CHALLENGE

Two heads are better than one. Just ask members of the Greater Ozarks Sourcing Collaborative, a supply network of seven hospitals and health systems in southwestern Missouri and southeastern Kansas. The operations team, comprised mostly of materials management professionals, identified many opportunities for cost savings through product standardization and contracting. When the product affected clinical care, infection control professionals were consulted to validate the value of the recommended product change and its potential impact on quality of care. But, this delay slowed down the process and impeded product conversion.

SOLUTION

An infection prevention sub-group was established to work simultaneously with the operations team. The synergy of the two groups’ efforts created a “fast-track” methodology that eliminated the slow down and accelerated product conversion rates.

“The formation of the infection prevention sub-group was consistent with VHA’s findings that a critical success factor for supply networks is clinical involvement and support,” says Janie Ott, Greater Ozarks’ implementation manager.

In 2008, the infection prevention subgroup began its work with a full plate of opportunities. “Our goal was to not only drive savings for the organization, but also to make sure the clinical side of the products, especially as they related to infection prevention, was addressed,” says Susan Soetart, director, infection prevention at CoxHealth in Springfield, MO.

“Our guiding principle was to recommend products that drove best practice in infection prevention,” explains Teri Koch, director of infection control/employee health/education at McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital in Carthage, Mo. “With payers and regulators withholding reimbursement for certain types of hospital-acquired infections, the subgroup gave us the opportunity to be heard during the product evaluation process. Moving from a larger facility to a smaller one, I realize why smaller hospitals sometimes feel like they get the short end of the stick. But, in this sub-group, I feel my voice is always heard.”

Ann Davy, infection prevention officer at Freeman Health System in Joplin, Mo., also finds value in the networking opportunities. “The subgroup provides a forum to get infection control professionals together to look at products that all of us may not know about and to ultimately decide what’s best for the patient.”

Educating physicians is critical to obtaining their buy-in for the sub-group’s product recommendations. Soetart says she targets physician leaders who are going to use the product. “I talk with them face to face and encourage them to ask questions.

“I know there are many times when materials management is happy to have someone with a clinical background look at products,” says Soetart. Lyndle Dorrell, administrative director of materials management at CoxHealth agrees. “We have established a good working relationship and utilize each other’s knowledge extensively,” says Dorrell.

RESULTS

In 2008, the operations team and the IP sub-group collaborated on 16 infection control initiatives resulting in total savings of more than $369,000. This impactful approach greatly contributed to the increase in the Sourcing Collaborative’s ROI.

“We have seen dramatic decreases in ventilator-associated pneumonias and central line infections,” says Davy. “Pneumonias dropped from 13.15% per 1,000 vent days in September 2008 to 0% in April 2009. Bloodstream infections tumbled from 3.25% per 1,000 line days in December 2008 to 0% in April 2009. We think some of the improvement is directly related to the sub-group’s activities.”

Koch says McCune-Brooks has seen surgical infection rates decrease in 2008 from 4.5 infections per 100 surgeries to one infection per 100 surgeries. The rate continues to decrease in 2009, down to .5 infections per 100 surgeries during the first six months of the year. “I can relate that directly to the product changes and the sub-group’s work because nothing else changed.”

Soetart says that CoxHealth is still analyzing the data, but the system has seen a decrease in ventilator-associated pneumonias with the introduction of new oral care products. “This has been one of our particular successes,” she explains.

Interested in learning about VHA Supply Networks? Please contact Tom Nikiel, VHA Vice President of Supply Networks at 972.830.6977, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

https://www.vha.com/Solutions/Performance/Pages/SS_OzarksReducesInfection.aspx