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Millions of people in the U.S. have heart rhythm problems, or arrhythmia, in which the heart beats too slowly, quickly or irregularly. Arrhythmia is among the most common heart health issues and affects many older adults.
Six Partners hospitals-BWH, BWFH, MGH, North Shore Medical Center, Newton-Wellesley Hospital and Cooley Dickinson-care for patients with heart rhythm problems through interventional cardiology. Many patients require implantable electrophysiology devices such as pacemakers or defibrillators to resolve a heart's malfunctioning electrical system. These devices and others, plus peripheral equipment such as wires and leads, are used extensively by clinicians at Partners. Annually, more than 2,000 devices are implanted at Partners hospitals.
As part of Partners' commitment to improving patient affordability while maintaining quality patient care, a team was formed to investigate whether savings and efficiencies could be achieved in electrophysiology devices. The Value Analysis Team included clinical and administrative staff from cardiology and cardiovascular services at the hospitals and from Partners Supply Chain department.
The group developed and supported a simple strategy around set pricing for devices and leads. A request for acceptance (RFA) was issued to the five national suppliers of implantable devices used by the Partners hospitals doing interventional cardiology.
"The RFA was all about pricing," said Mark Faulkner, of Partners Supply Chain, who spearheaded the RFA process. "Often, suppliers want to add provisions about volume or market share, but we wanted to keep it straightforward and work to get the best prices possible for electrophysiology devices."
Success was achieved through the unity of strong clinical leadership backing Supply Chain in supplier negotiations. All suppliers met the proposed pricing structure, which is estimated to save $1.67 million annually. The outcome also allows clinicians access to all devices and leads from the five suppliers without any volume commitment.