Unscrewed Vol 4

Screwed by Vendor Overload?

“I’m confronted with implementing the mobility capability of my EHR, that includes talking to vendors about MDM (Mobile Device Management), SSO (Single Sign On authentication), and choosing the right healthcare mobile computer. And… I have been reduced to tears.”

When implementing the full capabilities of your EHR calls for a move to mobility for your caregivers and auxiliary staff, it can be immediately moved from the excitement of a promised positive outcome to feeling like you have been… well, screwed. And this can happen through the pressure of vendor overload.  There seems to be so many moving parts.

With major mobility projects, vendor management can be overwhelming. If your hospital or healthcare system is like many others, you probably juggle tons of different supplier relationships. Each day, you might be spending a lot of time fielding calls from vendors promising they have that illusive “missing piece of the puzzle.”  Until you come to the mistaken conclusion that being given this project to implement, it has turned from a positive opportunity into a curse.

So, when you have concluded that you have been screwed, what is the pathway to being…well, unscrewed?

Here are a few steps that will help unscrew you:

Identify the right vendor(s)… ask for references from the device manufacturer and other hospitals that have walked the same path as you are now on. Seek out a value-added vendor and have an exploratory conversation and see if, as a result, you have a gut feeling of confidence from these factors:

·        Reliability – Will they walk with your team through the entire implementation. You don’t want a vendor that will leave you high and dry. Do they have referenced that shout “hallelujah” at the follow up and follow through character of this company?  Can they bring all the stake holders to the table, so you have confidence that everyone is on the same page?

·        Independent – Are they free from ties to manufacturers so they can provide the right solution for the right price? Are they “device agnostic?”

·        Communication – You don’t want to be in a partnership with a vendor who you can’t reach and is not responsive. In these days of supply chain interruptions, having a vendor that keeps you up to date on the moment-by-moment changes in availability of critical supplies, means everything to you managing a rollout schedule.

I know it sounds cliché, but it comes down to this… Instead of thinking of your vendor as “a company that you’re doing business with,” think of them as an actual business partner.  Here at ACS MediHealth we have a legacy of valuable partnerships that have now turned into invaluable friendships.  That’s what happens when you spend your days (and some nights) helping folks get unscrewed.