HFMA VIEWS

Dan DeLay
Senior Vice President for Supply Chain Analytics
VHA Inc.

Of all the professional sports, baseball is a true game of numbers. Have you ever stopped to think about the amount of information that is taken into consideration in the game of baseball?  With some quick research, I found 29 different statistical categories a manager can use to determine a players performance against a pitcher on the other team. For example, I discovered that in 2006, David Ortiz from the Boston Red Sox had an on-base percentage of .413, a slugging percentage of .636 and 119 walks. Talk about having the information you need to make informed decisions! 

Thanks to technology, this information is available at a moment’s notice to anyone who is interested in stats about their favorite team, favorite player, or is a fantasy baseball fanatic.

It might be hard to relate health care to America's favorite pastime until you look at two key components--analyzing performance and having access to information. Just as a manager needs to consider how his players perform in different situations, such as against a left-handed pitcher, on artificial turf or with runners in scoring position, hospitals need to understand how their supply operations are performing. From automating purchasing processes to managing supply costs and charges together, from ensuring that purchases are made on contract to being able to identify funding for capital projects, these issues can all be addressed by fully utilizing technology so you have access to data you need to make better decisions.    

As cost pressures continue to rise, hospitals need to continue looking for ways to accelerate their financial and clinical performance. That is why incorporating analytics into health care is so important--it combines essential data elements, analytical expertise and the latest technologies to provide insight into your supply operations, allowing you to use information to quickly focus on your hospital’s most important issues. 

Analytics play an important part of the game of baseball, and thanks to the challenges we face in health care today, it is becoming an essential part of our industry's story. Even though health care “ain’t what it used to be,” to paraphrase baseball legend Yogi Berra, we have the opportunity, the resources and technology to make it better.