Message from AHVAP President-Elect

As we move toward spring and I reflect on our continued AHVAP Value Analysis journey, I am reminded of the positive and courageous actions taken recently by AHVAP, our AHVAP Management partner, and you, our AHVAP members. Hank Fortener has said that “gratitude creates courage.” Fortener also said, “Courage is not a thing to acquire. It is something that happens to you while you are being brave. Courage is like a star. If you look at it hard enough, it becomes impossible to see.”

As I think about this and our AHVAP journey, I realized I am working on my “courage to be grateful.” Over the past five months, AHVAP has been extremely courageous and has made some amazing steps to advance and enhance our support of you, our most valuable asset: our AHVAP members. And now, I will be focusing on using courage to grow and focus on gratitude: Gratitude for our AHVAP members, our AHVAP history and our AHVAP Management Partner. Gratitude and professional respect go hand in hand and as we continue to move forward. We will use our sense of gratitude to strengthen our relationships, with each other, with others, our industry partners, and all of our future AHVAP Value Analysis members. Our professional relationships are the cornerstone to our Value Analysis profession’s success along with the essential improvement and success for our healthcare industry.

Living in Charlotte, I have always been a Carolina Panthers fan. Granted, some years that is easier than others with the last few being remarkably interesting. As I watch our new coach put this leadership team together and read about the strong and grounded leadership skills of the entire team, I am reminded of the strong leadership that our Value Analysis Members display each day. This morning, my husband Don read me the following quote on leadership and teamwork from Thomas Brown, a new assistant Carolina Panthers coach. Thomas Brown said, “It is about always looking to understand what is right over who was right," and "Being able to take a back seat sometimes on what I feel might be best for me versus what is going to be best for the entire team." In reflecting on these quotes, Brown could have been talking about your AHVAP board of directors and Management Partner. And what a wonderful testimony to our dedication to our AHVAP and our AHVAP Members’ successes!

Healthcare needs Value Analysis and each of you, now more than ever, and our courageous gratitude sets AHVAP up to be a part of the practice that works to “leave healthcare better than we found it.” So, I commit to each of you as your AHVAP President Elect to join you as we use our courageous gratitude to support, strengthen and always work to have Value Analysis “at the table.”

Karen Niven, MS, RN, CVAHP™
President-Elect, Board of Directors
AHVAP