OC Reilly Blog: The Need for Physician Engagement

By Vicki White, Director of Business Development, OC Reilly Inc.

As the U.S. healthcare system continues on its journey toward a new paradigm, controlling costs remains in the forefront of discussions regarding patient care, medical devices, insurance reimbursements, and many other aspects of the industry.

As supply chain experts, we at OC Reilly know that when contracts with suppliers are carefully negotiated and managed, the resulting savings from this level of diligent supply chain management can be significant.

One of the areas most ripe for this approach to supply chain management comes in the form of medical devices as prescribed by physicians.  Perhaps not surprisingly, physicians – specialists, in particular – can develop preferences for certain models of devices, from artificial hips to cardiac implants, and many more examples across the spectrum of treatment options. 

Yet when physicians and administrators can find common ground on device choices, it can benefit the healthcare system overall, while maintaining the quality of care that patients expect and deserve.

Dr. Delos “Toby” Cosgrove, CEO of Cleveland Clinic, commented on this subject in the Feb. 3, 2014, edition of Modern Healthcare magazine, saying, “Quite frankly, the big issue going forward is going to be physician engagement in terms of being able to drive all the changes that need to be made in healthcare.  If you don’t have physician engagement, I don’t see how you possibly are going to take costs out, how you’re going to get more continuity of care.  Physician engagement is really a critical issue.”

When all players in healthcare appreciate the importance of supply chain management, then all players can begin to reap the shared benefit.