GHX Launches Lumere Consulting Services to Accelerate the Clinically Integrated Supply Chain

Service combines clinical expertise, data, evidence and technology to help hospitals and health systems improve supply chain performance

LOUISVILLE, Colo., Aug. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX) Lumere today announced it has launched a consulting service to support healthcare providers that are looking to achieve organizational savings targets and reduce clinical variation. This premium offering focuses on high-priority, large-value projects aimed at equipping hospitals and health systems with the knowledge and capabilities they need to independently pursue future clinically integrated projects and drive lasting savings based on a proven methodology.

As hospital operating margins continue to lag, many organizations are looking to achieve savings through clinically integrated strategic sourcing projects. Lumere's Consulting Services help to alleviate capacity constraints caused by ongoing staffing shortages and accelerate speed to value by providing supply chain teams with dedicated project management support. Lumere's team of experienced consultants help project stakeholders develop evidence-based sourcing and utilization goals and then work with physicians to gain alignment on these cost-reduction strategies. This work, done on-site, virtually or in a hybrid capacity, supports the creation of a repeatable framework enabling health systems to implement and scale future cost-saving initiatives without the need for additional consulting support.

"With the introduction of our consulting services, we are arming supply chain teams with the knowledge and skills required to run clinically informed strategic sourcing initiatives," said Kirtan Patel, MD, Director of Medical Advising and Consulting, GHX Lumere. "From identifying clinically appropriate savings and standardization opportunities to building evidence-based strategies, engaging with clinicians and analyzing data and real-world evidence to guide final product decisions, we help set our customers up for long-term success. The goal is to help the supply chain balance cost and outcomes in the pursuit of delivering the highest quality of care."

Lumere's Consulting Services include:

• Strategic Clinical Sourcing Consulting: Focused on managing clinically intensive strategic sourcing and utilization projects for physician preference item (PPI) categories, such as orthopedics and cardiovascular service lines. This service is for health systems seeking support in collating pricing, utilization data and clinical research, along with gaining clinician support, as they look to build clinically informed and aligned sourcing strategies. This work can be done virtually, in-person or a mix of both.
• Value Analysis Governance: Focused on developing industry-standard clinical value analysis programs by helping organizations determine the policies they need in place, what team members should be involved and how to go beyond the supply chain department to create a true culture of evidence-based value analysis system-wide. Requires in-person, on-site support.

In a recent engagement, Lumere Consulting Services helped a 10-hospital integrated health system optimize its vendor selection of hip and knee orthopedic implants. The health system had several goals, including supplying high-quality total joint implants at cost-effective pricing, building clinical engagement and alignment and accelerating the delivery of quality, cost and outcome improvements. In only three months of working with a Lumere consultant, the health system optimized its hip and knee selection, aligned all orthopedic surgeons to a single sourcing strategy and met its physician preference and variation reduction goals. The organization is on track to save more than $400,000 in annual orthopedic spend and its supply chain team is better equipped with the knowledge and capabilities to replicate this process for future initiatives and increased savings. According to the senior vice president of supply chain, "Supply chain will remain loyal to our commitment to let clinical and operational priorities balance financial sourcing decisions."

"Given the capacity constraints that many supply chain teams are facing today, we are excited to be able to offer a consulting solution that will help supply chain teams expedite execution against savings targets and engrain repeatable evidence-based processes to support future savings initiatives," said Bonnie Lai, PhD, General Manager, GHX Lumere. 

To learn more about how to achieve a clinically integrated supply chain with Lumere Consulting Services, visit https://www.ghx.com/clinical-integration/.

About GHX
Building on decades of collaboration among providers, manufacturers, distributors and other industry stakeholders, Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC (GHX) is leading the charge in helping organizations run the new business of healthcare. By automating key business processes and translating evidence-based analytics and data into meaningful action, GHX is helping the healthcare ecosystem to move faster, operate more intelligently and achieve greater outcomes. With the support of GHX, healthcare organizations have removed billions of dollars of wasteful healthcare spend. For more information on GHX's suite of cloud-based supply chain solutions, visit www.ghx.com and The Healthcare Hub.

CONTACT: Jordyn Comitor, 847-504-6935, [email protected] 

SOURCE GHX