HealthTrust Honors Member Organizations for Excellence, Sustainability and Innovation

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Six HealthTrust member organizations have been singled out for supply chain excellence, social stewardship and innovation benefitting their patients, stakeholders and communities. Recipients of the Member Recognition Awards – the most prestigious honors presented annually by HealthTrust – were announced this morning at HealthTrust University Conference in Nashville. David Osborn, Ph.D., senior vice president of strategic accounts and advisory services presented awards to the following health systems and their representatives.

Outstanding Member – Surgery Partners, Brentwood, Tenn. for initiatives to achieve optimal value and performance using HealthTrust contracts and offerings primarily in the areas of neurostimulation, spine and osteobiologics. Over the past 18 months, Surgery Partners’ overall adoption of on-contract supplies, category utilization and strategic sourcing agreements has steadily increased resulting in lower supply expense and achievement of supply chain objectives.

• Rick Salzer, senior vice president, procurement and supply chain
• Natalie Gustafson, senior supply chain manager
• Joye Booher, senior director, procurement and supply chain
• Kathy Kilgore, senior analyst of purchasing
• Jessica Rodriguez, senior supply chain manager, Rx

Operational Excellence – QHR Health, PLUS™, Brentwood, Tenn. for driving efficiencies in contract, spend and leveraged savings opportunities.

• Jeff Kimmell, RPh, senior vice president, supply chain; president, PLUS
• Kim Milliken, director, supply chain
• Susan Dorsey, associate vice president, supply chain operations
• Tracy LaChance, director, supply chain
• Dwayne Gunter, president, QHR

Clinical Excellence – Southwest Health System, Cortez, Colo. for the health system’s COVID response including education campaigns to provide information to rural community members as well as vaccination initiatives focused on rural communities.

• Marc Meyer, RPh, BPharm, CIC, FAPIC, director of pharmacy and infection control
• Kelsey Gilbert, PharmD, pharmacist leader outpatient pharmacy
• Lindsay Yeager, RPSGT, CCSH, director of sleep services
• Christopher Alvarez, director of patient access
• Matthew Lindsay, NR-Paramedic, CCEMTP, director of EMS/ambulance

Social Stewardship – St. Luke’s Health System, Boise, Idaho for transitioning to reusable sterilization containers in response to shortages of Blue Wrap, resulting in reduced waste and cost savings.

• Adrian Wengert, MBA, vice president, supply chain
• Jason Merrill, senior director, supply chain management
• Kacey Wear, MSN, RN, BSN, CEN, clinical category director
• LaNae Cunningham, manager, sterile processing
• Taylor Easterday, MBA Finance, KT, logistics manager
• Sam Roberts, MBA, finance director

Pharmacy Excellence – Scripps Health, San Diego, Calif. for early adoption of a medication central prior authorization initiative and working with HealthTrust Clinical Pharmacy Member Support to improve biosimilar conversions and other key therapeutic areas.

• Lisa Risser, CPA, MBA, FACHE, FHFMA, corporate senior vice president, ancillary operations
• Tony Jackson, PharmD, MBA, assistant vice president pharmacy
• Aaron Ginsberg, PharmD, director of central pharmacy services
• Hardi Tjhie, CPhT, prior authorization technician specialist
• Kathy Kim, BS, CPhT, prior authorization technician specialist
• Betty Richardson, RPh, clinical pharmacist
• Erin Lowrey, CPhT, prior authorization technician specialist
• Angela Rosenblatt, MS, PharmD, BCPS, BCNSP, APh, corporate director of pharmacy, ambulatory services

Innovation Award – LCMC Health, New Orleans, La. for executing a long-term agreement centered on Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) in six regional facilities resulting in cost savings and substantial reduction of the health system’s carbon footprint. Savings from the EaaS arrangement will aid investment in core healthcare initiatives and immediate improvements to better serve the community.

• Joseph Thibodeaux, MBA, vice president, chief resource officer
• Stephanie Grant, BBA, CMRP, purchasing director
• Clifford (C.T.) Harlan, senior director of operations

In addition to receiving recognition at the conference, the winning organizations will be featured in

The Source magazine for HealthTrust members.

About HealthTrust

HealthTrust (HealthTrust Purchasing Group, L.P.) is committed to strengthening provider performance and clinical excellence through an aligned membership model and the delivery of total spend management advisory solutions that leverage our operator experience, scale and innovation. Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., HealthTrust serves over 1,600 hospitals and health systems and more than 55,000 other member locations including ambulatory surgery centers, physician practices, long-term care and alternate care sites.