Services

The Preference Group™

Broadlane delivers its clinical consulting services under The Preference Group™ name.

Managing the rising cost of physician preference items is one of the most difficult challenges in healthcare administration today. An aging population has dramatically increased the demand for clinical technologies such as pacemakers, surgical implants and cardiac stents. This increased demand has caused prices for those items to skyrocket.

While it is difficult to reduce the costs for these items through sourcing methods traditionally used for commodity items, an innovative, clinician-collaborative approach can help you reach the next level of financial performance.

A Clinical Approach

Broadlane’s Clinical Services offer a rigorous clinical approach to managing the cost of your physician preference items. We combine our understanding of the total device cost, product differences and physician utilization preferences with market dynamics and vendor economics to design a custom cost reduction strategy for you.

Our understanding comes from our deep clinical experience. Broadlane’s team of healthcare professionals includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists, lab specialists and technicians who work with your clinicians to facilitate consensus on purchasing strategies and implement the results. Because our clinical experts understand the problems you face every day, we can provide you with effective, real-world solutions.

Our clinical approach and comprehensive contracting portfolio provide you with:

• Lower costs: Broadlane analyzes total product costs, standardizes and aggregates volume and uses competition to drive down both unit price and contributing costs.
• Improved utilization: Broadlane matches device choices to clinical need in order to minimize cost and ensure appropriate and optimal reimbursement based on demand.
• Reduction in unnecessary use: Broadlane tracks utilization to reduce unnecessary use, which optimizes market share levels with particular manufacturers.
• Reduced variability: Broadlane analyzes total costs and reimbursements of high cost procedures to determine cost variability and margin contribution. We then employ strategies to reduce variability and optimize contribution.
• Better data management: Broadlane provides you with the technology and tools to gather, store and mine the information it takes to create effective solutions. We then help you analyze that data to make comparisons to other healthcare organizations and to established best practices.

Related information

User story: Broadlane's Procedure Optimization Program Targets Areas of Highest Supply Utilization to Dramatically Reduce Costs Read more (pdf) White paper: Our Program Combines Clinical Expertise with Web-Enabled Technology to Help Clients Reduce Procedural Costs Read more (pdf)

Procedure costs represent a significant portion of overall expense for patient care, yet many healthcare providers lack the resources required to fully identify and understand the factors driving these costs. Reduced reimbursements, increased supply costs, technology upgrades and decreased resource availability drive the need for providers to determine actual procedures costs and find ways to better manage these expenses.

Broadlane’s Procedure Optimization Program identifies opportunities that offer greater cost savings and operational efficiencies by establishing quality indicators for procedures, recommending solutions and assembling a team to help you implement those solutions. Our approach provides you with:

• Consistency and time efficiencies in the care delivery process
• Product standardization
• Reduced inventory levels
• Reduced procedural costs
• Improved interdepartmental communication

Orthopedic Program

Related information

User story: Broadlane's Orthopedic Program Meets Surgeons' High Standards While Reducing Costs Read more (pdf)

Broadlane has worked with providers across the country to develop orthopedic solutions that have helped them achieve savings of as much as 10 percent to 20 percent. We can help you see similar savings by:

• Assisting you with local contracting for orthopedic implants
• Outlining negotiation strategies that align hospital and physician goals
• Benchmarking your data against both national and local standards
• Comparing your implant utilization trends against nationally accepted standards

Our approach is focused on meeting surgeons’ high standards for performance and safety. Broadlane’s collaborative process promotes partnership among hospital management, surgeons and nurses. We work with you and your surgeons to identify patient-care goals, balance economic interest and produce measurable results.

Medication Use Management

Related information

User story: Broadlane's Medication Use Management Program Drives Savings through Standardization and Utilization Initiatives Read more (pdf)

By 2010, pharmaceuticals are expected to represent 15 percent of total hospital expenditures. More than 80 percent of the drug cost will come from only 20 percent of the medications dispensed in hospital pharmacies.

Broadlane has helped healthcare organizations achieve savings of up to 5 percent of total spend in their pharmacy programs without compromising patient care. Our Medication Use Management Program uses evidence-based medicine standards to support cost effective therapies that maintain or improve clinical outcomes.

Broadlane’s pharmacy consulting team uses a collaborative approach that involves your pharmacists, medical staff, clinicians and hospital executives to develop and drive initiatives. We provide you with the resources to identify, implement, manage and sustain strategic cost savings, which can result in:

• Cost savings
• Cost avoidance through appropriate utilization
• Reduced patient length of stay, resulting in lower cost-per-patient-day
• Increased patient safety, reducing liability risk
• More efficient use of resources
• Improved quality of care
• Improved teamwork through education and empowerment

Surgical Process Redesign Program

Related information

User story: Broadlane's Surgical Process Redesign Program Improves Efficiency and Generates Savings for U.K. Hospital System Read more (pdf)

The operating room is typically both the largest revenue center and largest cost center for healthcare organizations. Managing a surgery department is a complex task, with factors such as multiple players, process steps, information exchanges and procedures presenting operational and financial challenges.

Broadlane’s Surgical Process Redesign Program can turn surgical challenges into opportunities through a comprehensive, flexible approach that helps you streamline your surgery processes. Our Assessment, Implementation and Management services fit together seamlessly to form a custom solution for your organization, providing you with:

• Maximum operating room efficiency
• Expanded operating room capacity
• Increased revenues
• Increased physician and patient satisfaction

Broadlane’s Surgical Process Redesign Program can be combined with our Procedure Optimization Program to enhance savings opportunities for your organization.

Reprocessing of Single-Use Devices

Single-use devices are a major source of expense and waste for healthcare organizations. The use of reprocessed surgical devices can help your organization save as much as 50 percent on selected devices used in surgery, endoscopy, cath lab and general nursing units. But reprocessing implementation can be a tedious and complex task. Providers must, select a third party reprocessor, educate hospital staff and physicians and monitor and track progress at every step of the program.

Broadlane’s reprocessing program is a comprehensive solution for implementation of the reprocessing of single-use devices. A typical Broadlane reprocessing engagement takes from three to nine months depending on the size of the organization, the departments included and the selected third-party reprocessor.

The engagement process includes the facilitation of a hospital’s reprocessing team, a comprehensive educational program for your staff, third party reprocessing vendor selection assistance, the development and implementation of a strategic reprocessing plan and cost savings tracking and ongoing management to ensure sustainable results.

The engagement process includes:

• Establishment of a reprocessing team within the hospital
• Development of a comprehensive training program for staff
• Assistance with third party reprocessor selection
• Development and implementation of a strategic reprocessing plan
• Identification of methods for ongoing savings tracking and monitoring to ensure sustainable results

Broadlane’s Surgical Device Reprocessing Program provides you with reduction of supply cost acquisition, cost savings on routinely purchased items, reduction in land fill waste and decreased costs for disposal of medical waste.

Cardiovascular Program

Related information

User story: Broadlane's Cardiovascular Program Generates Significant Savings for Multi-Hospital Network Read more (pdf)

Due to the increase of secondary diabetes, heart disease and obesity, cost control for cardiovascular programs is becoming an increasing concern for healthcare organizations. Providers offering invasive cardiology and open-heart programs need a process to manage the escalating costs of new technology in this expanding healthcare arena.

Broadlane’s Cardiovascular Program can help your organization mitigate cost increases by maximizing operational efficiencies and contracting options. The program not only assists you in identifying cardiovascular cost-reduction opportunities, but helps you to identify and implement improvement strategies. We can also provide ongoing management of contract utilization and cost-reduction initiatives through a continuous assessment of outcome metrics and other data. Broadlane’s Cardiovascular Program can be combined with our Procedure Optimization Program to enhance savings opportunities for your organization.

IV Supplies Analysis and Standardization Program

Related information

User story: I.V. Supply Analysis and Standardization Program Customizes Initiatives to Hospital Needs and Generates Impressive Savings Read more (pdf)

Broadlane’s IV Supplies Analysis and Standardization Program helps you standardize your use of IV supplies, manage your inventories more efficiently and reduce IV costs by up to 30 percent. Our clinical implementation specialists can help you identify outdated IV therapy practices, product utilization and equipment.

Therapy Bed and Wound Care Program

Related information

User story: Broadlane's Skin and Wound Management Program Increases Patient Safety While Driving Significant Savings Read more (pdf)

Broadlane’s Therapy Bed and Wound Care Program helps you integrate best practices in pressure ulcer prevention, wound care and kinetic therapy. Our program uses proven methodologies to help your organization develop clinical consensus, enhance the standardization and utilization of products and therapies, and consistently meet regulatory guidelines using risk assessment tools and other appropriate documentation. Implementation of the program is tailored to your individual needs — from a simple Web conference to a comprehensive, four-week implementation strategy.

Custom Procedure Tray Utilization Program

Broadlane’s Custom Procedure Tray Utilization Program helps you lower supply costs by reducing product waste and decreasing excess inventories. Our custom-pack program can yield as much as a 10 percent to even 20 percent reduction in overall custom-pack expenses. Broadlane’s clinical implementation specialists can provide you with a detailed analysis and recommendations that will identify opportunities to modify products and pack configurations to eliminate waste and offer additional savings.