Read time: 2 minutes
By: David Keenan
Set against the challenges of the modern health system pharmacy, leveraging the tools and resources at your disposal to their full potential is not just an option; it's a necessity. In this case, that may mean contract management solutions, 340B savings tools, and other means of reducing spend and maximizing savings opportunities. However, time and labor constraints, leadership turnover, and sometimes a simple lack of understanding are just a few of the barriers that leave these tools all-too-frequently underutilized or undiscovered altogether.
A recipe for success
“Think about competitions like Top Chef, for example,” suggests David Keenan, Sr. Managing Consultant, McKesson Health Systems. “You take a seasoned, extremely talented professional and equip them with a state-of-the-art kitchen, high-tech appliances, and the finest ingredients money can buy. The twist is they get just minutes to cook what would normally take hours, and they are often thrown curveballs that create further distraction. Are they going to cook their best meal? Probably not. Is it for a lack of know-how? Certainly not.” Back in their own kitchen, however, these chefs are armed with similar equipment and a well-stocked pantry. The difference, of course, is the crew of specialists overseeing their respective areas: the prep cook in charge of preparing raw ingredients, the line cooks manning the grill and other stations, the short-order cook taking on quick dishes, the pastry chef executing final courses, and the sous chef stepping in wherever an extra hand is needed – each of them responsible for the inventory, management, and other aspects of their department – including the curveballs – to allow the executive chef to do what they do best.
Much like the restaurant industry, health systems in general continue to struggle with rising costs, dwindling margins, changes in their customer (patient) preferences and expectations, labor shortages, and other hurdles that make it arguably more important than ever to use every available resource at its full potential to:
- Improve operational efficiencies
- Uncover new revenue-generating opportunities
- Identify savings
For our health system customers, this may mean taking a page out of your favorite chef’s book and enlisting McKesson’s Professional & Advisory Services (P&AS) team as the “crew of specialists overseeing their respective areas,” who can ensure your pharmacy leaders understand what tools and resources are available, provide guidance on how to best utilize those resources, and serve as stewards of each critically important solution.
Support behind the scenes
As a McKesson Health Systems customer, you have unique access to our dedicated P&AS team who act as an added layer of data-driven, analytics-driven advisory expertise applied over your existing business solutions to boost the performance and scope of these resources. Combined with the strong clinical and business acumen of our P&AS team, Contract Concierge – for instance – goes beyond traditional contract management by incorporating a white-glove level of service that not only analyzes purchasing data and identifies variations or gaps but, more importantly, actively works to solve for them in the most financially beneficial way possible. As Keenan puts it simply, “We help improve contract compliance, which may result in real dollar savings." He goes on to suggest another analogy: “Using Contract Concierge with our P&AS team is like a safety net of sorts. We’re always working – in the background, behind the curtain, beneath the tightrope – while you focus on the main stage.”
On the same plane
The implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools – regardless of industry – is often described as bringing on a virtual wingman, or something that can work alongside or atop your existing resources for a superior output and improved efficiencies while allowing you to focus on other priorities – in this case, patient care, to name just one. Partnering with our P&AS experts offers a similar opportunity. “It can take four, five, six calls – all day – to sort out a single contract line,” Keenan says. “Let us make those five calls.” As the world collectively adopts a more collaborative, resource-driven mindset, be sure to explore how your health system pharmacy can best leverage what’s available to you.
To learn more about partnering with McKesson’s P&AS team to achieve more, download our P&AS brochure below, or contact us directly at pas@mckesson.com.
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