Clinical Value Analysis Where Do Value Analysis Professionals Come From? James Russell, RN-BC, MBA, CVAHP, Value Analysis Program Director, UW Health, WI
Whenever I tell people what I do for a living, about half just nod and smile (having no idea, or interest in, what Clinical Value Analysis is). The other half will look a bit skeptical and may even ask for an explanation. That’s fun! I usually say my short and sweet version: “I help my health system ensure that the ‘stuff’ we buy is safe for our patients, from a clinician’s perspective, and not just the least expensive thing on the market.” That will satisfy about half of the half. They didn’t really want to know, they were being polite. For the few that are left, they will ask even more pointed questions. Now they’ve opened Pandora’s Box…because I love to talk about what I do. They asked for it! In-between asking about why healthcare is so confusing and how come their hospital charges $5.00 for a Tylenol, there will be questions about how one becomes a Value Analysis professional. This can become muddy. I’ll tell them how I did it, but that is by no means the only path: I’m a Registered Nurse. I spent about a decade in Critical Care and another in Psychiatry (which one do you think I use more, when dealing with surgeons?). I’ve been a leader (manager or director) in both disciplines. I have gotten advanced degrees beyond nursing that focus on the “business” of healthcare. I’ve been trained in various project management techniques (such as LEAN). This background gives me a bit of clinical knowledge and experience (I’ve participated in literally hundreds of Code Blue’s) and also enables me to speak somewhat coherently about operational processes (having to create, balance, and defend my nursing department’s budget, variances, and capital needs). These two disciplines, clinical and operational, have provided me an excellent precursor
Volume 7/Issue 1
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