SSM Health Care enhances revenue- supply chain cost link in collaborative
Based in St. Louis, SSM Health Care is sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary and owns, manages and is affiliated with 20 acute-care hospitals and two nursing homes in four states: Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma. SSM has nearly 23,000 employees, 5,400 physicians and 3,000 volunteers. It was the first healthcare recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the first large health system to go tobacco-free inside and out. Electronic health records have been implemented in all its hospitals.
Situation:
SSM Health Care was looking for a way to better synchronize supply chain operations with revenue cycle.
Solution:
Familiar with Premier’s Collaborative Breakthrough Series (BTS), SSM team members dove in and soon focused their goal to one hospital in the system, aiming to identify its true net revenue opportunity. The BTS helps participants collaborate with peers from other healthcare organizations to accelerate improvements and implement changes that will significantly improve operations and potentially eliminate millions of dollars of unnecessary expenses.
Result:
At just one hospital, SSM uncovered $1.3 million in revenue opportunities. The BTS team also identified system-wide process improvements, gained a greater understanding of the linkages between the supply chain and revenue cycle, and created a clear roadmap to implement best practices related to revenue.
"The Breakthrough Series continues to offer SSM opportunities to connect
with other healthcare organizations for collaborative learning opportunities.
The program’s structure allows us to implement rapid cycle improvements while
learning from others about unique savings opportunities that we haven’t thought
of in the past."
Nalin Kulasekara
SSM Health Care King’s Daughters