Clinicians are being enlisted to vet the health systems' purchases of the products and services they use for patient care.
When the Johns Hopkins Health System needed new patient beds and mattresses, the purchase was vetted by more than materials management staff. A "supply chain" included 100 clinicians in the vetting process.
Johns Hopkins Health System and Allegheny Health Network created the supply chain company, called Nobilant, with the goal of engaging clinicians in the choice of products and services they use to care for patients, according to an announcement from Hopkins.
The approach enlists clinicians to help control non-labor spending—which accounts for as much as 45% of a healthcare provider's expenses. Leveraging supply chain management in this way can also lead to better patient outcomes, according to the Nobilant website.
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In addition to working with clinicians, the company plans to transform supply chain management by focusing on total cost of ownership of products and services to assess value beyond price. Nobilant will contract and work with suppliers to improve service levels, efficiency and safety in patient care.
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The company plans to tap into the expertise of staff at Hopkin's Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, which focuses on improving clinical outcomes and experiences and reducing waste in healthcare delivery.