Illuminated Path: Shining A Light On Healthcare's Best Operational Practices

In this episode of Illuminated Path, host Lori Pilla begins part one of a two-part interview with guest Julius Heil, president and chief executive officer of Intalere. They discuss end-to-end supply chain management and the need for healthcare providers to build a comprehensive supply chain strategy. Heil shares his 30 years of experience – advising organizations in areas including digital technology, analytics, automation, operations, supply chain strategy and global strategic sourcing/procurement – and advocates on the need to bring efficiency to the healthcare supply chain. They discuss several critical measures on implementing supply chain strategies and how it can result in huge opportunities for improvement and savings.

In this episode of Illuminated Path, host Lori Pilla welcomes guest Bob Yokl, senior vice president and chief operating officer of SVAH Solutions. They discuss how healthcare organizations can maximize profits and efficiencies within the supply chain through value analysis, as well as methods and trends in big data that create value for all healthcare organizations. Yokl shares his six-step value analysis system and common mistakes that value analysis teams tend to make in performing these functions. They also discuss the need for robust tools and databases as well as the challenge of physician engagement. At the conclusion, Yokl shares his thoughts on the training and mentoring that is necessary to make results happen in the healthcare supply chain.

In this episode of Illuminated Path, host Lori Pilla welcomes guest Kreg Koford, associate vice president of strategic sourcing and solutions within Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, Utah. Their conversation is centered on the strategic role of supply chain in healthcare and how shared decision-making can help make a collaborative, data-driven process more efficient. Koford shares the steps his team at Intermountain Healthcare took in setting the foundation for the process of shared decision-making to integrate with the clinical teams. They also discuss how clinical data, technology tools and supplier partners can help support the shared decisions-making process. At the conclusion, Koford shares some of his lessons learned on creating an efficient and effective supply chain to ensure patients are receiving the best possible care at the lowest appropriate price.

In this episode of Illuminated Path, host Lori Pilla welcomes guest Matthew Bates, managing director in Huron’s healthcare practice and industry expert on MACRA strategy and execution, for a discussion on MACRA – a new payment method that will have a deep impact on healthcare and reimbursement. In particular, Bates defines MACRA and explains what the original intention CMS had for this new payment method. They explore its implementation and overall impact for physicians and clinics in addition to its possible success in replacing the sustainable growth rate (SGR) with a fair and viable alternative. The episode closes with recommendations for provider organizations and physicians on what needs to be done to prepare for success in MACRA.