This issue of Healthcare Value Analysis Magazine is focused on value analysis training and teaming, so I thought I would bring up an important point that I have learned over my 21 years in the business. All of us involved in value analysis are teachers, educators, and trainers. Yes, we are, because we are always educating, teaching, and correcting our teams/committees, managers and staff in the proper use of our value analysis methods and practices. We are leading the value analysis and utilization revolution by educating our VA teams/committees, senior management, and clinicians on how to reduce costs while maintaining or improving quality. Easier said than done!

Now, I know there are supply and value practitioners out there that may not look at themselves as a trainer or educator, but trust me, you are always educating staff and yourself towards improving the value that you bring to the organization. Think about it, when you are putting on your value analysis analyst hat and breaking down a product commodity group for your value analysis team to answer the question, “Why are you spending so much on this product category?”, you are taking that information and educating your value analysis team members, managers, and staff of the affected departments; thereby, leading them to the root cause of the issue. Nine times out of ten, you are already offering up a corrective action plan, which of course entails educating and training staff on new methods and practices to fix your root problem and stop the overspend.

Let’s face it, we still very much live in the “Price World” when it comes to making savings happen. In order to help our staff, management, and senior leadership recognize that there is more to the savings equation that value analysis and supply chain professionals work on, such as, over-utilization, product mismatches, product failures, contract integration, quality outcomes, etc., we must continue to educate ourselves in the latest methods and practices of value analysis, so we can educate and train our staff to realize the savings for our organization. I know you are busy, and you may or may not view yourself as a trainer or educator, but it comes with the territory of being a value analysis professional. Embrace it and your organization’s value analysis program will flourish as you gain more knowledge of the latest strategies, tools, and methods in value analysis and supply utilization methods.