2023 Advisory Board Affiliate Representative
Dena McCormick, RN, BSN
Region Vice President
Premier, Inc.
Charlotte, NC
Describe the reasons why you would like to run for the Advisory Board.
My overall goal for participation on the AHRMM board is to help bring the needed advisement and necessary change to ultimately impact healthcare equity across the continuum. I have many years of healthcare leadership experience, spanning over both GPO and provider organizations. My business acumen combined with both supply chain and clinical knowledge will provide a vast landscape of knowledge to draw from. I also have had the privilege of serving on the Issues and Legislation Committee for the last three years which has given me an additional global view of healthcare that I can share with fellow members.
Describe why you are a good candidate for this leadership role.
I started in healthcare even before becoming a registered nurse learning the business side of this industry. I have worked myself up through the ranks both clinically and in supply chain performing all the functions that I now help to lead. I believe that having a thorough understanding of the different touch points within healthcare operations is key to helping to streamline the operations that need attention. I was one of the first RNs to enter into the clinical resource utilization and value analysis space. I see and understand the importance of having the right product at the right time and for the right price in order to bring an exceptional healthcare experience to our collective communities and patients. It is my goal to tie the clinical and business side of this industry, combined with the need to streamline our data needs into a fluid process. With this perspective, it is my hope that we can help to bring best in care to the consumer, streamline costs and produce ease of use for all patient encounters across the healthcare continuum. I am an altruistic leader who focuses on the needs of others and on outcomes that will benefit the vast majority. I’m also passionate about the need for health equity for all communities. My experience with bringing different departments and leaderships together to solve problems is an important and relative skillset as we will need to bring together all thought leaders to make the necessary changes as a catalyst for forward progress. My true passion is bringing health equity to all communities, rural, urban and suburban. It is my firm belief that supply chain and our partners must play an active role in this important space.
Describe where you see health care evolving, and what you see supply chain’s role being in those future models.
I see healthcare needing to evolve with the streamlining of data, necessary artificial intelligence and providing health equity to all communities. I also believe healthcare needs to evolve in both payor models and the need for value-based contracting. Supply chain must have a seat at the executive table in all of these decisions. It is important for supply chain to work with all areas of the organization to ensure that service lines are properly stocked with appropriate product and that a robust value analysis process is in place to ensure the correct products are being utilized. From a business perspective, it is imperative that supply chain is involved in all financial discussions as supply chain expense is the number two area of cost for most provider organizations. From lessons learned through the pandemic, we need to understand what our future supply chain and operations model will be, and we need to work with our executives, GPO, supplier partners and government agencies to ensure a resilient supply chain moving forward. With regards to value-based contracting, it is important to align these customized agreements with the appropriate service lines of each organization based on their specific needs. We also need a strategy to help rural hospitals so that we can help patients receive care within their communities. Supply chain plays a necessary role in this as many smaller hospitals cannot negotiate contract pricing that is impactful to their bottom line. Addressing volume and dollar based contracting strategies will be a key component of being able to help rural hospitals stay in business. Finally, the education of the supply chain executives and teams should remain a focused effort of AHRMM so that we can ensure that our industry remains strong as it continues to evolve.
How will your leadership and vision strengthen AHRMM?
I believe my leadership can help to evolve AHRMM’s vision by helping to frame the appropriate education, leadership tracks and advocacy to continue AHRMM’s mission of providing supply chain excellence for years to come. I have been blessed to work for several organizations and thought leaders over the years who have helped to shape my leadership style into a very people focused, problem solving and project management approach. With my experience in relative areas of healthcare including both the clinical and supply chain space, along with the business side of the industry, I believe I can help to further the AHRMM core competencies of education, clinical integration, innovation and best practices. I believe wholeheartedly that we are an industry that needs to come together to help lead the necessary change to streamline processes and provide needed advocacy from a product and patient experience perspective. Supply chain should remain at the tip of the spear in helping to improve supply chain resiliency and minimize product disruption. We need to think differently about the supply chains of our future and ensure that our patient experience is at the top of the pyramid. Utilizing our expertise, along with the necessary streamlining of data, artificial intelligence and appropriate supplier partnerships, I believe we can move our industry forward. From a government and advocacy perspective, we need to ensure that we also have a seat at the table in scripting necessary solutions to our global supply chain challenges, explore domestic sourcing, establish best practices within supply chain operations and provide input into the payor strategies. I am passionate about the need to bring together the supply chain industry, the private sector and our government agencies to help establish our future roadmap. I believe my experience with all of these industry leaders can help to provide clarity and guidance to the challenges we face while also formalizing potential solutions.
Background
Active member of AHRMM for 6 year(s) (Total number of years as AHRMM member 6)
Years in healthcare: 25+
Years worked in the healthcare supply chain profession: 20
Years worked in current position: 1.5
Number of direct reports: 15
Number of employees in your department: 30
Describe your current position and responsibilities:
I currently serve as a Region Vice President for Premier, Inc. I have complete responsibility for all members in the southeast region from a member/field perspective focusing on savings, P&L and member satisfaction standpoint. I manage all executive relationships and offer guidance for best practice for supply chain contract optimization, clinical resource utilization and overall margin improvement. I manage a team of 30 made up of VPs, region directors and analysts who help to provide customer support to these members in order to bring savings opportunities, product resiliency and member satisfaction.
Service
List service to local chapter and to AHRMM national, including all committee/task force involvement, and whether you served as a member or as chair, within the past 5 years.
- Committee chair for 2022
List Annual Conferences, Leadership Training Conferences, and Thought Leader Summits attended, including dates and locations, within the past 5 years:
I’ve attended several AHRMM conferences, presenting two topics (one in 2017 and one in 2019). I also was on a panel at HIDA in 2018. I’ve also attended several IDN Summits over the last 5-7 years. The main topics of my AHRMM presentations have been focused on building successful aggregation groups and a co-presentation with one of my former members outlining the success of belonging to an aggregation group. The HIDA panel was focused mainly on IDN supply chain resiliency and clinical resource utilization best practice.
- AHRMM 2017 - Chicago, IL
- AHRMM 2019 – San Diego, CA
- HIDA 2018 – Chicago, IL
- IDN Summit – 2016-2019 (Spring & Fall – Orlando/Phoenix)
Service to professional associations or community organizations to which you belong, including all committees, whether you served as a member or as chair, the year(s) of service, any elected offices held and the year(s) held:
My AHRMM participation has been my primary area of focus within healthcare. I’m also an active supporter personally with the Kentucky Humane Society and was previously honored as a volunteer of the year recipient.