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Daily Dispatch, Day 2: Education sessions, Top Performers take center stage today

September 17, 2024

Monday recap

'Culture of exceptionalism'

In his opening keynote, Dr. Fritz François, executive vice president and vice dean, chief of hospital operations at NYU Langone Health, reflected on what’s possible — even when all seems lost.

He recounted the damage Superstorm Sandy inflicted on NYU Langone nearly 12 years ago, when the onslaught of heavy winds and rain knocked out the facility’s power and flooded its floors.

What it couldn’t destroy was the staff’s fighting spirit.

They evacuated hundreds of patients down several flights of stairs, including acute patients in medsleds and NICU babies in the arms of their caregivers.

“Where does an organization reside? Is it only within the walls of its physical space?” Dr. François asked. “No. We quickly realized our organization resided within our people — and our culture of exceptionalism.”

The anecdote buttressed a bigger story about NYU Langone’s efforts to establish a high reliability organization that embraces innovation, equity and accountability. There are five key principles to building this type of culture, Dr. François noted: a healthy preoccupation with failure that encourages employees to look for what could go wrong; a reluctance to simplify; sensitivity to operations; a commitment to resilience; and a deference to expertise over authority and hierarchy.

“With HRO principles guiding us, we have instituted systems that provide patients exceptional outcomes no matter their background or which of our facilities they visit,” he said.

Dr. François was introduced by Vizient CEO and President Byron Jobe, who welcomed the Summit’s nearly 5,000 attendees by encouraging them to reflect on their accomplishments — and to focus on the opportunities ahead.

“We want to create communities that thrive,” Jobe said. “We want to prevent injuries and illnesses before they happen, we want to provide the highest quality care possible, and we want to ensure that care is equitable and accessible to everyone. Because no matter the innovation or the further we progress, it all comes back to that notion of a community caring for someone in need. That’s why we do what we do, that’s why we’re here together — and that’s why we celebrate.”

After a fireside chat between Jobe and Dr. François that further delved into NYU Langone’s performance improvement journey, the opening session concluded with another look at healthcare’s future, this time focused on how advancements in data and analytics will equip the industry with timely, targeted insights to improve care delivery.

Bharat Sundaram, Vizient president, data and digital, and Beth Godsey, Vizient SVP, data science and product and platform strategy, unveiled new capabilities and integration among current Vizient data tools and resources, including the Clinical Data Base, Vizient Vulnerability Index™ and Sg2 Impact of Change® forecast. (Learn more in our full event recap on Friday).

“We're not just ready for the future; we're the ones shaping it,” Godsey said. “That’s why we've been doubling down on our data and digital capabilities — so that you can tap into your full potential.”

Data in action: Don't miss out on the Generative AI demos today from 7-9 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesday from 7-9 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3-6 p.m. in Krug 2.

The Connect: Building bridges across industry

"It's nice to have conversations that are based around negotiations. Being able to touch base and have that friendly connection helps me to learn a little bit more about different suppliers and what they do." — Jennifer Penn, senior strategic sourcing manager, Providence St. Joseph Health System

“Raise your hand if this is your first time at Summit,” Rachel Martin, associate principal, supplier strategy and business development, requested of the crowd at Monday’s Supplier Orientation. She and Sara Cotter, supplier performance principal, emphasized that whether this is your first year or your 10th (or more), Summit is a week dedicated to connecting stakeholders and thought leaders from across the continuum.

Key takeaways from education sessions

Knowledge Connect: Data and Insights Forum: Attendees heard inspiring stories and practical applications from fellow providers. For instance, speakers from Memorial Hermann detailed their journey and key takeaways from an enterprise-wide performance improvement strategy in partnership with Vizient. Following that, representatives from OhioHealth provided a detailed look into how they realized $60 million in enhancements by leveraging Vizient's Benchmark solutions. And UHealth Miami offered a summary of their success in boosting productivity from the 50th to the 70th percentile.

Vizient PSO: Evolving and Adapting to Advance Patient Safety: Providers shared leading practices and innovative approaches to help address common healthcare challenges, keeping patient safety top of mind. Presenters from University of California San Francisco School of Medicine outlined how to integrate diagnostic process reviews into existing patient safety programs; IU Health discussed strategies for an emergency department split-flow model to swiftly identify and treat less-severe patients in its accelerated care unit; Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin shared how they handled a surge of patient portal messages by maximizing APP utilization and access to care via virtual consultations; and BJC Healthcare presenters outlined the role of artificial intelligence in end-of-life care. During a panel discussion with UMass Memorial Health and Intermountain Health, providers highlighted their enhanced patient safety through standardization and defined roles and responsibilities. The session was capped by a discussion about case law updates related to the Patient Safety Work Product privilege.

Spend Management Data and Digital Forum: Cost control, contract optimization, supply disruption, capital equipment costs, supplier diversity, environmental sustainability, product standardization, and team restructuring, integration and workforce engagement. Those issues (and opportunities) were just a few of the top-of-mind challenges discussed in the forum, where several Vizient experts outlined strategies to access insights and intelligence to unlock spending power, including tapping into sustainable and inclusive offerings that control costs and contribute to community well-being. Scott Wilkerson, chief procurement officer at University of California Health, also delved into supply chain transformation to enhance patient care, and Vizient SVP Beth Godsey discussed Vizient’s new data and digital capabilities, including AI-assisted performance insights.

Suppliers and distributors recognized for service excellence

Monday night wrapped up with a heavy dose of glitz and glamour thanks to the Supplier Awards, which honors suppliers and distributors for outstanding service to provider customers in three categories (click through the slideshow above to see photos of the winners):

Supplier of the Year: Honors those who demonstrate an unmatched willingness to partner with Vizient to improve their own performance and help support Vizient's mission to strengthen providers' delivery of high-value care by aligning cost, quality, and market performance.
Excellence Awards: Recognizes suppliers who demonstrate superior service, support, reliability, ethics and integrity in collaboration with Vizient and Vizient provider customers within the respective award category.
Program Excellence Awards: Celebrates superior service, support, reliability, ethics and integrity in collaboration with Vizient and Vizient provider customers within the respective program.

“Suppliers are an integral part of healthcare, and it's so important to recognize the positive impact they have. Building stronger relationships with supplier partners can lead to improved transparency and greater access to the products and services that providers need to ensure exceptional patient care,” said Don Stutsman, Vizient senior principal, indirect spend, who was a presenter at the ceremony.

Read our news release to see the full list of this year’s honorees.

Steven Loborec (pictured at middle), associate director of pharmacy business operations at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC), was one of the honorees at this year’s Vizient Pharmacy Vision Awards. Loborec won the Excellence in Aggregation Group Sourcing and Engagement award for his work in bolstering membership in OSUWMC’s TS3 program and improving savings and health system margins. In the first half of 2024, Loborec increased TS3 compliance from 40% to 64% (read his full story here and see the full list of winners here).

“Whether it’s managing essential medications, preserving patient access to novel — and often extremely high-cost — new drugs or leading fundamental legislative and public policy actions, pharmacists and pharmacy professionals contribute in ever greater ways to the health of their organizations and the patient populations they serve,” said Steven Lucio, Vizient senior principal, pharmacy solutions.

What we’re hearing …

We asked: What inspired you to attend this year’s Summit?

"This idea of connections. It’s so important for providers and suppliers to talk about the challenges facing healthcare and how we can confront them together. This event always gives me an opportunity to do just that in an environment that’s fun and conducive to conversation. Can’t wait to see what this year holds.” — Quincy Stanley, vice president, hospital operations, RUSH University System Health

"The key word is 'connect,' right? It's all about the connection with providers and suppliers. We all have technology and solutions but it's about making the connection and understanding the needs of the provider and how that connection impacts patients." — Brian Kohn, national sales director, corporate and healthcare, Toshiba America Business Solution

Tuesday’s highlights:

Choose from a plethora of education sessions hosted by providers, suppliers and Vizient experts. "Leaders can team up with colleagues from their own organization, as well as peers navigating the very same challenges," said Kathy Christensen, Vizient VP, business operations and enablement. "Providers benefit from hearing diverse perspectives, analytic insights and how to overcome potential roadblocks. They leave the sessions energized with actionable takeaways and the discussions continue in the hallways after the sessions to further relationships and broaden their knowledge."

And, she added, they can connect after Summit to advance positive change on issues discussed during the sessions. "It's this type of focus and leader alignment that paves the path for top-performer status," Christensen said.

Here's a look at a few of today's sessions:
- Pursuing High Performance: How Leaders Approach Performance Improvement: This session — which features Vizient Chief Medical Officer David Levine and Vizient Managing Principal Katerie Chapman — will focus on the best ways to achieve high performance across your hospital or system. One key element under discussion is how to ensure appropriate technologies are in place so that transparent, actionable data can be used to prioritize opportunities for top performance. (8-8:30 a.m., Ruinart)
- Moving Virtual Visits Beyond the Trough of Disillusionment: Looking for strategies to increase virtual visits in primary care? Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Bryan Beaumont and Froedtert Health’s Bryan Yagodzinski have you covered. The two will describe how, after finding themselves entrenched in the “trough of disillusionment,” they set out to revitalize and stabilize their digital health delivery — and reduced provider burnout associated with portal message management in the process. (8:45-9:15 a.m., Bandol 2)
- Understanding the Impact of Hospital Acquisitions on Quality of Care: The financial impacts of hospital acquisitions are well demonstrated — but quality impacts remain less clear. That’s why Medical University of South Carolina’s Nancy Hagood and Danielle Scheurer conducted a pre-/post-acquisition observation study to assess quality measures of five hospitals within MUSC Health’s RHN that were acquired between 2019 and 2021. In this session, they’ll delve into metrics that can be used to develop a sustainable standard for real-time evaluation of pre-/post-acquisition quality of care and the organizational factors that accelerate post-acquisition quality improvement. (9:30-10 a.m., Meursault)
- Data-Driven Excellence: Leveraging Quality Data to Optimize Health System Performance: The team at Minneapolis’ M Health Fairview will describe the interprofessional governance group structure that drives improvement for prioritized patient outcomes and identify key variables to achieve system integration of quality and safety across a health system. And they’ll share a model that uses quality data to track health system effectiveness. (10:15-11 a.m., Bandol 1)
- Safety First: Streamlining Reporting and Preventing Ambulatory Workplace Violence: Considering that workplace violence affects 2 million workers in the U.S. annually, it’s crucial that hospitals implement strategies to confront that startling reality. In this session, leaders from UCHealth and SSM Health will talk about the development of a streamlined reporting system and trauma-informed care that resulted in a 40% increase in monthly reports — and, most significantly, the safeguarding of patients, employees and visitors. (11:15 a.m.-noon, Meursault)
- The Courage to Lead: How Women Shape the Future of Healthcare: In this conversation with three female healthcare leaders, you’ll learn about leadership styles, work/life harmony and the vision for women in the industry. Speakers include Katherine Hochman, MD, MBA, director, Division of Hospital Medicine, NYU Langone Health; Adriana Quinones-Camacho, MD, FACC, chief of medicine, NYU Langone Health; and Wendy Horton, PharmD, MBA, FACHE, CEO, UVA Health University Medical Center. (2:15-3 p.m., Bandol 1)
- Improving Mortality and Sepsis Care: Novel Approaches to EHR Optimization: We all know that navigating the electronic health record in an accurate and holistic approach to disease management is a challenge. Hear how AdventHealth and Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital created novel approaches to EHR enhancement to improve targeted disease-state identification, documentation, management and treatment. (3:15-4 p.m., Bandol 2)
- Supplier education: Pick from four sessions during which you'll learn about the many ways to build deeper collaborations across the continuum of care.
  
  "These sessions are an opportunity for suppliers to connect and discuss their essential role in shaping the future of healthcare," said Rachel Martin, associate principal, supplier strategy and business development. "Our goal is to provide our supplier partners with valuable insights, practical knowledge and actionable strategies to maximize their engagement and success."
  
  Today's sessions include:
  Make sure to log your CECs: Summit attendees can earn up to 12.75 hours of continuing education for participating in accredited live activities. That's in addition to the more than 500 accredited continuing education activities Vizient offers each year.
Top Performers Awards: The dinner and celebration starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Cristal Ballroom (preceded by a reception from 5:30-6:15 p.m. in the Cristal Terrace) and will recognize the work of Vizient provider customers in clinical quality, supplier diversity and environmental sustainability excellence. "Top performers set a precedent in leadership and culture for other health systems and hospitals to follow," said Byron Jobe, Vizient president and CEO. "We celebrate each of these organizations for their efforts to deliver cost-effective, high-quality patient care in their communities." The event also will feature entertainment by the Aaron Kaufman-Levin trio.
Get your volunteer on! Last year, Summit attendees packed more than 4,000 snack bags for kids to support Nevada nonprofit Three Square Food Bank. Can we best that impressive number this year? (All signs point to yes.) Lend a hand to help beat hunger any time from 1-4 p.m. in Latour 5,6.
ESG Impact Spend Diversity Luncheon and Fair: Delve into Environmental, Social and Governance initiatives during the lunch and fair — both crafted with sustainability in mind — that will showcase cutting-edge products and services that drive positive change. Network with industry leaders, visionaries and like-minded individuals who are passionate about building a better future in areas ranging from renewable energy solutions to ethical supply chain management. The event starts at noon in the Cristal Ballroom and ends at 2 p.m.

Poster presentations focus on building better healthcare

When Dr. Candace Bradley (pictured above at right) and Dr. Thresa Hardy (pictured above at left) joined forces roughly three years ago to bolster quality at UNC-Health Rockingham, their mission was clear: Reduce the hospital’s mortality index.

Luckily, the two weren’t strangers to hard work — or to each other. They’d been colleagues nearly a decade before and knew they saw eye-to-eye on what they call the “3 Ps” of performance improvement: positivity, patience, persistence.

“In Thresa, we had an amazing quality director who approached this project with a methodical thought process,” said Dr. Bradley, who has served as chief medical officer of UNC-Health Rockingham since 2020. “With the UNC System, we had the resources we needed to tackle this issue. It was just the perfect pairing.”

And, it turns out, one that worked. In fiscal year 2021, UNC-Health Rockingham had a baseline mortality index (observed/expected mortality) of 1.82. Now, the mortality index is at 0.71 and in many cases, the hospital has gone months with no observed mortalities.

They contribute much of the success to four factors. For one, no question is too insignificant to ask, and no process is too set in stone to review.

“If you don’t understand, just keep asking ‘why?’” said Dr. Hardy, who in 2023 was named the hospital's chief nursing officer and chief operations officer.

Secondly, they focused on improving physician engagement and documentation. For instance, Dr. Bradley arranged education sessions for hospitalists to discuss indicators for mortality such as protein calorie malnutrition.

Third, they credit the collaboration with a talented (and growing) quality team, as well as the support of quality experts across the UNC System. And lastly, they say it’s vital to create a positive culture around quality that telegraphs “we’re in this together.”

“You have to present this work in a way that lifts everyone up,” Dr. Hardy said. “Having the encouragement of the UNC System allowed us to be more encouraging to our staff and our teams, and ensure their buy-in.”

Now that they’ve made such significant strides in the mortality index, what’s the next big goal?

“Beat the Vizient median,” Dr. Bradley said.

Learn more about the project and connect with Drs. Bradley and Hardy during their poster session “Success in Driving Down Mortality Index.” Credits available for their session include nursing, pharmacy, physician.

All poster sessions will be presented from 1-2 p.m. in Latour 1,2,4. Check out the full list here.

A few reminders …
- Check out category breakout sessions. These presentations unite providers and suppliers to explore strategic approaches to topics including:
  - Pharmacy (For suppliers; 1-2 p.m., Avignon)
  - Capital solutions (All; 2-4 p.m., Montrachet)
  - Construction and facilities (All; 2-4 p.m., Chambertin)
  - ESG Impact Spend (All; 2-4 p.m., Lafleur)
  - Foodservice (All; 2-4:30 p.m., Margaux)
- Today’s invitation-only sessions include:
  - The AMC CEO Network (8 a.m.-noon, Bollinger)
  - The Chief Data and Informatics Executive Network (10 a.m.-noon, Moet)
  - The Chief Medical Executives session (1-2 p.m., Pomerol)
  - Supplier roundtable sessions (1-2 p.m., Alsace 1 and 2)