Healthcare Value Analysis and Utilization Management Magazine

Who Should Be Your Value Analysis Team Leaders?

March 25, 2014 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Individuals need to be selected for their expertise and leadership qualities. We are seeing more and more healthcare organizations that are selecting their department heads and managers to lead their value analysis teams. Why? Because […]

Functional Matrix Can Make Your VA Job Much Easier

March 25, 2014 Robert Yokl Comments Off

You need to know what your customer is looking for in new products. We might not realize it, but value analysis has a 70-year history and during that time value analysis practitioners worldwide have developed […]

The New End Game!

March 24, 2014 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Life cycle cost is the forgotten goal of all our cost and quality challenges. Every day we hear about all the latest and greatest new strategies, software, tools, and contracting methods that overwhelm us in […]

How to Become Best-of-the-Best in Everything You Do

March 24, 2014 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Understanding your healthcare organization and that of your competitors How do you know if your people, products, and processes are world class or just so-so? How do you know if there is more savings available in […]

Meeting the Challenges of Reform Through a Stronger Value Analysis-Supply Chain Partnership

March 24, 2014 Robert Yokl Comments Off

By Michael B. Neely, Senior Vice President, Optimé Supply Chain Healthcare reform has placed providers of care under intense pressure to reduce costs and improve operations. Value Analysis teams and Supply Chain are among the […]

Paradigm Shift – Integrating Utilization Into Our Value Analysis Programs

March 24, 2014 Robert Yokl Comments Off

I know what you are thinking, “Paradigm shift – really?” The 90’s are calling, Bob, and we want our progressive change phrase back. But all kidding aside, there is a major change happening with our […]

None of Us Are As Smart As All of Us

March 24, 2014 Robert Yokl Comments Off

James Russell, RN-BC, Value Analysis Facilitator VCU Health System, Richmond, VA One of the best things about being a Value Analysis Facilitator is the ability to help shine a light on other efficiency-minded folks in […]

Supply Chain Expense Management: It’s Not About Price Any Longer

December 6, 2013 Robert Yokl Comments Off

More and more supply chain and value analysis professionals are getting it: It’s not about price any longer. After more than 50 years of GPOs, systems, and IDNs squeezing prices until they squeak, there is very little […]

Utilization Is Not a New Concept but How We View and Attack It Is!

December 4, 2013 Robert Yokl Comments Off

The other day I was browsing through my copy of the Charles Housley (Bellwether League Honoree 2008) edited book Product Standardization and Evaluation which was published back in 1985. This was a compilation of best […]

Supply Utilization Myths, Misunderstandings, and Mistakes

December 4, 2013 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Why utilization savings are still illusive for most healthcare organizations Although the term utilization management seems to be understood by some supply chain managers and value analysis practitioners, in reality, there are still too many […]

Utilization = Practice Change

December 4, 2013 Robert Yokl Comments Off

James Russell, RN-BC, Value Analysis Facilitator VCU Health System, Richmond, VA What do we mean when we talk about Value Analysis projects that focus on utilization? We’re talking about practice change. To a clinician, asking them […]

#1 Ingredient to Improve Your Value Analysis Teams

December 4, 2013 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Michael E. Porter and Thomas H. Lee, in a recent Harvard Review article, put it this way, “Teams improve and excel by tracking progress over time and comparing their performance to that of peers inside […]

How Often Should Your Value Analysis Teams Meet?

December 4, 2013 Robert Yokl Comments Off

The healthcare industry norm for the frequency of value analysis team meetings seems to be once a month. However, this meeting schedule can cause communication gaps, delays in making important decisions, and eventually loss of […]