In what way has your profession changed the most in the last five years?

Publication: Healthcare Purchasing News

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COPYRIGHT 2001 Healthcare Purchasing News

Decisions more situational

JIM SMOKER, director of materials resource services, WellSpan Health, York, PA -- "I feel more challenged today than five years ago. The tempo and pace have quickened. More issues to contend with require a greater element of creativity and ability to keep more plates spinning while achieving results. The work of material management is more challenging and visible in our health system than five years ago, which is both a blessing and a curse. Issues are more complex and require divining between standardization and unit-cost reduction versus practitioner cost-of-use sensitivity. Case in point: An ophthalmologic surgeon claimed to be able to complete lens surgeries 25% faster with diamond-edged ophthalmologic scalpels than the standard. What to do? Allow an exception that permits a surgeon to have faster operating room turnaround times...

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