Evidenced-Based Value Analysis
Show Me The Evidence Dee Donatelli, RN, BSN, MBA, Sr. Vice President, Provider Services, Hayes, Inc.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results." Whether we should attribute this maxim to Ben Franklin, Albert Einstein, or Rita Mae Browne is debatable. What is clear, however, is that when it comes to supply chain and value analysis, we’re completely insane. For years, we’ve been doing the same thing—relying on contracting and standardization strategies to reduce costs by finding ways to limit the variety of products used for the same clinical application, which, in theory, eliminates wasteful and inefficient consumption or misuse. Granted, these approaches to the purchase of consumables, devices, and in particular, physician-preference items have been effective ways to drive down utilization costs and improve efficiency. But the question we need to ask is, “Are the products purchased really superior to others on the market with regard to patient outcomes and safety?” Without an evidence-based comparison of competing products, the products and health technologies we use may not be the best ones from a clinical performance perspective. If we truly want to optimize patient outcomes and realize significant cost savings throughout the supply chain, then it’s time we started using clinically based criteria to make decisions about the items we use in the course of delivering medical services to our patients. The missing link in all traditional value analysis models >>
Winter 2012
Healthcare Value Analysis Magazine
37
