“We purchased around USD 40,000 worth of products for a pilot from a vendor we met at the Marcus Evans Summit. It could turn into USD 300,000 worth of business if we decide to cover the entire hospital,” said Linda Butler, Chief Medical Officer, UNC Rex Healthcare, a speaker and delegate at Marcus Evans National Healthcare CMO Summits.
I find the presentations by my peers very valuable, and I usually give one myself. The Summit is also useful to learn what different vendors have on offer. Even if it is a vendor or product we are already using, I usually discover a new functionality or a new business opportunity.
Yes. We are currently involved in a trial with one company, for bedding and gowns in our hospital and skilled nursing facilities. The pilot covers 50 hospital beds and 30 nursing home beds. If we move ahead with their products, it will be for 435 hospital beds and 226 nursing home beds, around USD 300,000 in business for the company.
No, I did not know that vendor before, and probably would not have given them a chance if they had approached us directly. We get inundated with so many phone calls and emails every day, that I just tend to delete them. It is a very different scenario at the Summit. With this vendor, we had a one-on-one meeting, and their executive personally took me through their data and showed me studies of how their products could reduce infection rates. They had my undivided attention for 30 minutes, which is more than what most vendors get if they visit our office when we are doing our daily work and trying to put out fires. I was impressed with their products and passed on the information to my colleagues.
It is all about potentially reducing the infection rates in our highest risk units. We are willing to do everything to keep patients safe. We will use their products in one of our ICUs and on our oncology floor for three months, and see what difference they will make. Our infection rates are low, but some patients come in with an infection.
Honestly, it is getting more and more difficult now that many of our functions are hospital system related. It is much tougher than it was before.
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