VHA Inc. Supply Chain Management Webinar Series Available to All Health Systems

IRVING, Texas, Aug. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- VHA Inc. announced today it will host a series of free webinars focused on different aspects of health care supply chain management to help supply chain leaders manage the need to reduce costs. The webinars will be led by VHA experts and health system supply chain leaders who will share best practices on topics ranging from internal stakeholder engagement to local sourcing. The webinar series is open to all hospitals and health systems nationwide, regardless of GPO affiliation.

As the health care industry prepares to transition from a volume-based model to a value-based model, supply chain staff are caught living in two worlds. VHA's supply chain webinars focus on strategies that can help bridge the gap between the results needed today and the preparation for what will be required tomorrow.

"We know that supply chain leaders across the country are challenged to deliver significant cost reductions, and are often asked to double the savings goal from one year to the next with the same resources," said Ernest "Chip" Bunata, VHA vice president, advisory services and supply chain analytics.

"Hospitals have a variety of ways to reduce costs in their supply chain operations, but it is important to understand which opportunities maximize savings. VHA has a strong track record of helping hospitals of all sizes improve their supply chain performance and reduce costs. Our free webinar series will offer supply chain leaders strategies and insights, based on our expertise and the measured achievements of our member hospitals nationwide, that can immediately be applied within their own organizations," continued Bunata.

The free, one-hour webinars are designed for materials managers, supply chain leaders and strategic sourcing executives from health systems nationwide. The topics include the following:

• Aug. 26 at 2 p.m. (CST):  Five "Must-Share" Supply Chain Insights for Internal Hospital Stakeholders
  Learn how supply chain leaders across the country have taken growing cost pressure as motivation to deliver new insights for their hospital stakeholders.
• Sept. 4 at 2 p.m. (CST): Drive Improved Results by Re-Prioritizing Your Sourcing Efforts
  Learn how a deliberate re-prioritization process for local sourcing can deliver big results.
• Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. (CST):  What if a Focus on Dirty Data Misses the Point?
  Learn why understanding the process that is allowing bad data to enter the item master is more important than the bad data itself.
• Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. (CST): Transition from "Value of Products" to "Value of Care" with Analytics
  Learn how to move your value analysis process to the next level of maturity with the help of analytics and advisory services.
• Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. (CST): Even the Best Can Improve: Price Performance Lessons from Top Performers
  Learn how top performers continue to improve and measure their performance in new and different ways.

To learn more about VHA's Supply Chain Viewpoint Webinar Series and to register for the webinars at no cost, visit info.vha.com/business_intelligence.

About VHA Inc.
VHA Inc. is a national network of not-for-profit health care organizations working together to improve performance and efficiency in clinical, financial and operational management. Since 1977, when VHA established the first hospital membership organization, the company has applied its knowledge in analytics, contracting, consulting and network development to help members and customers achieve their strategic objectives. In 2013, VHA delivered $2.2 billion in savings and additional value to members. Serving approximately 5,000 health system members and affiliates, VHA represents more than a quarter of the nation's hospitals. VHA also serves more than 118,000 non-acute health care customers enterprise-wide. VHA is based in Irving, Texas, and has 12 regional offices across the U.S. VHA, together with UHC, owns Novation, a supply chain company, and aptitude^TM, the health care industry's first online direct contracting market. VHA also owns Provista, a supply chain company serving the non-acute market as well as hospitality, education and corporate markets. For more information, visit www.vha.com and follow us on Twitter (@VHAInc).

SOURCE VHA Inc.