Mobile apps from HealthTrust bring benefits to members & Physician Advisors
Fostering relationships and connecting communities of people with similar specialties and interests are the objectives of two applications released recently by HealthTrust. Here are the tools and how members and Physician Advisors alike can benefit from them.
HealthTrust Advisor (mobile app & online platform)
For: Members who wish to provide feedback on products
Why: Clinical Advisory Board members support HealthTrust’s strategic sourcing process by bringing forth clinical evidence and sharing their clinical knowledge and experience when vetting products for possible addition to the HealthTrust contract portfolio. These members enhance the work of the internal Strategic Sourcing team by validating proposed contracting strategies, supporting final strategies, and driving compliance within their facilities and health systems once products are added to the HealthTrust portfolio.
The size of the Clinical Advisory Boards is limited. “However, by launching this mobile app and platform, all members can now provide feedback on products under review as well as suggest products for contract consideration,” shares Kim Kelly, MSN, RN, Director, Clinical Categorization & HealthTrust Advisor App. This feedback is being incorporated into the sourcing process. The app provides these benefits to members:
- A direct line of communication to HealthTrust’s Clinical Operations and Strategic Sourcing teams
- Two convenient ways to access (mobile app or online platform) via an email invite from HealthTrust
- The ability to submit new technologies as well as relevant trends and ideas on noncontracted products
- A weekly newsletter highlighting what’s new as well as which Boards are soliciting feedback that week
The survey capabilities of the app are particularly useful when an Advisory Board Director wants to know which suppliers’ products members are using in a particular contract category, to obtain quick feedback on the suppliers currently contracted in a category, and to hear from those making a potential product conversion about the perceived difficulty in moving from one supplier or product to another within a given category.
Kelly indicates: “We are in full launch mode at this point. The app and platform were initially tested with Advisory Board members and some non-Advisory Board members. The Clinical Operations team is working to expand the membership within the HealthTrust Advisor platform.”
Members are encouraged to contact their HealthTrust Account Manager to express interest in joining this online community.
HealthTrust Collaboratives (mobile app)
For: HealthTrust Physician Advisors (in the future, service line leaders, clinicians and attendees of HealthTrust’s Collaborative Summit events will be engaged)
Why: HealthTrust started its Physician Advisor program in 2015. It has since grown to include 180 physicians in 42 specialties across 26 Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs). According to Todd DeVree, AVP, Clinical Strategy, “The vision for our Physician Advisor app is to further elevate the physician’s role in our activities by streamlining communications while also providing a platform for physicians to collaborate amongst one another outside of our organized calls and in-person meetings.”
The app allows HealthTrust to easily gather physician feedback via surveys and polls, while also providing a platform to efficiently communicate opportunities for them to get more deeply involved in sourcing, member education or clinical evidence summaries. An exciting feature is the discussion boards that allow physicians to engage in peer-to-peer discussions about products and best practices in a secure environment. HealthTrust has enabled similar conversations in the past with panel discussions at educational events, but now the interactions will be ongoing.
Future plans for the app include engaging clinical leaders from various IDNs who want to share and learn best practices. This will include participants in our Collaborative Summits. These online communities launched after each summit will allow participants to engage beyond the on-site or virtual meetings on important healthcare topics.
Physician Advisors should contact Caroline Douglas, Manager, Physician Advisory Services, for assistance with the mobile app.
Share Email Clinical Advisory Boards, Physician Advisor, Q3 2020
