Utilization Management
BWH, PHS Achieve Cost Savings on Devices
BWH and all the hospitals in the Partners HealthCare System expect to realize a savings on the cost of coronary stents and other medical devices and technology thanks to an effort launched last fall.
In September 2006, PHS President and CEO James Mongan, MD, appointed BWH cardiac surgeon Lawrence Cohn, MD, formerly director of Cardiac Surgery and past chair of the BWPO, to serve as physician director of medical device technology across PHS.
“With reimbursement rates from government payors expected to trend downward, we began exploring ways to economize and standardize medical device technology on a system-wide level without reducing choice where possible,” Cohn said.
On stents, for example, physicians, administrators and materials management staff from BWH, Mass. General and PHS community hospitals came together to discuss cost, preference and cultural differences among the hospitals. “We came to a common ground, and by working with the manufacturers, we were able to realize a cost savings without compromising choice,” he said.
The effort has led to a review of medical device technology through an IRB-approval process that stretches PHS-wide. BWH and Partners will explore cost savings possibilities with other devices including cardiac valves, prostheses for Orthopedics and others.
At BWH, Associate Chief Medical Officer Robert Goldszer, MD, MBA, Ramin
Khorasani, MD, vice chair of Radiology, John Wright, MD, of Orthopedics, and
Frederic Resnic, MD, director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, are involved in
this effort.