BUYLINE


Consequentially yours


Rick Dana Barlow Senior Editor


Many of us favor and prefer choice. Those of us who don’t, either fi nd comfort in being told what to do, or simply don’t want the hassle of making decisions that interfere with what- ever else interests us. However, the privilege (or right in some cases) of choice, as well as the compliance to edict, lead to a similar outcome: Con- sequences. Whether we make a choice or a choice is made for us, we must deal with the consequences – good or bad, attractive or ugly, healthy or sick. Healthcare workers, managers and leaders deal with choices daily that result in admin-


istrative, clinical, fi nancial and operational repercussions. Whether it’s to offer, continue or cease a clinical service line; whether it’s to hire, lay off or fi re a person or product- or service-related business; whether it’s to contract with this supplier or vendor or another; whether it’s to pursue diversity, equity, sustainability; whether it’s to invest in reusable or disposable/single-use only products; whether it’s to work with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or third-party independent service organizations (ISOs) to main- tain and repair costly devices and equipment. All those decisions bear consequences. Healthcare Purchasing News has explored the reusable vs. disposable and the OEM vs. ISO debates for decades, acknowledging the controversies, passions, personalities and points of view of proponents and opponents of either “side.” Where choice may be preferred and demanded, accountability and responsibility must be accepted. Healthcare organizations can, do and should have the choice to invest in reusable and/


or disposable/single-use only items. They can, do and should have the choice to contract with OEMs and/or ISOs for maintenance and repair of costly devices and equipment. But adjustments must be made to budgets, processes, strategies, tactics and techniques. Disposables affect the waste stream; reusables involve sterile processing, maintenance and repair cycles. OEMs intimately know how to maintain and repair their own devices and equipment; ISOs offer similar quality services with a caveat … the customer understands that the OEM may/will void any warranty on a product on which service is performed by an unauthorized third party. OEMs don’t want to be liable for a product serviced by someone else that may not function properly and that may lead to patient harm. Most everyone agrees that one incident – patient harm/injury stemming from malfunc- tion or misdiagnosis (including missed diagnosis) – is too many. Amid all the clinical, corporate, legislative and regulatory clamor, three tenets may make a difference. Limited access. OEM-authorized, certifi ed and contracted ISOs should be granted access to sections of product manuals so that they can provide necessary repairs when and where the OEM cannot or will not for whatever reason. In this regard, the approved ISO partner functions like a physician assistant or nurse practitioner – patient-treating “subcontractors” in retail outlets. Think of it as choosing between the car dealership for an oil change or a lube shop franchise. But OEMs should not be forced by government decree to “open source” their product manuals for all ISOs any more than Coca-Cola should be coerced to share its soft drink formula with beverage distributors. Universal quality. The application of quality service and system standards should apply to all OEMs and all ISOs alike. Everyone who wants to participate in the mainte- nance and repair game should be able to play, but by the same rules and standards for complete or component service. Responsible liability. If an OEM or an OEM-endorsed ISO is determined to be responsible for some problem, then either or both should be held accountable. If an ISO not affi liated with or endorsed by an OEM is found to be responsible for some problem, then that ISO alone should be held accountable. This will prevent capital budgets from being diverted to legal expenses.


If this issue truly revolves around patient safety, then it’s


paramount for clinical and corporate common ground on quality – not conundrum – to be achieved.


Senior Editor Rick Dana Barlow can be reached at rickdanabarlow@wingfootmedia.biz.


4 February 2023 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • hpnonline.com


PUBLISHER


Group Publisher Matthew Raynor mraynor@endeavorb2b.com


Admin Services Director EDITORIAL


Managing Editor


Jessica Oldfather joldfather@endeavorb2b.com


Senior Editor Rick Dana Barlow rickdanabarlow@hpnonline.com


Scott Tomko stomko@hpnonline.com (941) 259-0834


Contributing Editor Kara Nadeau knadeau@hpnonline.com ADVERTISING SALES


East & West Coast Blake and Michelle Holton (407) 971-6286


Midwest & Central April Bruff y (713) 936-5076


ADVERTISING & ART PRODUCTION


Ad Contracts Manager Norma Machado (941) 259-0856 Art Director Tracy Arendt


Audience Development Laura Moulton (941) 259-0859 EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD


Jimmy Chung, MD, MBA, FACS, FABQAURP, CMRP, Chief Medical Offi cer, Advantus Health Partners and Bon Secours Mercy Health, Cincinnati, OH; Joe Colonna, Chief Supply Chain and Project Management Offi cer, Piedmont Healthcare, Atlanta, GA; Karen Conway, Vice President, Healthcare Value, GHX, Louisville, CO; Dee Donatelli, RN, CMRP, CVAHP, Vice President Of Professional Services, symplr, and Principal, Dee Donatelli Consulting, LLC, Overland Park, KS; Hudson Garrett Jr., PhD, FNAP, FSHEA, FIDSA, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Medicine; Melanie Miller, RN, CVAHP, CNOR, CSPDM, Value Analysis Consultant, Healthcare Value Management Experts Inc. (HVME) Los Angeles, CA; Dennis Orthman, Consulting, Braintree, MA; Janet Pate, Nurse Consul- tant and Educator, Ruhof Corp.; Richard Perrin, CEO, Active Innovations LLC, Annapolis, MD; Jean Sargent, CMRP, FAHRMM, FCS, Principal, Sargent Healthcare Strategies, Port Charlotte, FL; Richard W. Schule, MBA, BS, FAST, CST, FCS, CRCST, CHMMC, CIS, CHL, AGTS, Senior Director Enterprise Repro- cessing, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH; Barbara Strain, MA, CVAHP, Prin- cipal, Barbara Strain Consulting LLC, Charlottesville, VA; Deborah Petretich Templeton, RPh, MHA,Chief Administrative Offi cer (Ret.), System Support Services, Geisinger Health, Danville, PA; Ray Taurasi, Principal, Healthcare CS Solutions, Washington, DC area


CORPORATE TEAM CEO Chris Ferrell | President June Griffi n


CFO Mark Zadell | COO Patrick Rains | CRO Reggie Lawrence Chief Administrative and Legal Offi cer Tracy Kane EVP (Healthcare) Amy Mularski


Healthcare Purchasing News USPS Permit 362710, ISSN 1098-3716 print, ISSN 2771-6716 online is published 12 times annually with an additional issue in November - Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Nov IBG, Dec, by Endeavor Business Media, LLC. 1233 Janesville Ave., Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Periodical postage paid at Fort Atkinson, WI, and additional mail- ing offi ces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Healthcare Purchasing News, PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Publisher reserves the right to reject non-qualifi ed subscriptions. Subscription prices: U.S. $160.00 per year; Canada/Mexico $193.75 per year; All other countries $276.25 per year. All subscriptions are payable in U.S. funds. Send subscrip- tion inquiries to Healthcare Purchasing News, PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257. Customer service can be reached toll-free at 877-382-9187 or at HPN@omeda.com for magazine subscription assistance or questions.


Printed in the USA. Copyright 2023 Endeavor Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopies, recordings, or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the publisher. Endeavor Business Media, LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person or company for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident, or any other cause whatsoever. The views and opinions in the articles herein are not to be taken as offi cial expressions of the publishers, unless so stated. The publishers do not warrant either expressly or by implication, the factual accuracy of the articles herein, nor do they so warrant any views or opinions by the authors of said articles.


Printed in USA Paper manufactured in USA Soy ink made in USA


facebook.com/hpnonline twitter.com/hpn_online linkedin.com/company/healthcare-purchasing-news/


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46