HealthTrust Performance Group, a leading healthcare performance improvement organization, has recognized six member organizations for their commitment to excellence and demonstrated efforts in delivering exceptional performance. The recipients of the 2024 Member Recognition Awards were honored during the HealthTrust University Conference (HTU) in Orlando, Florida.
“Healthcare providers across our membership network continue to make a positive impact by delivering meaningful improvements to better support patients, providers and communities,” said David Osborn, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Account Management & Sales at HealthTrust. “As the highest honor HealthTrust confers on our membership, the 2024 Member Recognition Award recipients have exceeded standards by truly setting an example for the industry with their demonstrated excellence. Considering the expertise and dedication to service within our membership, it is impressive for these organizations to rise to the top.”
The recipients of the HealthTrust 2024 Member Recognition Awards and their achievements are:
Outstanding Member – CoxHealth, Springfield, Missouri for achieving its annual savings objective in the first six months of membership and realizing more than $16 million in annualized savings within its first year of joining HealthTrust. In addition to value derived from HealthTrust GPO portfolios, CoxHealth attained value by leveraging HealthTrust capabilities such as Medical Device Management, Valify Technology, Workforce Solutions, Food, and Special Operations.
- John Black, Chief Supply Chain Officer
- Dan Roth, Vice President of Operations
- Nikki Harmon, Director of Strategic Sourcing
- Naomi Moss, Sourcing Manager, Strategic Sourcing
- Jonathan Barton, Administrative Director of Pharmacy
Operational Excellence – Virtua Health System, Marlton, New Jersey for accelerating value and efficiency across its five-hospital health system by implementing foundational practices ahead of launching a new warehouse management technology system. This included revamping warehouse operations by minimizing inventory redundancies, reducing expired inventory and standardizing product lines. The improvements resulted in increased efficiency, resiliency and streamlined workflows.
- Ana Victoria Sanchez, Vice President of Supply Chain and Support Services
- Khatib Abdelaziz, Director of Supply Chain Service Center
- Michele Walker, Director of Strategic Sourcing and Procurement
Clinical Excellence – Scripps Health, San Diego, California for its doctor preference card project, which ensured accuracy and enhanced the documentation of supplies used during surgeries. Across all the health system’s operating rooms, the initiative improved how clinicians recorded supply utilization, which reduced waste, optimized inventory management, provided more accurate data, and improved staff satisfaction.
- Cecile Hozouri, Chief Supply Chain Officer
- Hampton Hurt, Director of Surgical Services
- Christopher Heinen, OR Supervisor
- Lisa Otte, Director of Clinical Performance Analytics
- Diana Totman, Director of Clinical Care Line
- Elena Giardino, Director of Surgical Services
- Linda Ferrick, Director of Surgical Services
- Natalie Acosta, Supervisor, Logistics
- Jennifer Donovan, Clinical Resource Specialist
Social Stewardship – Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH), Edison, New Jersey for driving positive outcomes in environmental sustainability and efforts supporting diversity, equity and inclusion. These include a $115 million investment in energy consumption reduction and a diversion of 40,000 pounds of waste from landfills, among other achievements. In addition, HMH increased its annual supplier diversity spend by 32 percent, and four of its hospitals were among the first ever to achieve The Joint Commission’s Healthcare Equity Certification in 2023.
- Kyle Tafuri, Vice President of Sustainability
- Laurie Merris, Corporate Director of Purchasing, Post-Acute Care & Capital
- Allison Jungkind-Raspanti, Purchasing Manager
- Geffry LaFortune, Purchasing Customer Service & Vendor Relations Manager
- Rich Killeen, Vice President of Corporate Purchasing
Pharmacy Excellence – Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Houston, Texas for developing a multi-pronged approach to lowering the cost of care for patients via the medical benefit—for infusion center treatments and in-clinic administered medications—and the prescription benefit for retail pharmacy prescriptions and specialty pharmacy prescriptions. Through combined efforts across multiple specialties, including oncology, family medicine, OB-GYN, endocrinology and orthopedics, Kelsey-Seybold generated savings of over $10 million.
- Sunil Patel, M.D., Chief of Hematology & Oncology
- Samir Jani, Administrator of In-Clinic Pharmacy
- Anik Vaillancourt, Director of Infusion Pharmacy Services
- Kirti Gandhi, Director of Pharmacy
Innovation – Mercy, St. Louis, Missouri for enabling a reliable workforce through innovative strategies amid ongoing labor shortages. Efforts included offering caregivers a menu of options to remain on staff without having to leave the healthcare system, adapting AI technologies to improve fill rates, and creating a centralized workforce team to manage staffing and scheduling.
- Betty Jo Rocchio, Senior Vice President & Chief Nursing Executive
- Veronica Schlett, Director of Clinical Operations
- Beth Melgren, Director of Clinical Operations
- Jordan Humes, Manager of Clinical Operations
- Nida Al-Ramahi, Executive Director of Operations
In selecting the recipients, HealthTrust followed a robust screening process with input from company executives and clinical and supply chain experts. In addition to recognition at HTU, the winning organizations will be featured in the fourth quarter issue of The Source magazine for HealthTrust members.
