IDN Archives - Healthcare Value Analysis and Utilization Management Magazine

Working in Isolation: Healthcare Supply Chain’s Most Underserved Leaders

May 29, 2026 Robert Yokl Comments Off

I’ve talked to hundreds of supply chain leaders at independent, critical access, and rural hospitals across the country. The conversations are different every time. The problems vary. The personalities vary. But one thing comes back […]

Measuring What Matters: The Case for Metrics for Value Analysis Committees

May 29, 2026 Robert Yokl Comments Off

“A value analysis committee without performance metrics is like a sporting event that doesn’t keep score — the process exists, but accountability does not.” Before you dismiss this as just another article discussing the importance […]

Why Savings Validation is Mission Critical

April 22, 2021 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Robert T. Yokl, President/CEO, SVAH Solutions Every value analysis practitioner can tell you that they save money for their healthcare organization, but can they prove it? This is a crucial question since this is what […]

Are You Going in the Right Direction with Your Savings?

November 19, 2020 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Robert T. Yokl, President/CEO, SVAH Solutions Group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and consortiums have been a powerful force in controlling healthcare organizations’ labor and non-labor costs for decades. Yet, no one seems to question whether these […]

You Need Champions for Your Value Analysis Program to Excel

November 19, 2020 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Robert T. Yokl, President/CEO, SVAH Solutions Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense in the 1960s, was a champion (i.e., spoke up in favor of and supported the initiative) for value analysis in the defense department. Bob […]

The Myth About Standardization

July 13, 2020 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Robert T. Yokl, President/CEO, SVAH Solutions Standardization Vs. Customization Conventional thinking would tell you that standardization is a good thing because it cuts down on variation and creates economy of scale, thereby enabling a buyer […]

Get Better and More Sustainable Results

April 15, 2020 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Robert T. Yokl, President/CEO, SVAH Solutions It is rare that a value analysis or utilization management savings or quality and safety improvements are sustainable in and of themselves. For them to stick, you need to […]

11 Ways to Fast Track Non-Salary Savings After Covid-19

April 15, 2020 Robert Yokl Comments Off

By Robert W. Yokl, Sr. VP, Supply Chain & Value Analysis — SVAH Solutions Since hospitals have been asked to temporarily shut down primary revenue sources of their operations, such as major elective surgeries, they […]

Are Spreadsheets Holding Back Your Value Analysis Performance?

April 15, 2020 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Robert T. Yokl, President/CEO, SVAH Solutions It is my estimate that sixty-four percent of all hospital, system, and IDN’s value analysis practitioners (VAP) are still using paper and Excel spreadsheet systems to manage their value […]

Are You Asking the Right Questions?

May 8, 2019 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Robert T. Yokl, President/CEO, SVAH Solutions Value Analysis Selling™ is all about asking the right questions, such as, what are the required functions (primary, secondary and aesthetic) for the product, service or technology under study? […]

Why Validation of Your Savings is Now Mission Critical for All Healthcare Organizations

May 8, 2019 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Robert T. Yokl, President/CEO, SVAH Solutions The Healthcare Financial Management Association tells us that that your free-standing hospital, multi-hospital system, or IDN’s payment systems are evolving from fee-for-performance to value-based purchasing, readmission restrictions, and bundled […]

One of the Most Powerful Tools for Value Analysis is Strategic Planning

April 15, 2018 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Robert T. Yokl, President/CEO, SVAH Solutions “Nothing is more terrible than activity without insight.” This quote by Scottish Philosopher Thomas Carlyle is at the core of why you need to develop and then revisit your […]

Evidence Can Be Found from Many Sources with a High or Low Degree of Reliability. Are You Employing the Right Sources?

November 22, 2017 Robert Yokl Comments Off

Robert T. Yokl, President/CEO, SVAH Solutions I just reviewed the online poll results on our Healthcare Value Analysis and Utilization Magazine website that asked the question, “What strategy do you believe is the big savings […]