3 Takeaways From The Opening General Session At HIDA’s Streamlining Healthcare Conference

October 13, 2017

Alexandria, Va. – The 2017 HIDA Streamlining Healthcare Conference reflected a distribution industry in the midst of exceptional change and opportunity. Throughout the meeting, healthcare supply chain trading partners reported general optimism toward 2018 as they explore unique ways to serve customers and improve the overall patient experience. If you missed the conference’s Opening General Session, here are a few highlights from the executive discussion:

• Customers are more open to a total system sell. Provider conversations are becoming less about negotiating on every single item, and more about how distribution partners can provide total top-to-bottom sale value. Panelists spoke about how the need for providers to save millions is driving change management within organizations, and distributors play a key role.
• E-commerce in healthcare continues to rise in importance. E-commerce capabilities are rapidly becoming a business differentiator and essential part of any business strategy. Specifically, distributors are looking for new ways to pair data analytics and web resources with business strategies that accommodate individual customers with distinct purchasing behaviors.
• Digital technologies are becoming game-changers for serving patients. Increased growth in telemedicine and remote monitoring services is fundamentally changing patient care. Panelists highlighted their expertise in managing business-to-business (B2B) relationships, but were quick to mention business-to-consumer (B2C) relationships are equally as important.

HIDA’s Opening General Session featured Bill Abrams, Medline Industries; Michael Lawler, TwinMed; Steve Mason, Cardinal Health at Home; 2017 HIDA Board Chairman Mike Orscheln, Performance Health; Bridget Ross, Henry Schein; and Matthew J. Rowan, HIDA.

HIDA’s next Streamlining Healthcare Conference takes place in Chicago, IL, September 25 – 27, 2018.