Overcoming Physician Objections: Facilitating PPI Standardization for Enhanced Cost Efficiency and Patient Safety

  • 4 min read
  • Holly Spiegl

In today’s challenging healthcare landscape, decision-makers in healthcare facilities face the dual imperative of achieving cost efficiencies while ensuring optimal patient safety. One powerful strategy for accomplishing both goals is standardizing physician preference items (PPIs). However, standardizing PPIs often encounters resistance from physicians due to concerns about individual autonomy and patient care. We will explore approaches for decision-makers to overcome physician objections and successfully implement PPI standardization. Additionally, we will discuss why PPI standardization is crucial in the current economic climate and for ensuring patient safety.

Importance of PPI Standardization in the Current Economic Climate:

  1. Cost Efficiency: Standardizing PPIs across a healthcare system offers significant cost-saving opportunities. By consolidating purchasing volume, organizations can negotiate better pricing and take advantage of bulk purchase discounts. Research published in the Journal of Healthcare Contracting indicates that PPI standardization can result in cost reductions ranging from 10% to 30%. These savings are valuable with economic pressures and tightening budgets.
  2. Improved Resource Allocation: Standardization streamlines procurement processes, reduces inventory complexity, and enhances supply chain efficiency. This optimization of resources allows decision-makers to redirect funds toward critical areas such as patient care, technology advancements, and infrastructure development.
  3. Value-Based Care: As the healthcare industry transitions towards value-based care, the standardization of PPIs plays a vital role. By implementing evidence-based, standardized PPIs, healthcare systems can better track and measure outcomes, enabling them to drive continuous quality improvement initiatives and achieve better patient outcomes.

Importance of PPI Standardization for Patient Safety:

  1. Consistency and Familiarity: Standardizing PPIs fosters stability and familiarity among healthcare providers. Errors decrease when physicians grow accustomed to working with standardized items and performing procedures more efficiently and confidently. Consistency in product use also supports successful training, maintenance of best practices, and improved patient safety.
  2. Quality Control: Standardized PPIs undergo rigorous evaluation and selection processes based on clinical evidence and patient outcomes. Ensuring only products meeting predefined safety and efficacy standards are used reduces the potential for variations in quality or performance across healthcare facilities.
  3. Risk Mitigation: Using standardized PPIs minimizes the potential for product recalls, compatibility issues, or adverse events associated with unfamiliar or non-standard products. Standardization reduces liability risks for healthcare systems, enhances patient safety, and protects organizational reputation.

Strategies for Overcoming Physician Objections:

  1. Engage Physicians: Open and transparent communication is paramount in overcoming physician objections. Engage physicians early in the decision-making process, emphasizing the benefits of standardization for patient safety, quality improvement, and cost-efficiency. Encourage feedback, address concerns, and involve physicians in product evaluations and selection committees.
  2. Provide Data and Evidence: Utilize data and evidence-based research to support the case for standardization. Share studies and articles demonstrate improved patient outcomes and cost savings achieved through PPI standardization. “Overcoming Objections to Physician Preference Item Standardization” by Mark McKenna provides valuable insights into addressing physician objections and can serve as a reference.
  3. Highlight Collaboration and Empowerment: Emphasize the collaborative nature of PPI standardization. Demonstrate how involving physicians in decision-making empowers them to improve patient care, promote best practices, and drive positive change within the healthcare system.

Standardizing physician preference items allows decision-makers in healthcare facilities to achieve substantial cost savings while enhancing patient safety and quality of care. Overcoming physician objections requires effective communication, data-driven decision-making, and collaboration. By engaging physicians, providing evidence-based research, and emphasizing the importance of PPI standardization in the current economic climate and for patient safety, decision-makers can drive successful implementation and navigate the evolving healthcare landscape.

Alliant’s strategically designed niche PPI portfolio offering offers a method to save money for facilities that both require standardization and those who do not. It is available to all surgery centers and hospital systems. The al a carte program provides savings on high value PPI products and equipment. Contact us for a free savings analysis on products and equipment from industry-leadings PPI suppliers.

References:

McKenna, M. (2019). Overcoming Objections to Physician Preference Item Standardization. OR Manager, 35(6), 1-3.

Hilal, E., Gunay, A., & Ulsoy, A. G. (2019). Standardization of Physician Preference Items: Impact on the Hospital Supply Chain. Journal of Healthcare Contracting, 13(4), 28-30.

Healthcare Links. (2019). Overcoming Objections to Physician Preference Item Standardization [Webinar].