Value Analysis Keynote: Let Us Together, Add More Value to Value Analysis

By Karen Niven, MS, BSN, RN, CVAHP

During our recent AHVAP National Conference and Supplier Showcase, our keynote speaker, Susan DeVore, former CEO and President, Premier, presented an uplifting presentation, Value Analysis Keynote: Let Us Together, Add More Value to Value Analysis.

DeVore share the following seven leadership lessons for us a value analysis leaders in healthcare.

Lesson 1: Know your Why

So, as Alice Walker said, “Look closely at the present you are constructing. It should look like the future you are dreaming.” So, make sure you understand the “WHY” of your company….and why you play the role you play WITHIN your company. It will drive your passion for performance and makes your career truly a calling, not a job. That passion will carry you OVER and AROUND and UNDER and THROUGH any obstacles. Particularly for Value Analysis, I also think WHY NOW is an important question. With 50% of providers operating in the red, and fragmented supply chains creating bottlenecks that we can’t afford, standardization around the best products is critically important and aligns outcomes, costs and potential reimbursement. These pressures today are more intense than ever, and leadership is required here.

So Know Your Why to move value analysis ahead in healthcare.

Lesson 2: Lead from Within

For those of you who are wondering how to lead in this chaotic health care world of clinicians, payers, politicians, scientists, administrators, patients, suppliers and governments… I would say that leadership is not innate, it is a choice. And leaders don’t do “it” because they were asked to…but because they choose to. They choose to inspire people around them to fight for something bigger than themselves. They choose to convince disparate groups of people to believe that change could happen, and that they could make it happen.

“Value Analysis Leaders do the Little Things” And the 7 small things leaders can do that will go a long way …. Be grateful. Be attentive. Be caring. Be respectful. Be invested. Be flexible. And be accessible. Value analysis is a team sport. You don’t need permission or a title to be a leader. You just need to be willing to be the “first egg in the omelet,” so to speak. Your health systems are depending on you and your teams’ ideas for their very financial health and superior clinical outcomes.

Lesson 3: Know Your Superpower and Build a Team of Superpowers

How do you build a highly effective team here? DeVore shared you may have heard me talk before about knowing your superpower — that thing you uniquely do better than just about anyone else. You’re a whiz at numbers; a clinical subject matter expert; a relationship builder, an awesome communicator; a problem solver; a payor or supplier knowledgeable person; an influencer with the C-suite. The opportunity here is to know your own superpower and then lean into that ability, while surrounding yourself with others who have superpowers that are DIFFERENT from your own. You are not after “Group Think” here. You are after the goal that “Diversity of Opinion, Skill and Knowledge Leads to Better Outcomes.”

Lesson 4: My Personal Favorite – Break out of that Box

DeVore shared, this one, I think, is especially important in the world of Value Analysis. I first heard about this concept from Michael Eisner, the former CEO of Disney as he described the way in which Disney was transformed by refusing to let others define the “appropriate box” for the company to play in. Hence, Disney evolved from animation studio to merchandising characters like Mickey Mouse, to feature films and television programs, to domestic theme parks, to international theme parks, to hotels and resorts, to Broadway shows, to Disney Stores, to TV networks and sports networks to Disney Plus. He basically said the company, and its leaders, just refused to believe that they couldn’t challenge the current thinking, learn, innovate and evolve to many different forms of entertainment.

Devore continues, so, now to Value Analysis Teams and Supply Chain organizations. Even today, some of these teams are relegated to the basement as a supply chain cost saving effort and corporate infrastructure function. You are so much more than that! You ARE margin managers, AND efficiency experts, AND clinical experts, AND change agents, AND safety patrol, AND customer service advocates, and true innovation testers. You are responsible for helping to choose the products that will lead to better outcomes for patients. Your choices, your recommendations can mean the difference between a mother delivering a health child, and one who suffers a birth injury. Between a grandfather who gets a knee replaced and can walk again, and one that is wheelchair bound. Don’t accept the box of “supply chain” or “purchasing.” But you may not be able to talk your way out of that box, you will have to behave your way out of that box. Do your homework and follow the process. Identify the opportunities. Gather credible information and know your roadblocks. Weigh all the evidence to make the right decision. Implement the decision. And then monitor the results…. meaning… bring real economic value and prove it BEFORE and AFTER the fact. Be collaborative to a fault. Share your successes and results everywhere and specifically. Build alliances throughout your organization. Make other people’s jobs easier. Make customers/patients happier. And just keep proving it over and over again.

Lesson 5: Bring Air Into the Room

DeVore continues I once asked a senior partner at EY to tell me if he could predict who would make partner in the firm. He said yes, and I asked him how. He said he could tell by whether a person brought air into the room or sucked the energy out of a room. So be positive, be proactive, have opinions, listen, be a utility player, do what you say you’re going to do, and volunteer to do it while everyone else is talking about whose job it is to do it. In short, say yes as often as you can and no when you really need to.

In the case of Value Analysis, again, you have to have the data, have done your homework, and so be compelling about your best efforts to get to the “right” answer.

Lesson 6: This is a Business Enterprise with a Social Mission

Our health systems ARE business enterprises delivering a social mission in their communities. Which means you and your Value Analysis Teams are the living embodiment of a role focused on the intersection of mission and margin. You hold both keys. Your decisions affect both financial health and quality outcomes. And you see them as equally important. Don’t ever lose that.

Lesson 7: You Only Get One Life: And This is Your Time

So, I will end with the final lesson. You only get one life. Take advantage of all the big moments, and more importantly, pay a lot of attention to the little things and live IN the moment. In today’s world, it is easy to multitask, halfway pay attention, and think about all kinds of things other than the person you are with and the topic you are discussing. Be present always, and just because you had a bad meeting at 9 am, don’t carry that emotion into the next meeting. Start over every time. Be where your feet are. Suspend your judgment and skepticism tied to intentions you might paint onto clinicians, suppliers, and administrators. Now is your time. The industry needs value analysis, and top-notch value analysis teams who are working together to deliver more and more economic and clinical value every day. Some final thoughts for success. Physician engagement an integration of nursing leadership is fundamental. Use your superpowered interdisciplinary teams. Remember, cost savings and optimal clinical outcomes is a long-term destination. Make continuous improvement a core competency. Involve leadership at all levels. Partner with suppliers and GPO for data and education. Most importantly, take this opportunity to lead. No matter where you are in your career, no matter where you are in your life, you never need permission to step up and lead. I look forward to watching and reading about your success in the future.