Author: Brittni Straseske

How the Healthcare Supply Chain Can Impact the Patient Experience

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: November 4, 2019
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: Disaster preparedness, environmental services, EVS, Patient Experience, Supply chain

At first glance, the impact supply chain has directly on the patient experience may seem more obscure than unequivocal. Certainly, the supply chain often plays an important role in ensuring positive clinical outcomes—through proper vetting of new devices and holistic value analysis efforts, for example—and containing care costs, but these factors are often not characterized […]

4 Tips For Creating Better Stakeholder Surveys

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: June 6, 2019
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: Clinician Engagement, Collaboration, Interdepartmentalism, Performance Metrics, Supply chain, Surveys

As the oversight of supply chain expands, the department is increasingly tasked with developing innovative solutions for varying issues across an organization. Many times, these initiatives involve numerous departments, positions, and responsibilities. It is often difficult to gauge the pulse or opinions such a diverse group of stakeholders have regarding a specific topic, process, department, […]

How Can I Advance Our Value Analysis Committee?

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: April 17, 2019
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: Clinical Buy In, Procurement, value analysis

Many hospitals and health systems have had long-standing value analysis committees in place for several years now. Traditionally, these committees often approved the purchase of new items based on price neutrality or savings. However, many value analysis committees are evolving past this model, finding it restrictive to introducing new technologies and ostracizing to clinicians. As […]

Insourcing or Outsourcing Interpreter Services, Which Option Is Best?

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: January 23, 2019
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: Insourcing, Insourcing vs Outsourcing, Interpreter Services, Outsourcing

Q&A with HBI Principal Director Tina Williams. HBI Principal Director, Tina Williams, spent three years overseeing the interpreter services program for a 1,000-bed academic medical center. During that time, she gained significant insight into the pros and cons of outsourced and insourced interpreter service models, owing to the demand for services, the culture of the […]

What’s on the Horizon for Supply Chain Departments in 2019?

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: January 10, 2019
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: Capital Spend, Finance Integration, Product Standardization, revenue cycle integration, total cost of care, Utilization

As the supply chain has shifted from a transactional support role to more of a strategic, decision-making role, supply chain is interacting with other departments with greater frequency. Multidisciplinary collaboration at an organization creates opportunities to implement significant, impactful initiatives that bring meaningful improvements to the organization. This holistic approach to complicated questions is the […]

What Role Can Supply Chain Play in Environmental Services?

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: December 18, 2018
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: environmental services, HAI, Healthcare-Associated Infection, UV Disinfection Robots

According to a 2016 HBI supply chain survey, environmental services falls under the supply chain umbrella at nearly half of all hospitals and health systems, with the practice being most common in organizations with 100 beds or fewer. As this is an ancillary service new to many supply chain departments, several questions have been floated […]

Responding to Frequent Drug Shortages

By: Brittni Straseske, Rachel Gerlach
Date: November 16, 2018
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: Drug Shortage, Drug Supply, Pharmacy

Drug shortages continue to pose challenges for provider pharmacies in the final quarter of the year. While the causes for drug shortages can vary from natural disasters to voluntary recalls, one thing remains consistent: provider organizations need to have the ability to react to the inevitable shortages. Hospitals and health systems that are unable to […]

Observing Best Practices in Healthcare Sustainability Efforts

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: October 30, 2018
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: Envision, Gundersen Health System, Sustainability

One of the leaders in healthcare sustainability efforts has been Gundersen Health System, located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The organization has a centralized sustainability program called Envision that is tackling environmental stewardship from several angles. HBI recently visited Gundersen’s main campus to learn about Envision and observe the program’s operations firsthand. Gundersen originally began exploring […]

How Provider Supply Chains Can Prepare for Extreme Weather Events

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: August 30, 2018
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: Disaster preparedness, Extreme weather events, Supply chain readiness

According to the National Climate Assessment, a team of experts working under the Federal Advisory Committee, extreme weather events have been increasing in frequency, particularly over the last several decades. Floods, hurricanes, snow storms, droughts, and massive wildfires pose a significant health threat and can cause serious disruptions in the production and logistics of medical […]