Experts estimate that spending on healthcare IoT (Internet of Things/i.e., data) could top $120 billion in the next four years.  Big Data has changed the way healthcare providers manage, analyze and leverage data.  Obtaining and maintaining accurate, high-quality data is vital for it to be usable and valuable for your organization.  This session will provide an overview of opportunities to better understand and to seize the full potential of data.  Discover how to develop realistic data strategies, implement data management discipline, and start asking better questions.

 

The FDA plans to update its Global Unique Device Identification Database (GUDID) this year to include new file data elements, record accessibility and premarket submission and supplement number requirements.  The presenter in Part 1 of this session will share information needed to implement and use UDI successfully and will address the challenges that UDI implementation presents.  Emphasis will include key components of the requirements of the UDI regulations, best practices for collaboration between providers and their supply chain partners, and insights on making UDI work to your advantage.

 

Driving effective collaboration and communication with vendors can enable cost reduction, risk mitigation, and innovation.  This collaboration is improved when the data related to products and services is accurate and consistent.  Part 2 of this session will focus on the critical importance of including data controls into your supply chain workflows.  You will gain an increased understanding of how to turn your suppliers into your strategic partners through better communication regarding data, its availability and its accuracy.

 

1. Describe the new UDI requirements that will become effective in 2018.

2. Detail three ways to better manage data in your organization.

3. Formulate strategies to facilitate better exchange of data with suppliers.

 

 

Executives who have spent even some of their career in healthcare have seen multiple initiatives designed to foster an atmosphere of change during their tenure.  Sometimes change is resisted and sometimes it can seem like a new change is on the horizon before the previous change has become embedded in the culture; however, embracing meaningful and impactful change is vital to the success and progress of any organization.  It’s an ongoing challenge to engage stakeholders and to collaborate to identify opportunities, suggest solutions for improvement, and implement them successfully.   

 

The session is designed as an education exchange applying lessons learned from an “in flight” clinical transformation effort correlating the inseparable link between clinical quality, high reliability and change management principles. Utilizing a real-time case study approach, the audience will learn about the design, methodology and intersection of the “inseparable link” from a clinical perspective and its transference to a clinically driven supply chain.  Actionable insights based upon an academic case scenario will be provided, giving direct insights of pivotal attributes of change design in the development of a clinically sustainable supply chain strategy.    

 

1. Outline the Key Attributes of a High Reliability model and how it translates into the medical model. 

2. Identify how to cultivate program “Resilience” by creating a condition of persistent mindfulness with the organization and how to incorporate Change Management principles as a foundational and necessary step in any strategic planning effort.

The FDA maintains a list of drugs that are experiencing shortages.  At any given time this list contains somewhere from 70 to 100 medications.  But it’s not just drug shortages that are affecting hospitals; product shortages, particularly IV saline bags, are also a pain point.  While the causes of these shortages are complex and wide-ranging, the challenge remains to develop measures to alleviate the impact on patients, to minimize risk, and to increase communication channels within the network, with supplier partners and with healthcare professionals and patients.

 

Morten Wendelbo will address the ongoing shortage of IV saline bags.  Though this shortage is not new, it has been exacerbated recently due to the high numbers of flu patients during a virulent flu season over the last several months.  Topics discussed will include potential solutions, including increased domestic production, better partnership between government and industry, and improved planning for potential spikes in demand.  

 

Risk management tends to be reactive rather than proactive. Proactive risk management and clear and transparent communication are essential measures to maintain trust between all stakeholders in order to help avoid shortages.   In Part 2 of this session you will hear from Tom Grace who will share methods to prevent, mitigate, and manage shortages of important medicinal products.  Best practices for early identification of potential shortages and ideas for developing a comprehensive plan for addressing shortages while still meeting the needs of the patient will also be discussed.

 

1. Outline best practices for handling product shortages when they impact your organization.

2. Specify the complex issues that have resulted in a shortage of IV saline bags in the United States.

3. Describe methods to prevent shortages and how to identify potential shortages before they occur.