies & Equipment: “My team had glowing reviews on the Convention. They really liked the format and content of the breakout sessions. Another job well done!”

Douglas Gavin, CryoConcepts: “Solid opportunity to meet and connect with new distribution business partners to grow mutual business.”

Jack Moran, MTMC: “I thought it was the best IMCO meeting I have ever been to! Also, I have had overwhelmingly positive feedback from the MTMC supplier partners that attended.”

Dave Cantwell of Midmark: “It was incredible to witness the strong relationships between longtime members and vendor partners at the recent IMCO convention. We experienced tremendous positive engagement and productive business conversations all day in our booth. It’s always inspiring to see this network’s enthusiasm which reinforces the value of our partnerships and fuels our mutual success.”

Manheim Medical connecting with HIDA on the tradeshow floor.

2023 Booth of the Year winners Vanguard Safety in their 1920s Murder Mystery CLUE themed booth.

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Carry The Load

Henry Schein’s corporate social responsibility programs support veterans through recognition and advocacy efforts.

By Jenna Hughes

For Francis Lanni, Business Development Executive for Enterprise Health at Henry Schein, Memorial Day takes on a very important meaning. Lanni served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1986 to 1992. His father, sister, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and son are also military veterans.

“Growing up, I was surrounded by veterans, as my father was a commander at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Maryland,” Lanni said. “At the time, I did not realize

that our veterans were under-recognized for their service. Today, I am proud to be part of a purpose-driven company that supports connecting Americans to the sacrifices made by

our military, veterans, first responders, and their families.”

Lanni knows firsthand the sacrifices that military veterans have made for the country. In his personal life

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and within the company, he strives to give service members the recognition they deserve. Giving back to the community is integrated throughout Henry Schein’s corporate culture. Employees have numerous opportunities to get involved in supporting veterans through groups such as the Veteran’s Engagement Team (VET) and employee resource groups for veterans and members of the Armed Forces, along with community fundraising events. Lanni is the Co-Chair of Henry Schein’s Veterans Engagement Team.

“Going forward, I plan to participate in Carry The Load’s Memorial May campaign every year. In addition to its Memorial May campaign, Carry The Load does incredible work with its community outreach programs that support veterans and patriots,” he said. This year, Lanni is attending the Dallas Memorial March –Carry The Load’s two-day flagship event which celebrates our heroes, embraces the fallen, and educates

communities on how to respectfully observe Memorial Day.

Memorial May Campaign

Since 2022, Henry Schein Cares, the Company’s global corporate social responsibility program, has sponsored the Carry The Load Memorial May National Event. The 32 day-long nationwide Memorial Day awareness movement was created as a grassroots effort to honor and remember the people who died while serving in the U.S. military.

“Last year, I joined in the Carry The Load Tennessee relay, which was an incredible experience,” Lanni said. “I’ve participated in fundraising walks in the past, but none of them made me feel as proud as the Carry The Load walk did. The sense of community, and the feeling I got as I walked with my fellow veterans, is something I will never forget. I encourage everyone to try it once.”

During 2023, Henry Schein will sponsor various rallies throughout

Francis Lanni

USMC Francis Lanni

the nation, including the Dallas Memorial March. Carry The Load was started by Stephen Holley and Clint Bruce, two veteran U.S. Navy SEALs. In 2011, Holley and Bruce

completed a 20-hour, 11-minute Memorial March around White Rock Lake in Dallas. The purpose of the flagship march was to remind the nation about the true

meaning of the sacrifices made for our freedoms, according to Carry The Load website.

More than a decade later, Carry The Load’s National Relay travels 20,000 miles covering 48 states. There are also 86 rallies across the country and 5 regional relay routes. Volunteers can get involved by walking, biking, or even water tubing the routes, and by participating in fundraising efforts.

“As a 17-year Team Schein Member, I’m truly honored to be part of a company that leads with social responsibility,” said Lanni. “Organizations can make a positive difference in people’s lives by supporting programs such as Carry The Load. Our support of Carry The Load reinforces the work to bridge the healthcare access gap that veterans experience.”

Corporate social responsibility initiatives encourage employees to get involved beyond the office and make an impact in the local community. In addition to the various employee resource groups, Henry Schein has provided dental care to veterans through Henry Schein Dental, in partnership with the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. Also, North American Rescue – a Henry Schein Medical business – has a team of veterans, former senior military medical officers, EMS health care providers, law enforcement, and special operations medics. North American Rescue provides survivability and casualty-care medical products for the defense and public safety markets.

According to Lanni, “At Henry Schein, giving back to the communities we serve is an important part of our team culture, and having the opportunity to walk throughout the month of May in honor of our nation’s heroes exemplifies the Team Schein culture of volunteerism.”

Unleashing the Power of Personality

How every personality type can excel in sales

By Brian Sullivan

Just this week, I had a VP of Sales from a medical manufacturer call seeking some advice. He said he received a call from one of his Zone Sales Managers who mentioned that he feared they may have to fire one of their newer reps because she was, well, “just too quiet in the calls.”

My simple response was, “AAAAAAANNNNND?”

The manager said, “That’s about it. The rep doesn’t talk much in the call and I’m not quite sure she’s outgoing enough to be successful.”

After playing the role of Sales Psychologist for several minutes, I realized that the problem the manager expressed to me wasn’t the actual problem. This rep worked hard, was coachable, and had pretty good numbers. I believe the rep seemed quiet in calls

because she was actually doing more listening than talking. Amen to that! But I also think she lacked confidence because her direct manager wasn’t spending enough time with her practicing, drilling and rehearsing exactly how to do a great sales call. If they practice, I can promise you that rep will no longer be perceived as “too quiet.”

Here’s the point. Introverts can be – and often are – some of the best salespeople. Just because a salesperson’s personality doesn’t match with

the stereotype of a typical rep, it doesn’t mean they can’t crush it in business and do a great job serving customers. The truth is that individuals of all personality types can thrive in the challenging yet rewarding sales environment. Different personality types, including introverts, possess unique strengths that can make them exceptional salespeople. So, let’s dive in and unlock the secrets to sales success, regardless of your personality type!

The Introspective Strategist

Introverts may be seen as reserved, but their introspective nature grants them a unique advantage in sales. They excel in one-on-one interactions, carefully listening and observing to gain a deep understanding of their prospects’ needs. Their thoughtful and strategic approach enables them to analyze situations, plan meticulously, and present well-thought-out proposals. They thrive in environments that allow for deep connections and meaningful conversations.

The Extroverted Dynamo

Extroverts are often seen as the life of the party, and they bring that vibrant energy to the sales arena. Their outgoing nature allows them to easily build rapport with prospects, engage in lively conversations, and exude enthusiasm. They thrive in networking events, trade shows, and client meetings where their social skills shine. Their ability to energize others and think on their feet makes them exceptional at establishing connections and closing deals. But the extrovert needs to remember to tone it down and listen more to customers.

The Charismatic Connector

Charisma knows no bounds, and individuals possessing this trait have a natural gift for captivating their audience. These salespeople possess magnetic personalities that draw people in, making prospects feel understood, valued, and eager to do business. Their great listening skills, empathy, and ability to build trust, creates long-lasting relationships,

leading to loyal clients and a steady stream of referrals. Oh, and CC is also a LinkedIn Master!

The Analytical Mastermind

Knowledge and data are often king, and analytical minds excel at using it to their advantage. These individuals possess a detailed approach to sales, thoroughly researching prospects, analyzing market trends, and identifying patterns to tailor their strategies. Their logical thinking and attention to detail enable them to present solutions with precise data, earning the trust and respect of their clients. They excel in industries where complex decision-making and thorough analysis are crucial.

their offering brings, they inspire clients to envision a brighter future.

The Empathetic Problem-Solver

Empathy is a superpower in sales, and those who possess it excel in understanding the needs and pain points of their prospects. These salespeople genuinely care about helping others and go above and beyond to provide tailored solutions. They ask thoughtful questions, actively listen, and offer personalized recommendations. Their ability to connect on an emotional level fosters trust and loyalty, making them invaluable partners to their clients.

So remember, YOUR personality is not a limitation but instead

The Creative Innovator

Sales is not just about numbers, it’s also about innovation and thinking outside the box. Creative individuals bring a fresh perspective to the table, offering unique solutions and presenting products or services in captivating ways. Their imaginative approach helps them stand out from the crowd, making a lasting impression on prospects. With their ability to paint a vivid picture of the benefits

a catalyst for success. Regardless of whether you’re an Extroverted Dynamo, a Charismatic Connector, an Analytical Mastermind, a Creative Innovator, an Empathetic ProblemSolver, or an Introspective Strategist, there’s a place for you in sales. Embrace your unique strengths, hone your skills, and leverage your personality traits to forge meaningful connections, inspire trust, and achieve outstanding sales results.

As Founder of PRECISE Selling, Brian Sullivan, CSP creates top performers in sales, customer service, negotiations, leadership, and presentation skills through seminars and Internet training programs. He is also the author of the book, “20 Days to the Top – How the PRECISE Selling Formula Will Make You Your Company’s Top Sales Performer in 20 Days or Less”. To learn more, go to www.preciseselling.com.

Empathy is a superpower in sales, and those who possess it excel in understanding the needs and pain points of their prospects. These salespeople genuinely care about helping others and go above and beyond to provide tailored solutions.

When the Body Talks

The keys to reading body language in a sales environment.

By Pete Mercer

Can you tell when someone is lying? Unless you know them well, it can be difficult to determine when the other person is not being completely honest with you. Body language is often a great indication for identifying whether someone is lying to you or not. Knowing how to read body language is an invaluable skill in a sales environment, giving you an edge on your competition that allows you to improve your sales technique and drive revenue.

Traci Brown is a body language expert, trained to spot even the slightest deception. Ranked No. 3 in the world as a body language expert, Brown has studied her craft alongside members of the military and law enforcement. While she’s qualified to work at that kind of level, she uses her talents to help businesses detect fraud and help sales reps improve their tactics.

Repertoire recently sat down with Brown to discuss how body language and fraud detection can be used in a sales environment to better understand the needs and wants of the customer.

Defining body language

Body language is a person’s physiology. People like Brown who can read body language are looking for certain movements to indicate meaning beyond what they might be saying. While a person’s body language can tell you a lot about how they feel in the moment, it doesn’t always mean the same thing for everyone. More than anything, body language can tell how and when to dive deeper.

Traci Brown

“The important thing is to understand someone’s baseline and how they normally behave. Look for certain shifts around important topics, because if you make a broad decision about someone based on

one movement, you may be wrong a lot of the time,” Brown said.

Sales reps can also use body language to gauge the interest of potential prospects during a sales meeting. “You need to see if the body language matches with the words,” Brown said. “It doesn’t matter if we’re looking for fraud or not. I work with a lot of sales teams because buyers are liars. They’ll tell you anything.” These skills can assess if the person is actually interested in what you have to offer and if they are going to set up a follow-up call for more information.

Fortunately, a good sales rep is already equipped with the tools to be able to read people and situations. Sales reps work based on the needs and challenges faced by their customers, so anyone in sales should have a rudimentary understanding of how to navigate these situations. All it takes is a good eye for what people need and how you can address those needs.

The most important thing is to pay attention to any of the obvious signs and look for a way to ask questions based on how they are reacting to what you have to offer. “The goal is to use the information that is available to you, instead of just their words. Words can lie, but the body can’t.”

Studying body language can improve sales

For Brown, using body language in a sales meeting with a client is not about creating ‘gotcha moments’, but more about knowing how to better drive the conversation with better questions that address the needs of the buyer. She said, “Are they happy with the proposal? Are you really the last person they’re talking to? Is that the best price they can do? Is it really their decision? Will they call you back? All of these things are what you need to know.”

By using strategic body language, sales reps can use the available information for what Brown calls ‘unconscious persuasion’. People are more likely to make a purchase from someone they know and trust, which gives the sales rep the opportunity to leverage that relationship into a purchase. Matching and mirroring the other person’s body language will help to facilitate an environment that will make the customer or prospect more comfortable.

teams to identify any challenges or pain points they might be experiencing. As the structure and the idea of the office continues to change post-COVID, flexibility is critical to keeping your team happy with their work situation.

“It’s really bad when you lose a salesperson that you really wanted because they’re not telling you they are unhappy,” Brown said. Make sure that they are equipped with the resources they need to sell your product with confidence and ease. Perhaps even

This is a fairly typical sales technique, but it takes practice to get it right. You are working to unconsciously get on their page and, if done correctly, it can bring them over to your page, where you can come to an agreement more easily.

Brown said, “When you engage in the conversation by mirroring their movements, their tone and their words, you are creating behavioral flexibility. Most of us hope that our message gets across through what we say and do as it’s intended, but there’s a huge risk that you could be missing other people without knowing it.”

When sales reps can get strategic and intentional about using body language and being flexible in their communication, it’s much easier to turn the tide and win the sale.

Reading the body language of your team

Leadership can also use these tools to read the body language of their

more importantly, ensure that your sales collateral and other resources for your sales team are up to date and accurately reflect what you offer.

Because sales reps can sort of float in and out of the office due to the nature of the work, leadership needs to effectively utilize those brief windows of time to connect with them. The body language is important, but you also need to pay attention to their tone and choice of words to better understand what they’re going through.

More than anything else, your sales reps need to be able to trust their leadership team to have conversations like this. A big part of building company culture is establishing a sense of trust between leadership and employees that will make room for conversations about their happiness in the workplace. “If you can create that personal connection with your team, they will be much more likely to open up and tell you how they’re feeling.”

When sales reps can get strategic and intentional about using body language and being flexible in their communication, it’s much easier to turn the tide and win the sale.

Back to Basics

Hand hygiene supply chain challenges and opportunities in long-term care.

By Paul Girouard

You might have heard this story before, “It’s time to get back to basics with….” fill in the blank. That is the case with hand hygiene in the long-term care market (LTC) segment. The past few years have been the perfect storm of supply chain disruption. Demand for hand hygiene in LTC has always been strong with the market segment representing around a quarter of the market potential in healthcare.

on isolation/patient transfers to an acute care setting, and providing PPE to staff.

Another major change was, “increase the availability and accessibility of alcohol-based hand sanitizer (ABHS) and ensure ABHS is accessible in all resident-care areas including inside and outside resident rooms.” Essentially this was requiring nursing homes and other LTC facilities to double the number of dispensers in their facilities very quickly, and during a pandemic, no easy feat.

The supply chain was not ready for this. Manufacturers did not have enough production. Distribution did not have on-hand inventory. Remember how facilities were limiting outside visitation? Now there was a challenge of getting dispensers installed inside and outside of residents’ rooms.

Today’s challenges

Virtually all regulatory bodies that oversee clinical guidelines point to hand hygiene as the foundation of a good infection prevention program. The need for proper hand hygiene is critical for both LTC residents, their visitors, and staff due to employee safety and the resident’s compromised health.

In March 2020, CMS updated their guidelines with, Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in nursing homes. Recommendations in the guidance included limiting visitors to facilities (we’ll come back to this later), monitoring health of staff, providing recommendations

Where are we today? Moving inventory through the supply chain has been slow. It’s like the example of turning around the super tanker. Challenges have always included staffing issues within all areas of healthcare, including long-term care. Outside visitors and suppliers have slowly been allowed back into nursing homes.

There is opportunity and work ahead. In other words, it’s time to get back to basics:

ʯ Education is always important and desperately needed in LTC settings.

ʯ Place alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers inside and outside of residents’ rooms.

ʯ Check orders to make sure wall dispensers are filled and refilled. This sounds obvious, but remember, there are staffing issues.

ʯ Review what products are being used. Many new manufacturers began making ABHS for the first time without knowledge of proper formulation.

ʯ Provide a formulary of known hand hygiene items to help drive compliance.

CMS continues to survey facilities for infection prevention and control programs designed to “provide a safe, sanitary, and comfortable environment and to help prevent the development and transmission of communicable diseases and infections.”

In conclusion, it’s easy to see the problem. The silver lining here is that we all now understand the importance of hand hygiene in long-term care. There is also a greater awareness of all our roles throughout the supply chain and our value proposition. Wash your hands.

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Where are we today? Moving inventory through the supply chain has been slow. It’s like the example of turning around the super tanker. Challenges have always included staffing issues within all areas of healthcare, including long term care. Outside visitors and suppliers have slowly been allowed back into nursing homes.

A Hub for Collaboration

Midmark’s Experience Center brings together vendor, distributor and end user to map out physician office design and function

Since February 2021, Midmark’s 21,000-square-foot Experience Center in Versailles, Ohio, has become a place for customers to “learn about operational and clinical workflows and – combined with healthcare technologies – design their own best practices,” says Kurt Forsthoefel, Midmark’s director of medical marketing.

This spring, Repertoire asked Midmark executives to talk about the Experience Center and its impact on customers and distribution partners. Offering comments in addition to Forsthoefel were Brian Vierra, senior director, medical sales; Nate Williams, national accounts executive; and Ian Rodenberger, region director, medical sales.

Repertoire: How does the Experience Center differ from a traditional showroom?

Kurt Forsthoefel: The experience center is a hub for collaboration among distribution partners, forward-thinking customers, industry leaders and strategic partners from around the world. It is designed to help Midmark healthcare customers make informed design decisions when it comes to the advanced technologies and solutions they need to continually improve clinical outcomes. It offers them an interactive opportunity to learn best practices and understand how Midmark solutions will perform and provide value in different healthcare settings.

Our research and design teams apply customer insights and interactions to build upon our understanding of their challenges and opportunities. This collaborative approach fuels the innovation needed to best serve our healthcare customers and their patients.

A Hub for Collaboration

Repertoire: Midmark is a provider of medical, dental and veterinary equipment and technologies. Repertoire readers are particularly interested in the medical venue in the Experience Center. Can you describe it?

Forsthoefel: In the medical venue, our customers see how technology, design and workflow come together to create better healthcare experiences for patients and staff. The venue is comprised of 12 rooms focusing on the following workflows:

1. Better BP® (Blood Pressure): Patient positioning during blood pressure acquisition can make all the difference for consistent, repeatable measurements. The Better BP exam space focuses on how technology and connectivity come together to improve blood pressure capture.

2. ADA: Since the inception of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), accessibility has become a legal requirement. More importantly, accessible design is instrumental in providing better care to all patients regardless of disability. In this room, we explore how spatial layout in the exam space comes together with equipment and technology to create a safer, more accessible care experience.

3. Patient + Staff Safety: The facility and equipment design features in this room focus on helping ensure a safer space for all.

4. Instrument Processing: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines five critical steps of instrument processing. Following these best practices helps keep patients and staff safe and maximizes the efficiency of the instrument processing operation.

5. Lab: Infection prevention is an important part of the clinic lab. The lab workflow can be used for testing, packing and shipping for same-day or overnight results.

6. Podiatry: Taking an evidence-based-design approach when establishing or renovating the podiatry space elevates the strategic importance of equipment, room layout and design decisions. This approach can help our customers and their design partners create care environments conducive to achieving better outcomes through enhanced patient/caregiver experience, standardization and interaction.

7. In-Office Procedures: The number of in-office medical procedures is increasing. This general procedure room was designed to enable physicians to better meet patient demands and contain procedure costs.

8. Dermatology: We have reengineered the dermatology room to combine three key activities effectively in one space – consultation, counseling and procedures. A seamless, flexible and efficient design can help enhance the caregiver-patient relationship and ultimately improve outcomes.

9. Diagnostics + Connectivity: Midmark’s connected diagnostic devices and software solutions support adherence to clinical standards for intended clinical outcomes. Midmark Diagnostic Devices work seamlessly with many of today’s top EMR systems to help improve workflow, save time and eliminate manual transcription errors.

10. Dual Access: The culture in today’s healthcare delivery systems is shifting to a lean, integrated care model to help improve collaboration between healthcare providers, medical technicians, schedulers and patients. The use of two entry points improves workflow by providing separate flow paths for the patient and clinicians.

11. Dedicated Zones: This workflow design provides clear separation between the care zone for caregiver interaction and the family/visitor zone with guest seating.

12. Midmark RTLS: The Midmark real-time locating system, or Midmark RTLS, gathers automated, accurate

data to improve the experience between patient and caregiver. All Experience Center guests receive an RTLS badge upon entry. The entire facility is outfitted with RTLS sensors, with the medical venue and the RTLS rooms being more heavily sensed for higher accuracy.

Repertoire: Describe the visitors you typically host at the Experience Center.

Brian Vierra: Typically we host a cross-functional group of stakeholders representing key personas in the client’s organization. They collaborate early in the planning and design process – often two to three years in advance of the clinic opening. This group includes clinical operations, facilities, architect/design, process improvement, quality, clinical leadership, procurement, IT and more.

Repertoire: How long does the typical visit last?

Vierra: The Midmark Experience Trip is typically two days with a one-night stay at Hotel Versailles, owned by Renaissance Corporation, a subsidiary of Midmark Corporation. This provides ample time for travel to and from western Ohio and a productive educational schedule.

Repertoire: Do you offer a routine “schedule of events” for Experience Center visitors?

Nate Williams: Every trip has its unique itinerary to best meet the customer’s distinct project needs and branding

expectations, and to facilitate a collective learning environment for the team. We balance classroom learning with interactive product demonstrations, create collaborative design sessions with our design team, and provide a factory tour so customers can understand the importance we place on quality.

Each customer’s buying journey is different and we do our best to educate customers on industry trends to reframe their thinking about exam room design, provide a vision for what the risk to their business could be when designing around disparate product categories, highlight how their peers are approaching design to reach operational goals, and showcase how Midmark products help support their desired workflows in a mobile, flexible and connected environment.

A Hub for Collaboration

Repertoire: How should visitors prepare for their visit? For example, how much research would you prefer they complete prior to the visit?

Vierra: Our sales professionals are highly engaged with the client to best prepare for their visit in three ways.

1. First, our sales teammates conduct pre-trip presentations and trip-planning discussions with the client to tailor the experience to their specific goals.

2. Second, clients find it beneficial to share project floorplans and project lists in advance so that our designers can best prepare for the live design session during their visit.

3. Most important, our sales teammates visit one or more existing clinics to conduct a “gemba walk,” which is a Japanese lean principle describing the act of observing where work is being done. During a gemba walk, we capture firsthand knowledge of the client’s current clinic layouts, equipment and workflows as well as feedback from frontline staff to uncover gaps and opportunities. When clients are engaged in this type of preparation, they ensure they get the maximum value out of their Midmark Experience.

Repertoire: What should visitors expect during their visit?

Forsthoefel: Several things, including:

ʯ Insights into clinical workflow, equipment, technology and design that set a solid foundation for the Quintuple Aim of healthcare – to improve patient outcomes and the patient/provider experience while reducing cost/ waste and advancing health equity.

ʯ Voice-of-customer exercises to capture a current-state gap analysis and the desired future state of the clinic.

ʯ Clinical solutions that enable care delivery and the seamless transfer of patient data to the EMR as healthcare shifts from a fee-for-service to value-based care model.

ʯ Cabinetry and exam room design consultation to optimize workflow and the patient/caregiver interaction.

ʯ Key considerations for infection prevention in the exam room as well as the five-step instrument processing workflow.

ʯ Hands-on experience with our products, colors, finishes and upholstery selections.

ʯ A factory tour to see how quality and innovation are built into our products.

Repertoire: After their visit, what work lies ahead for the visitor as well as Midmark in terms of building/ renovating/expanding their clinic?

Williams: We create an Executive Summary document that ties together our pre-trip work, our live design consultation, ideas and concepts from our exam room vignettes and additional ideas that resulted from the trip. We then work with our channel partners to present our overall delivered and installed pricing packages, secure purchase orders for the project, and become part of their journey for equipment setup and product

installation as well as clinical education for the medical staff and IT department.

A year after the project is complete, we perform a Post Occupancy Evaluation at no charge, which allows us to help customers continuously improve their designs and workflow. We visit new clinics and interview key customer stakeholders to find out what design and workflow improvements they prefer, what they would change, etc. We compile data from this site visit and consult with their leadership team so we can make adjustments, changes, etc. for their next project together.

Repertoire: Since the Experience Center opened for customer visits in 2021, what changes have you made to improve your customers’ (and Midmark’s) experience?

Ian Rodenberger: We have added a flexible learning lab area, which allows us to recreate the customer’s current clinical workflow. This space is a starting point to fully understand the “why” behind their current room design, document important checkpoints throughout the patient’s visit, and uncover any potential risks to patients or staff. To drive consensus around the customer’s new way forward, we come back to the learning lab at the end of the trip to compare their existing room layout with their vision for future workflows and designs.

At the Intersection of RSV, Flu and COVID

How IDNs and supply chain leaders navigated the tri-demic of 2022-2023.

By Pete Mercer

The most recent respiratory season marked a uniquely challenging time for health systems and hospitals across the country as they squared off against a tri-demic: the intersection of RSV, flu, and COVID-19. This combination of respiratory illnesses posed a dangerous threat to patients, healthcare workers, and health systems, making it a difficult time across the spectrum of care.

The Journal of Healthcare Contracting publisher John Pritchard recently hosted a webinar sponsored by Cepheid to discuss how IDN supply chain leaders are supporting a stressed care setting, dealing with supply shortages, and reducing clinical variation in pursuit of higher quality outcomes and patient satisfaction. Pritchard was joined by:

ʯ Shireen Ahmad, SSRM Strategy and Finance, CommonSpirit Health

ʯ Cairo Wasfy, Chief Resource Officer, Supply Chain, Pharmacy, & Lab at Ardent Services

ʯ Jeanne McHugh, Supply Chain Director at UHS.

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INSIGHTS

Here are three big takeaways from the discussion:

No. 1: The care setting has evolved One of the most interesting obstacles that healthcare had to overcome was changing every approach to providing care that has been developed over the years. It was a total shakedown from top to bottom in areas of care and prevention that have been in practice for years. While it wasn’t easy, the healthcare industry managed to pivot and create opportunities for care that didn’t really exist before.

One of the biggest and widely recognized pivots is telehealth. “The biggest thing that was new to me is telehealth,” Wasfy said. “I’ve done one myself and it was very interesting. I like being in front of my physician, but it’s something that we are migrating to. Everyone knows about the nurse shortages, but we’re starting to see an even higher ratio.”

For McHugh, it was the responsibility that other healthcare workers took upon themselves to ensure that there were no gaps in care at UHS. Because clinicians were stretched so thin, nurses and pharmacists had to step up to provide levels of care that aren’t traditionally expected. McHugh said, “You saw a variety of people stepping in where the need was greatest. This licensure variability generated more access to care, which was important in the valuebased care model we had.”

Additionally, there was an increased effort in ensuring that the general public kept themselves from getting sick. “We just didn’t have enough clinicians, so keeping them healthy was very important. You saw things like pre-vaccines and pre-home test kits and an enormous amount of messaging on what to do to prevent yourself from getting sick.”

No. 2: Destressing a priority

Burnout is a significant challenge in any industry, but it took on an altogether new meaning in the healthcare setting. Organizations are now actively looking for ways to make it easier for the staff to come back to work by reducing stress.

Ahmad said, “The more burden that supply chain and other support services can lift off of clinicians ultimately reduces the stress that front line workers face today. That really should be the focus. Supply chain is a support function in the overall care model, and we should be doing everything to help promote that.”

get away from the large distributors. You need the majority of your business there because they are the big distributors, and they will have the volume to meet your needs. When you diversify your suppliers, you can create solutions.”

At UHS, McHugh realized early in the pandemic that there is not a lot of visibility on the products in storage. She said, “There are these mini warehouses and mini storage that are controlled by the clinical teams, and we don’t have visibility to them.” Without that visibility, it’s impossible for McHugh’s team to anticipate burn rates or have a better

Further, CommonSpirit launched a program called Lira, which connects staff to mental and emotional health experts, with a network of coaches and experts to fit the individual needs of personnel. Programs like this provide a way to release any built-up tension in a healthy and pragmatic way.

No. 3: Addressing supply shortages and rebuilding stock

If we want to avoid supply shortages and stay ahead of our stock, health systems and hospitals will need updated strategies and better solutions to help avoid disruptions in the future. For Wasfy, that means diversification. “(But) I don’t think we can

understanding of what they had in stock. Her long-term strategy is to get visibility to those ancillary pockets of inventory to better understand what’s available and what isn’t.

Now that the pandemic is seemingly coming to an end, it’s important to rebuild stock of the basics. Ahmad discussed how CommonSpirit had partnered with a company in China to directly source materials from manufacturers in Asia. “What that does is help provide a vertical supply chain solution, transparency upstream to supply critical PPE and other high utilization items like gowns and gloves that have recently been subject to major disruptions.”

“ We just didn’t have enough clinicians, so keeping them healthy was very important. You saw things like pre-vaccines and pre-home test kits and an enormous amount of messaging on what to do to prevent yourself from getting sick.”

– Jeanne McHugh, Supply Chain Director at UHS

EARLY DETECTION IS KEY

Cholestech LDX™ helps your customers reduce patients’ lifetime CVD risk

Early detection of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is essential to CVD prevention, yet only 4-5% of children 9-11 years old receive pediatric lipid screening per NIH guidelines. 1,2 Unfortunately, patients with FH have an increased risk of early CVD, or even early death. 3

Cholestech LDX™ lipid screenings at the point of care enable your customers to address and mitigate risk factors early

Benefits of screening

AHA: Hospitals Face Rising Financial Challenges

A report from the American Hospital Association found that rising national financial expenses could impact healthcare access.

From masks and social distancing to Zoom work and school, the pandemic undeniably shifted the way society functions. While the world strives to return to pre-pandemic normalcy, COVID-19 has resulted in lasting impacts for American hospitals and health systems.

Health systems continue to face significant challenges post-pandemic such as rising costs for labor, supplies, and drugs, workplace shortages, sicker patients, and longer hospital stays. These factors have all increased pressure on the national

healthcare system. Overall hospital expenses have increased by 17.5% between 2019 and 2022, according to a 2023 report from the American Hospital Association (AHA).

“This is not just a financial problem; it is an access problem. When

healthcare providers cannot afford the tools and teams they need to care for patients, they will be forced to make hard choices and the people who will be impacted the most are patients,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack.

In 2022, over half of hospitals ended the year operating at a financial loss, according to the AHA report. So, what are the causes of national financial challenges in healthcare?

Increased expenses

Since late 2019, the national healthcare system has witnessed financial devastation while battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Costs for labor, drugs, and supplies for hospitals and healthcare systems have increased significantly. The substantial rise in patient volume during the pandemic, in addition to the deferral of care until after disease risk had diminished, have led to immense financial burdens for healthcare systems.

Healthcare demand has also significantly increased since 2019, and medical expenses have reflected that. Drug companies have responded to higher demand by increasing prices for pharmaceutical products, and the need for sophisticated medical supplies like PPE, ventilators, and respirators have resulted in significant fees for hospitals.

Hospitals rely on the global supply chain and are therefore subject to inflation, making expenses for needed medical products much higher. Supply chain disruptions impact manufacturing, packaging, and shipping costs that lead to higher overall prices for hospitals.

As a result of factors including inflation, the need for specialized products, and labor costs, hospital supply expenses per patient increased 18.5% between 2019 and 2022, outpacing increases in inflation by nearly 30%, and hospital expenses for emergency services supplies increased by nearly 33%, according to the AHA report.

Workplace shortages

National healthcare worker shortages have resulted in access to care hurdles for patients. Healthcare staff are emotionally and physically burnt out from pandemic-related challenges, are retiring earlier, and are seeking higher pay and more work flexibility within the profession.

Healthcare staff are in short supply while patient volume remains high, and hospitals have been unable to discharge patients to other care settings such as nursing facilities and outpatient centers, creating hospital beds that are occupied without reimbursement.

Higher patient volume has led to additional operational and service fees in healthcare. As the cost of food has increased, food service costs for hospitals have gone up, with food and nutrition service expenses per patient growing over 15% between 2019 and 2022. Laboratory expenses were also up 27.1% in 2022, according to the AHA report.

Administrative costs are 31% of spending in healthcare, 82% of which can be attributed to billing and insurance, according to the AHA report. Hospitals have been forced to cut costs elsewhere because of overwhelming administrative and

Hospitals have increasingly turned to healthcare staffing agencies to meet the demand for nurses and healthcare workers. Due to a greater reliance on staffing agencies to meet patient demand and fill workforce gaps, labor costs increased 20.8% between 2019 and 2022, according to the AHA report.

Non-labor expenses

Costs for healthcare support systems have also risen significantly due to inflation. Operational expenses such as information technology (IT), food and nutrition, and environmental services and facilities have increased 18% between 2019 and 2022, according to the AHA report.

insurance fees. Rural hospitals especially deal with the impacts of rising financial costs, with many being forced to close their doors as a result of higher expenses – 143 rural hospitals have closed between 2010 and 2022, with 19 closures occurring in 2020 alone, according to the AHA.

Access to necessary health services for patients is at risk because of increased costs. The pandemic brought an unprecedented set of challenges to health systems, and access to affordable care has suffered as a result. The healthcare industry continues to navigate these challenges by calling on national policymakers for assistance, according to AHA.

“ This is not just a financial problem; it is an access problem. When healthcare providers cannot afford the tools and teams they need to care for patients, they will be forced to make hard choices and the people who will be impacted the most are patients.”

– AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack

Fast Pass: Accelerating The Medical Supply Chain

During the pandemic, transportation delays became a healthcare issue. HIDA research estimates that approximately 31,000-46,000 containers of critical medical supplies were delayed an average of 29 days throughout the transportation system. Tens of thousands of containers translates into literally tons of delayed medical products – a single shipping container can hold up to 3.5 million pairs of exam gloves, 187,000 surgical gowns, and 360,000 syringes.

By Wyeth Ruthven, Director of Public Affairs, Health Industry Distributors Association

ʯ Supply chain delays harmed patients. In one instance, a family was forced to repeatedly boil and sterilize the rubber tracheostomy tube their 18-month-old child relies upon to breathe, due to a three month delay in obtaining a replacement.

ʯ Supply chain delays harmed providers. In October 2021, hospitals around the country were so harmed by a shortage of crutches that they had to resort to asking the public for donations of gently used medical equipment.

ʯ Supply chain delays harmed distributors. One distributor in Northern California told the media supply chain delays forced him to buy medical products online in order to fill orders.

The medical products supply chain relies on predictable transport to communicate product availability to providers, allowing them to deliver appropriate clinical patient care. Delays have negative consequences for patients and public health.

That is why HIDA is working with Members of Congress to study a Fast Pass pilot program at key ports. Fast Pass is a solution to bottlenecks in the medical supply chain. It would identify containers of medical supplies, prioritize those supplies for container access and sea freight space, and use “peel off” capability for priority handling at ports and railyards.

Fast Pass has worked before. When the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach implemented a Fast Pass pilot program, they saw an improvement in the flow of medical products. Patrick Halloran, Director of Global Trade Logistics for Cardinal Health, credited the Port, shipping lines, terminal operators, dockworkers and truckers with pitching in to reduce the time of delivery of the much-needed medical supplies. “It’s great to see this come together as we all move quickly to prioritize getting products where they are needed in this uncertain time,” Halloran said.

Fast Pass has strong advocates in both the public and private sector. A report by the U.S. Department of Transportation recognized the need to “Develop a fast pass system to expedite global transportation of essential medical products.” The California Chamber of Commerce urged Governor Newsom urging the state of California to “identify and prioritize containers that contain medical supplies and to prioritize related routes.”

The best time to fix your roof is when the sun is shining. The best time to fix bottlenecks in the medical supply chain is when that supply chain is NOT straining under the weight of a global pandemic. In preparation for future pandemics, we owe it to providers and patients to ensure the smooth flow of medical products. Now is the time to adopt Fast Pass.

Point-of-care screening for STIs

Sexually transmitted infections are on the rise. Family physicians are well-equipped to help prevent, diagnose and treat them.

Reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis all increased between 2020 and 2021, reaching a total of more than 2.5 million reported cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this spring. In its final surveillance data for 2021, the agency reported:

ʯ Gonorrhea rates increased more than 4%.

ʯ Syphilis rates surged, increasing nearly 32% for combined stages of the infection. Among the syphilis data, cases of congenital syphilis (i.e., a disease that occurs when a mother with syphilis passes the infection on to her baby during pregnancy) rose by 32% and resulted in 220 stillbirths and infant deaths.

ʯ Chlamydia rates increased nearly 4%, but – unlike gonorrhea and syphilis – still did not return to pre-pandemic levels. This raises concerns that screening continued to be impacted by COVID-19related disruptions the second year of the pandemic.

“The reported increase in new sexually transmitted infections does concern me but it does not surprise me,” says Kristyn Brandi, MD, MPH, FACOG, Darney-Landy Fellow at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “Since 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many patients fell out of their normal screening habits. We also need additional help addressing barriers to healthcare access – things like transportation,

childcare support, cost of screening and treatment, and more access for prenatal health care and screening for young people.”

Julie Fadel, director, global commercial services, Sekisui Diagnostics, says, “It is troubling but not entirely surprising to see the reported rise in STIs, especially given the dramatically reduced access to screening,

testing and education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Troubling, because of the serious risks associated with untreated infections, such as [pelvic inflammatory disease], infertility and pregnancy complications. Not surprising, because there are likely many contributing factors, such as a lapse in an individual’s health insurance, limited exposure

to fact-based information on STIs, or the lack of a local, affordable, and accessible healthcare facility due to resource and funding challenges.”

Wide range of factors

While STIs are common in all U.S. regions and across all groups, some communities are hit especially hard, says the CDC. The 2021 data show STIs continue to disproportionately affect gay and bisexual men and younger people. Additionally, a disproportionate number of cases were diagnosed among Black/ African American and American Indian/Alaska Native people, groups more likely to face social conditions that make it more difficult to stay healthy.

According to the CDC, a wide range of factors can contribute to high levels of STIs. These include:

ʯ Reductions in services – e.g., screening, treatment, prevention and partner services for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) – at the state and local level.

ʯ Increases in substance use, which has been linked to less safe sexual practices. Already more than a decade old, the national opioid crisis continues to put more people at risk for HIV, viral hepatitis and STDs.

ʯ Social and economic conditions that make it more difficult for some populations to stay healthy, including poverty, stigma, lack of medical insurance or provider, unstable housing, and a higher burden of STDs in some communities.

ʯ Decreases in condom use by some groups, including young people and gay and bisexual men.

ʯ The continued stigmatization of STIs. “This stigma can bury the truth that all people deserve

quality sexual healthcare in order to live healthy lives and deter people and groups from taking action to prevent and treat sexually transmitted infections,” according to a CDC spokesperson.

The COVID-19 pandemic compounded many of these challenges, exacerbating pre-existing disparities in healthcare and prevention access, according to the agency.

“Physicians play a critical role in the fight against rising STI numbers,” says Fadel. “With many STIs linked to significant health issues if left untreated and the often asymptomatic presentation, patients directly benefit when healthcare providers are able to test and treat patients at the point of care, in a single visit. This also affords the provider with the opportunity to deliver age-grouptargeted education and prevention

The physician office

CDC is calling for STI testing and treatment to be made more accessible, including through the development and approval of point-ofcare rapid tests and self-tests, and by expanding ownership for STI testing and treatment to more organizations and settings.

“Patients need to be able to receive care in places that go beyond traditional STD clinics, i.e., spaces that are more accessible or where people may feel more comfortable than they would in an STD clinic or health department,” says the CDC spokesperson. “Implementing express clinics – STD testing without a full exam – and specimen selfcollection in settings where people already access services or healthcare can reduce barriers related to stigma, affordability and accessibility.” These spaces could include LGBTQ centers, free clinics, syringe services programs, drug treatment or medication-assisted therapy programs, or retail pharmacy clinics.

information while minimizing the risk of patients lost to follow-up.”

Says Dr. Brandi, “This is a problem that needs to be addressed both through a public health approach and through our everyday interaction with patients. Part of the problem is stigma, so it’s important that we, as doctors, talk to our patients about the importance of screening at every health encounter – not just in the OB/GYN exam room – and that we do so without bias or judgement. That can help us reach patients who may have a primary care provider but not an OB/GYN or other specialist.

“For patients without access to healthcare, public campaigns to share information about where free and low-cost screening is available are important,” she adds. “As abortion restrictions cause clinic closures across the country, we’re going to see more patients lose access to STI screening. And of course, keeping STI screenings low-cost or free as preventative services is incredibly important.”

‘ Part of the problem is stigma, so it’s important that we, as doctors, talk to our patients about the importance of screening at every health encounter.’

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Daron Gersch, MD, FAAAFP, a family physician in Long Prairie, Minnesota, and vice speaker of the American Academy of Family Physicians, says that “despite the development of screening recommendations and programs aimed at treating patients with STIs to limit transmission and reinfection, screening rates are still lower than they should be, especially given the persistent rise in cases.”

Family physicians are wellequipped to help prevent, diagnose and treat STIs, he says. “The unique physician-patient relationship, often formed over years or even decades, creates a foundation of trust where patients are more likely to be open about difficult or sensitive subject like STIs. This creates an opportunity for important conversations that can lead to proactive screening

and subsequent treatment, minimizing the chance for transmission or the adverse effects that could arise if left untreated.

“Many factors outside the doctor’s office impact patients’ access to care, including access to transportation, food, shelter and education,” he adds. “Addressing the increase in STIs will take a concerted effort in both physicians’ offices and public health settings, however family physicians are in an ideal position to help. We get to know our patients on a personal level and can connect patients to resources to address social needs that may be creating

Congenital syphilis highest since 1994

barriers to care, including screening and treatment of STIs.”

Says Julie Fadel, “We need to remove the stigma and normalize talking about STIs, especially with young people, and make it easier for people from all walks of life to readily access timely, affordable, and reliable detection and treatment. This will require a multifaceted approach, with education, access to testing, and appropriate treatment provided by primary care physicians’ offices, pediatric practices, women’s health centers, urgent care clinics, etc., as well as public health settings.”

Congenital syphilis (CS) is a disease that occurs when a mother with syphilis passes the infection on to her baby during pregnancy. CS cases have more than tripled in recent years, with more than 2,000 cases reported in 2021 alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is the highest number reported in one year since 1994. Per the CDC, congenital syphilis can cause:

For babies born with CS, CS can cause:

ʯ Deformed bones

ʯ Severe anemia

ʯ Enlarged liver and spleen

ʯ Jaundice

ʯ Brain and nerve problems, such as blindness or deafness

ʯ Miscarriage

ʯ StillbirthPrematurity

ʯ Low birth weight

ʯ Death shortly after birth

ʯ

It is possible that a baby with CS won’t have any symptoms at birth. But without treatment, health problems may develop in the first few weeks after birth, but they can also happen years later. Babies who do not get treatment for CS and develop symptoms later on can die from the infection. They may also be developmentally delayed or have seizures.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/stdfact-congenital-syphilis.htm

Editor’s note: The American Academy of Family Physicians’ policy states that any program focused on the diagnosis and treatment of STIs should emphasize family medicine and the role of primary care physicians. AAFP’s statement on “Prevention and Management of Sexually Transmitted Infections” can be accessed at www.aafp.org/about/policies/ all/prevention-sti.html.

‘Patients benefit when healthcare providers are able to test and treat patients at the point of care, in a single visit.’

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A Foundation of Care

Community health centers play an important role in addressing the nation’s primary care gap.

By Jenna Hughes

Americans nationwide have experienced increased difficulty accessing affordable primary healthcare. Over 100 million Americans face barriers to accessing primary care, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). The gap in access to primary healthcare results in serious public health threats, “leaving nearly one-third of the population vulnerable to preventable chronic diseases and emerging threats like COVID-19 and influenza,” according to the NACHC.

Primary care providers diagnose and treat infectious diseases in vulnerable populations, and the need for their services has been intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Primary healthcare providers are often the first line of healthcare defense, providing patients with vaccinations, treatments, and health education. According to NACHC and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, “primary care is the only healthcare component where an increased supply is associated with better population health and more equitable outcomes.” Primary healthcare is integral to national public health and in preventing disease transmission. The NACHC advocates for primary healthcare services to be a nationally recognized health priority.

“The primary care gap is deepening in underserved communities across our nation due to a number of trending factors including rural hospital closures, a shortage of workforce that was exacerbated by COVID, increased medical specialization and an uneven distribution of providers across the U.S.,” said Amy Simmons Farber, AVP, Media Relations for NACHC.

A patient’s ability to access primary healthcare has seen these challenges along with a doubling of patient volume since 2014. Access to primary care services is an essential healthcare need, especially in underserved communities.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how a strong primary care foundation is essential to good public health and health equity. When one person goes without access to affordable preventive healthcare, we all feel the impact in some measure, whether it is higher healthcare costs or a crowded ER waiting room because there are patients who have no other place to go for a flu shot or diabetes treatment,” said Farber.

Community health centers and the primary care crisis

Community health centers are federally funded clinics that provide affordable healthcare to underserved communities. Health centers reduce barriers such as cost, lack of insurance, distance, and language for patients who would otherwise be unlikely or unable to access healthcare.

The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is an advocacy organization founded to promote patient-centered and accessible healthcare. The organization promotes healthcare that is culturally and linguistically competent and community directed to ensure more Americans have access to needed healthcare services. Health

“Health centers play a vital role in closing primary care gaps in underserved communities. The NACHC primary care study found that without health centers, 15 million more patients would be at risk of not having a usual source of primary care.”

centers provide patients with primary medical care, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy access, and preventative services. “Primary care providers can treat the common cold, ensure healthy childhood development, prevent future illness, manage chronic conditions, and connect patients to specialty services. Having a usual source of primary care is associated with decreased emergency department use and lower health care costs throughout the lifetime,” according to Farber.

centers’ formula for success is not just to prevent illness, but to reach beyond the conventional exam room to address the environmental factors or social drivers that make people sick,” according to Farber.

NACHC’s impact

Community health centers are the largest primary care network in the country, NACHC states, providing services to millions of Americans who would otherwise forgo healthcare. According

care or treatment for basic health needs,” according to Farber.

Future of health centers

Many Americans rely on community health centers for their medical care. As challenges to healthcare access continue nationwide, the NACHC has sought to improve health center networks through strategic investments and national advocacy. The NACHC has been involved in initiatives that help fund education programs, scholarships, and loan repayment programs that encourage practitioners to work in primary care. Initiatives also include advocacy for increased funding of health centers and expanding provider networks to meet demand. Through national advocacy, the NACHC garners financial resources to support health centers with the net increase of medically disenfranchised patients.

Medically disenfranchised individuals are often unable to access primary care due to cost barriers. According to the NACHC, over 90% of all health center patients are low-income, and 67% have an income below the federal poverty level. Low-income patients are vulnerable to chronic diseases that go undiagnosed and are therefore at a higher risk of spreading infectious diseases to others. To close the primary healthcare gap, social drivers that cause poor health such as diet, nutrition, mental illness, and homelessness must also be addressed.

“Health centers create jobs, generate economic impact, and bring positive health outcomes in the most challenged populations. Health

to the NACHC, health center patients who used enabling services had 1.9 more health center visits in the past year, and a 12 percentage-point higher likelihood of getting a routine checkup. Health center networks increase access to primary healthcare, reduce health disparities, lower patient costs, and improve community health.

“Health centers play a vital role in closing primary care gaps in underserved communities. The NACHC primary care study found that without health centers, 15 million more patients would be at risk of not having a usual source of primary care. Health centers provide essential services to these patients who otherwise might not have access to preventive

“NACHC is very focused on ensuring that health centers can continue to expand their reach with targeted federal investment in the growth of the program as well as sustainable funding to train, recruit and retain the primary care workforce through important programs like the National Health Service Corps and Teaching Health Centers.”

Programs such as the National Health Service Corps and Teaching Health Centers support primary medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare providers. The National Health Service Corps assists students through scholarships and loan repayment programs. The Teaching Health Centers ensure low-income communities have access to primary healthcare. NACHC’s involvement in these programs increases a patient’s current and future ability to access quality healthcare by addressing primary care provider shortages.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how a strong primary care foundation is essential to good public health and health equity. When one person goes without access to affordable preventive healthcare, we all feel the impact in some measure, whether it is higher healthcare costs or a crowded ER waiting room because there are patients who have no other place to go for a flu shot or diabetes treatment.”

– Amy Simmons Farber, AVP, Media Relations for NACHC

Transportation Barriers to Healthcare Access

Across the nation, lack of reliable transportation is a barrier to accessing needed healthcare services.

By Jenna Hughes

Cities across the nation continue to expand and grow, developing past urban areas into the suburbs and beyond. As urban development expands, traveling farther distances is required to access needed goods and services. When availability and access of public transportation systems does not grow with cities, people do not receive the services they need. Without access to certain services like pharmacies and healthcare, health outcomes suffer.

According to a survey on healthcare access and transportation conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, one in five adults without access to a vehicle or public transportation reported skipping necessary healthcare services.

Many communities nationwide face barriers to accessing healthcare services due to limited provider availability, geographic location, socioeconomic status, and lack of insurance. Increasingly, lack of transportation has been a cause of adults choosing to forgo needed healthcare.

Access to transportation in the United States is a social driver of health. Many individuals, especially in urban areas, rely on public transit as their main form of transportation. Without access to a vehicle or reliable public transportation systems, patients are often unable to travel to a doctor’s office and as a result, they do not receive critical health services.

Vehicle access and healthcare barriers

The primary form of transportation in the United States is a vehicle. However, many individuals, such as

those that live in urban areas, have low incomes, or rely on public transit, according to the Foundation. Public transit systems include trains, buses, subways, etc., and allow individuals to access portions of the city that are inaccessible on foot.

impact among these groups, and adults who do not have health insurance, of not receiving healthcare due to difficulty finding transportation.

Health impacts

According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “Approximately 5% of nonelderly adults did not get needed healthcare in the past 12 months because of difficulty finding transportation, and this experience was more common among adults with low family incomes (14%), adults with disabilities (17%), and adults without access to a vehicle (13%).” The survey found that there is a disproportionate

Delaying or going without health services is detrimental to an individual’s long-term health. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “Adults without access to a vehicle who reported living in neighborhoods with fair or poor access to public transit were significantly more likely to forgo needed health care because of difficulty finding transportation (21%) compared with their counterparts reporting excellent, very good, or good neighborhood access to public transit (9%).” Investments in public transit may be a key to promoting health equity.

Public transit accessibility is integral to improving health outcomes across the nation. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation calls on policymakers, states, local governments, and other stakeholders to consider transportation barriers when making decisions regarding urban development.

Combatting Long COVID

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services granted funding to clinics that assist patients with the treatment of Long COVID.

As the nation moves on from the COVID-19 pandemic, some individuals are continuing to experience the debilitating effects of being diagnosed with the disease.

Some individuals who are recovering from COVID-19 can go on to develop long-term effects after an initial infection. The ongoing symptoms a patient experiences after infection are referred to as “Long COVID.”

Individuals with Long COVID can experience a wide-variety of persistent COVID-like symptoms such as fatigue, cough, shortness of breath, body aches, etc. Long COVID may not affect everyone the same way, and it can last weeks, months or years after an initial COVID infection. Long COVID can also lead to the development of new conditions or disability.

“While estimates vary, up to onethird of people with COVID-19 infections may experience Long COVID,” according to a recent press release from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Funding for Long COVID treatment

The Long COVID healthcare crisis has led to a necessity for health systems to be able to treat the disease. New funding for clinics that care for people with Long COVID, provided by The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will “expand access to comprehensive, coordinated, and person-centered care for people with Long COVID,” according to the AHRQ press release. The grant funding will help provide

clinics with the resources to treat Long COVID, especially clinics that treat underserved, rural, vulnerable, or minority populations. These demographic groups are often unable to access the specialized treatments needed to address the varied and ongoing symptoms of Long COVID.

Health organizations that are eligible include clinics that are specifically able to address the symptoms associated with Long COVID. The clinic must also offer other comprehensive Long COVID healthcare services, such as screening for disease outcomes, rehabilitation, and targeted specialist referrals.

Clinics that receive funding must also assess patients’ social and behavioral needs and personal circumstances when making health-related decisions. Clinics must additionally partner with community-based organizations that have a focus on assisting people with Long COVID.

“The grants will help provide resources and services to communities disproportionately impacted by Long COVID, while helping educate and provide information into best practices for Long COVID management,” according to AHRQ Director Dr. Robert Otto Valdez.

Addressing Burnout in Primary Care

A report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) examines possible solutions to physician burnout in the primary care sector.

By Jenna Hughes

Physician burnout has been a persistent challenge as health systems continue to seek normalcy post-pandemic. The fatigue that physicians face is exceptionally high within the primary care sector. Busy workdays, a wide variety of healthcare issues to treat, and increased patient volume have led to emotional distress and exhaustion for primary care physicians.

So, what steps can healthcare leaders take to address primary care physician burnout in their practices?

Assessing burnout

Healthcare industry leaders must first recognize the indicators of burnout within a practice to address it. High turnover rates, frequent absences and prevalence of sick days, and low ratings on wellness surveys are all signs of physician burnout.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), measuring burnout in an organization includes the use of assessment tools, referred to as burnout inventory tests, developed specifically for the healthcare industry. The test results can assist staff in developing strategies to address physician burnout.

Strategies to address burnout

Once the magnitude of burnout throughout an organization is understood, strategies that promote a healthy and productive workplace culture can be implemented.

Strategies such as reducing administrative workload, implementing team-based and integrated care,

promoting work life balance, cultivating social connections and wellness, and aligning incentives to support staff well-being all help to address feelings of burnout among physicians.

Healthcare staff spend more time than ever on administrative tasks, which reduces total time to actually treat patients. According to AHRQ, “half of a primary care physicians’ total work time is spent on computer work outside of patient visits. In addition, nearly half of family physicians’

total Electronic Health Record (EHR) time is spent on clerical and administrative tasks such as documentation, order entry, billing and coding, and security issues (i.e., usernames and passwords), indicating that a reduction in administrative tasks has great potential to free up clinicians’ time.”

Additionally, team-based care practices such as team huddles, previsit planning, and real-time documentation helps to promote a work plan so physicians can successfully complete workloads.

“Healthcare leaders should think about how to determine priorities as an organization and how to know whether a change is an improvement and conduct small tests of a change before rolling it out more broadly,” according to AHRQ.

Physician well-being

Other tactics, such as promoting work-life balance, cultivating social connections, and promoting a culture of wellness can also ensure physician well-being.

“In order for healthcare staff to effectively care for others, their own physical and mental health needs must first be met. Providing opportunities and resources for staff to engage in self-care strategies to prevent or mitigate burnout can complement practice-wide initiatives to promote a culture of wellness,” according to AHRQ.

Finally, reassessing staff incentives throughout a medical organization can reduce burnout. According to AHRQ, “Organizations should review their current compensation practices as well as other rewards and incentives that are in place, to ensure they do not encourage overworking or other unhealthy behaviors. Carefully aligning policies to support staff wellbeing is a clear indication that the organization is committed to a culture of wellness.”

Eliminating or redesigning payment policies that lead clinicians to feeling overworked, using rewards such as gift cards and catered lunches, and developing policies encouraging staff to raise ethical concerns all contribute to a healthier, more efficient workplace environment where staff feel supported.

Selling with Integrity

From products to service, Jessica Curry’s customers know they –and their patients – can expect nothing but the best.

The plan was to become a veterinarian, says Cardinal Health cardio venous sales specialist Jessica Curry. She wanted to work in some type of medical field, she recalls, and growing up around farm animals and dogs made animal health a logical career choice. But her experience caring for family members when they required assistance and her awareness of the growing nursing shortage at the time led her to pursue a dual college degree in nursing and psychology.

Jessica Curry

“I helped finance college by working part-time in a home for children with special needs – a rewarding experience that further helped mold my path,” she says. That, and her experience as a nurse assistant, exposed her to various acute and post-acute opportunities in healthcare. “My first clinical rotation was in the psychiatric ward at the VA in Fayetteville, North Carolina,” she says. “It was a true test of whether I would be able to handle some of the more challenging clinical interactions with patients. And little did I know that working at the special needs group home would prepare me to be a parent to my own special needs child many years later.”

Curry’s first job out of college was in clinical research, with a bit of nursing on the side. A few years later, she completed her MBA, which prepared her to join the medical sales industry. “My first opportunity in medical sales was as a pharmaceutical rep,” she says. “Medical sales provided an opportunity to use my clinical knowledge and experience, as well as my business acumen. Given how much healthcare has evolved over the past two decades, having both a clinical and business background has been a huge benefit with regard to customer partnerships and relevance. For instance, my past exposure to different clinical specialties, together with my experience in clinical research, showed me that all products are not necessarily equal, nor are they all the right fit for every patient.” In fact, she recommends that patients research which medications and medical products best suit them –something she deals with daily as a parent of a special needs child. “I felt confident to advocate for my son’s needs, and I’m teaching him to

be resilient and persistent, just as I must be in sales.

“I’m not the kind of person who can sell just any product,” she continues. “I will only sell the best products available in each category.” It’s been important to work for companies that reflect this value, she adds –companies with a clear vision, where she can continue to learn the best ways to support her customers. She began her career in medical sales in 2002 as a territory manager at Wyeth, then joined Kinetic Concepts Inc in 2007. In 2013 she joined Covidien, which was acquired by Medtronic three years later. Then, in 2018, her division was acquired by Cardinal Health. “This year marks 10 years in my current position and 24 years in the healthcare industry.”

Meeting challenges head-on

The past three years have presented a few bumps in the road for Curry. In addition to having to navigate her way through the COVID-19 pandemic, she learned of her son’s diagnosis with autism. In both cases, she responded with careful consideration and integrity. Thanks to a positive experience growing up in a diverse community, with supportive, loving parents, she felt equipped not only to deal with these daily challenges, but to succeed at doing so.

“The pandemic changed so many things, especially how we’ve done business as vendors and as reps,” she points out. “Due to pandemic restrictions, the days of dropping by a customer unannounced were over. We were limited

Jessica and her husband.

to communicating via email, phone calls or virtual meetings. In addition, supply chain constraints made things even more challenging. In my career, I never dealt with backorders or inventory depletions until the pandemic.” In spite of these challenges, her deep clinical knowledge and commitment to selling with integrity enabled her to continue providing her customers with the necessary products to provide the

best possible patient care. “Selling with integrity means something!

“I quickly adapted to the changes, in part due to the instincts and skills I developed over the course of my career and personal life, and also because I have had wonderful mentors along the way,” she continues. “To help my customers navigate the new healthcare environment, I created cross references to a wider variety of product

options. I wanted to ensure their needs were met, even when I didn’t carry the product they required. I also set up routine customer calls to create plans of action and help organize the complexities of supply chain issues. My efforts did not go unnoticed and were greatly appreciated. As it turns out, selling with integrity will always be in style.”

A diverse community

Though she wasn’t an army brat, Curry enjoyed the unique experience of growing up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, near Fort Bragg. “Growing up next to the home of the 82nd Airborne was an honor,” she says. “The Fayetteville community and surrounding areas appreciated the military being there. We would always salute the many Vietnam and Korean War vets and thank them for their sacrifices. There was a true sense of pride and patriotism. During any deployments, it was clear there was an absence, bringing the community closer together.

“Fort Bragg was an open base at the time, so I was able to attend many concerts for the troops, as well as every Fourth of July celebration,” she says. “Because Fort Bragg is one of the largest army bases in the country, I was exposed to different cultures and languages early on. Retired military veterans often settled there with their families, and many of my friends who were stationed there had lived all over the world. Because of this, I was never afraid to travel or move to another area. I’ve met many people, but I’ve never felt like I’ve met a stranger – something that’s especially helpful being in sales.

“It’s very special to be surrounded by soldiers and their families, and I am truly grateful to have been part of such a special community.”

‘ Medical sales provided an opportunity to use my clinical knowledge and experience, as well as my business acumen.’

Jessica and her son.

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Connect With Supply Chain Leaders In Chicago

Why Attend?

More Ways To Meet

Meet and strategize with your most important partners at the Innovation Expo, Executive Business Exchanges, and Reverse Expos.

More Types Of Companies To Meet With

Take advantage of the opportunity to meet with group purchasing organizations, integrated delivery networks, and regional purchasing coalitions.

Large And Small Companies

Meet national, regional, specialty, minority-owned, and independent companies during the 2 1/2 days in Chicago.

More Face Time, Less Travel Time

In a single event, you can meet face to face with nearly 1000 decision makers, strategize with current partners, make new connections, keep up with the latest trends, and stay competitive!

Register: HIDAStreamlining.org

Who Attends?

Distributors

Manufacturers and Service Providers

Group Purchasing Organizations and Regional Purchasing Coalitions

IDNs and Health Systems

More Ways To Network

IN-PERSON NETWORKING

SOLUTIONS

EXPO & LOUNGE

Wednesday, September 20

Featuring:

• Networking Lunch – 12:30-2:30pm CT

• Happy Hour – 4:45-6:00pm CT

Visit product manufacturers and solutions providers on the Expo floor

PARTNER MEETINGS

• Executive Business Exchange: Meet with teams of distributor decision-makers.

• Gold Key Club: Reserve space for your private meetings.

• Private Meeting Rooms: Book your team and partner meetings by reserving a meeting room onsite.

Register: HIDAStreamlining.org

EXPO & LOUNGE

Thursday, September 21

Featuring:

• Networking Breakfast & Reverse Expo & Lounge – 10:30am – 1:00pm CT

Walk-up meetings with medical product distributors, leaders from group purchasing organizations and integrated delivery networks.

Networking Events

Welcome Reception Tuesday, September 19 | 5:30–7:00pm CT

Hour On Show Floor Wednesday, September 20 | 4:45–6:15pm CT

Party Wednesday, September 20 | 9:00–11:00pm CT

Manufacturers: Your registration for HIDA’s Streamlining Healthcare Expo & Business Exchange gives you admission to the HIDA Distributor Q&A Sessions. Each session highlights a different distribution company.

Each Distributor Q&A Session will kick off with a panel of leading distributor executives who will introduce their company, and discuss relevant markets and product categories.

The second half of the session is a unique opportunity for manufacturers to ask the panelists specific questions. Its’s a great way to learn about different companies and explore potential partnerships.

ShareGROUPS

Gather over breakfast with industry leaders for peer-to-peer, small group discussions about opportunities and challenges on topics of common interest. Past ShareGroups have included EMS, Urgent Care, Federal Procurement, Wound Care, Infection Prevention and more!

Register: HIDAStreamlining.org

• Cardinal Health

• Concordance Healthcare Solutions

• Direct Supply, Inc.

• Henry Schein, Inc.

• IMCO, Inc.

• McKesson Medical Surgical

• Medline Industries, Inc.

• NDC, Inc.

• Owens & Minor

• Thermo Fisher Scientific

• VWR, Part of Avantor

3 Ways Medical Distribution Sales Teams Should Use Content

While it may seem that content marketing is a siloed marketing activity, it can be a really effective tool for medical sales reps to use with their clients. Here are 3 ways that medical distribution sales teams should be using content with their customers and prospects.

No. 1: Build relationships

Relationships are the foundation of the medical/surgical sales channel, which is why distribution sales reps should be using content to develop those relationships. Content gives sales reps the ability to nurture leads who aren’t yet sales-ready, instead of ignoring them in favor of a hotter lead. Sales reps can use content

to educate leads and help them through the sales process by providing actionable insights and information designed to move them closer to purchase.

No. 2: Inform and educate

Selling in 2023 means that you are selling to an informed buyer. Before they meet with you, the buyer has likely already done all their research to help them make a better decision. The job of the medical sales rep is to supplement that knowledge with the kind of branded content that can give your company an extra dose of credibility. Using content to inform and educate your customers is a great way to show how your

products differ from the competition and how your products meet the needs of the user.

By taking the “resource approach”, you can navigate around the current knowledge that your customers may have about your products and answer any further questions they might have. This extra touch will also help to build a relationship and trust between you and the customer.

No. 3: Generate new leads

When you generate content, you generate leads. The greatest payoff of a content strategy is that it adds a new source of leads to your pipeline. As potential customers continue to visit your site, complete forms, and download items so that they can continue reading your content, you are creating a steady flow of potential leads for your sales team. Stay ahead of your pipeline by keeping your content up-to-date and accurate to the changing medical distribution landscape.

Developing content for your sales teams to use can be challenging, but it’s critical to driving engagement with your audience and revenue for your organization. Share Moving Media has developed the tools, resources and expertise to assist. We create content for several of your peers in the medical device world. Contact sadams@sharemovingmedia.com today to learn more about equipping your sales reps with effective content.

Using content to inform and educate your customers is a great way to show how your products differ from the competition and how your products meet the needs of the user.

Industry News

Cardinal Health announces merger of its Outcomes business into Transaction Data Systems and related partnership

Cardinal Health announced it has signed a definitive agreement to contribute its Outcomes™ business to Transaction Data Systems (TDS), a portfolio company of BlackRock Long Term Private Capital and GTCR, in exchange for a minority stake in the combined entity. Under the terms of the agreement, Cardinal Health’s pharmaceutical segment CEO, Debbie Weitzman, will be appointed to the TDS board of directors.

The transaction will create a broad, integrated offering of pharmacy workflow software with patient engagement and clinical solutions to serve the patient, pharmacy, payer, and pharmaceutical company ecosystem, including one of the nation’s largest networks of 40,000 retail, chain and grocery pharmacies.

TDS’s existing portfolio of clinical pharmacy solutions includes the Rx30 and Computer-Rx pharmacy management systems and PrescribeWellness, its patient communicationpharmacy enablement application. Through its OutcomesOne™ platform, Outcomes offers a portfolio of patient engagement, clinical care, workflow, and financial solutions.

The combined organization will expand upon TDS’s existing solutions for delivering clinical care, medication therapy management and diversifying pharmacy revenue streams by adding Outcomes’ digital capabilities for patient engagement, virtual verification, order grouping, pill counting, and financial insights. Together, TDS and Outcomes will create additional opportunities for pharmacists to participate in sponsored clinical interventions and better access for payors and pharmaceutical companies to drive better care and outcomes for patients.

The transaction is anticipated to close, subject to customary closing conditions and the expiration or termination of regulatory periods, in the third calendar quarter of 2023. Jones Day is serving as legal advisor to Cardinal Health. SVB Securities is acting as financial advisor and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is serving as legal advisor to Transaction Data Systems.

Henry Schein named official medical product sponsor of the United States Football League

Henry Schein Medical announced that it is the official medical product sponsor of the United States Football League (USFL). The partnership

reinforces Henry Schein Medical’s commitment to providing athletic trainers with the products, supplies, and solutions needed to help keep athletes safe, healthy, and in the game.

Henry Schein Medical’s Athletics and Schools business is providing the USFL with a wide range of products and equipment, ranging from automated external defibrillators and first aid kits to percussion massagers and hot and cold therapy kits.

“We are excited to partner with the USFL to help ensure the league’s athletic trainers are equipped with necessities to keep the athletes performing at their best,” said Eric Kearns, National Sales Director of Henry Schein Medical’s Athletics and Schools business. “We understand the vital role athletic trainers play both on and off the field, and we are dedicated to supporting the profession.”

Throughout the years, Henry Schein Medical’s Athletics and School’s business has supported sports teams at all levels. For example, the Company has sponsored the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society Tim Davey Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Year award since 2011. The award recognizes the commitment, dedication, and integrity of one trainer from the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference.

Additionally, the Company celebrates emerging athletic trainers through its Rising Star program, which honors recently graduated athletic trainers in the United States who have not yet reached a senior chief-level position but have a strong career trajectory with the potential of forward advancement and appointment at the highest levels of the profession.

Henry Schein Medical’s Athletics and Schools business provides athletic trainers, physical therapists, strength and conditioning coaches, nutritionists, higher education and K – 12 student health clinics, and lab and research facilities around the country with sports medicine supplies and equipment. Its offerings range from electrolyte supplements and portable medical kits to physical therapy tables, emergency medical services equipment, and more.

B. Braun launches DoseTrac Enterprise Infusion Management Software

As a leader in smart infusion therapy, B. Braun announced the launch of its next generation of infusion management software, DoseTrac® Enterprise Infusion Management Software. With this new software, organizations receive a mix of realtime views and retrospective reporting features to better understand their infusion pump fleet and associated data. The DoseTrac Enterprise Software platform can also connect up to 40,000 pumps at an unlimited number of facilities with just one application.

DoseTrac Enterprise allows customers to manage their infusion pumps from a single central application regardless of the size of their fleet or number of locations. Pumps can move between

locations seamlessly, and data can be aggregated and disaggregated from the enterprise level down to the individual facility care area to help with continuous quality improvement. DoseTrac can help improve data management which may lead to a decrease in clinical IT infrastructure required for infusion pumps.

Midmark expands philanthropic efforts with launch of Midmark Cares

Midmark recently announced the launch of Midmark Cares – a newly formed committee that includes employees (teammates) from across Midmark’s 12 U.S. based locations. The committee was formed to organize team-building events, provide strategic oversight of activities, and further expand Midmark’s community outreach and philanthropic efforts nationwide and globally. By strengthening partnerships and investing in the community, the launch of the committee is yet another step forward in advancing Midmark’s continued commitment to increasing access to quality care.

To further philanthropic efforts, Midmark has partnerships with numerous organizations, including World Vision. Midmark has been a long-time partner with World Vision, helping to bring better healthcare to communities in need around the world and in the U.S. through product donations and the building of caregiver kits. The company’s collaboration with World Vision began in 2005 when Midmark began donating high-quality, easy-to-use medical equipment to clinics in remote areas of developing countries. Since then, the partnership has grown significantly.

In September 2022, Midmark announced its 2021 trade-in program

collected 1,000 eligible exam tables, which were donated primarily to World Vision. The organization refurbished and delivered them to clinics that provide healthcare to children and families in remote areas of developing countries.

Additionally, in 2022, Midmark Teammates at eight locations built 3,750 World Vision hygiene kits distributed to Moldovia, Poland, Romania and Ukraine for Ukrainian refugees.

The Midmark Cares committee has hit the ground running, with teammates having already organized and participated in several community events:

ʯ Helping hundreds of local homeless pets by hosting a Bark in the Park event in Tampa, Florida.

ʯ Hosting blood drives in Leesburg, Ohio and Kansas City, Kansas.

ʯ Sponsoring a kennel at Highland Humane Society in Hillsboro, Ohio.

ʯ Participating in river cleanup in kayaks in Glasgow, Kentucky.

ʯ Supporting Operation Christmas Child with robotics team sponsors in Traverse City, Michigan.

ʯ Working with Community Meals to promote fellowship within the community in Versailles, Ohio.

With a charitable mission that focuses on support through volunteerism as well as monetary and product donations, Midmark encourages its teammates to serve as active participants in corporate giving and community involvement. As an incentive, Midmark Teammates are offered up to three paid volunteer outreach days as part of its policy, and an additional day to teammates participating in Midmark-sponsored international or domestic mission trips.

Understanding the 5-Step Instrument Processing Workflow

Why it’s Critical for Your Customers

As the number of outpatient clinics increase, instrument processing becomes a greater challenge for our customers. They may already understand the need for effective sterilization to reduce risk—but instrument processing is more than sterilization and it begins before they ever touch an instrument. Midmark instrument processing solutions were designed around CDC-recommended1 best practices to help make regulatory compliance to clinical standards as easy (and as automated) as possible.

Contact your Midmark Representative to start the conversation.

1 https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/sterilization/sterilizing-practices.html

© 2023 Midmark Corporation, Versailles, Ohio USA

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