Message from AHVAP President

Dear AHVAP Members,

I hope you all ended the summer on a good note with some last-minute vacations and relaxation. Most of us are back to our routine schedules with the kids back in school again. Wow! How quickly the summer has ended, but the intense heat is still around, reminding us that Mother Earth is not very happy with us.

For several decades, the U.S. health care industry has been taking action to reduce its ecological footprint in collaboration with our industry partners. Has your organization created a sustainability program to help the environment? Most recently, we formed a Sustainability Council at Scripps that is focused on enhancing the organization’s ongoing sustainability efforts in the nine key areas. Recognizing the need for environmentally sustainable practices, we have taken major steps toward this goal by establishing a standardized recycling program for surgical instrumentation and recyclable waste, installing energy efficient lighting, upgrades to campus energy plants, moving disposable products to reusable where we can, and investing in solar power on many of our campuses. Sustainability also touches other areas of opportunity from water usage to the chemicals we use for cleaning, and the products we use daily that can be diverted from the landfill. Here are the nine key areas: Supply Chain, Vendor Partnerships, Energy, Water, Food, Recycling, Transportation, Grounds, and Construction. We share the data and improvements with our staff and physicians so they can see what a difference these changes can make. It is not to be punitive but to provide each hospital and each department leader with direction to make informed decisions and take action. We want to leave healthcare and the environment in a better place than how we found it.

Our organizations continue to face unprecedented financial challenges, labor shortages, reduced reimbursement, and rising costs of products, equipment, and services. Value analysis teams continue to lead the way, showing how to remove unwanted cost out of care, reduce variation, minimize clinical confusion, and improve the patient experience without compromising quality to fund the future. It is going to be a hard road ahead, and together with our shared knowledge and experiences, we can make a difference.

I am very excited for the annual conference and industry partner expo in just a few weeks. I am looking forward to networking, sharing projects and outcomes, meeting new colleagues, and seeing some old friends. It will be the greatest conference we have ever hosted with the highest attendees, poster presentations, professional development sessions, and the most CEUs we have ever offered before. I am very proud of all the work by the conference committee members dedicating their time and energy to make it so valuable for you, our members! The launch of our new position statement set the stage by reminding the industry on how, when, and why we do this kind of value analysis work every day. Our five-year strategic plan is in motion, and we are tackling some of those action items in those domains already. By thinking differently, and redesigning our mission, vision, and core values, we are poised to take AHVAP to new heights.

Kind Regards,

Elizabeth Eisenberg, MSN, RN, CVAHP™
2023 AHVAP President
Board of Directors