International Group ISHVA Launched To Educate Expense Management Professionals In Healthcare

A group of 10 executives representing various aspects of the healthcare industry formed the International Society for Healthcare Value Analysis (ISHVA), Inc. as a not-for-profit, tax-exempt corporation registered in the State of New Jersey.

When it comes to controlling and managing expenses in healthcare facilities, many administrative professionals may be missing some key opportunities to eliminate red ink. That's why a group of 10 executives representing various aspects of the healthcare industry formed the International Society for Healthcare Value Analysis Inc.(ISHVA), a not-for-profit, tax-exempt corporation registered in the State of New Jersey.

The group formed ISHVA to provide education and skills training for practitioners of expense management in the healthcare industry, according to ISHVA's chairman, William McFaul, chairman and CEO of The Center for Modeling Optimal Outcomes, LLC. Typically, the titles of these professionals include value analysis coordinators, supply chain or materials management directors, resource managers and any other healthcare professionals that apply value analysis methodology and principles to their operations, including clinical department heads and professionals with Six Sigma Black Belt training.

ISHVA's founding board of directors launched the new organization with several critical goals in mind. ISHVA is dedicated solely to practitioners and is designed to operate independently of any outside influences for the benefit of practitioners. ISHVA is a working organization devoted to teaching practitioners new skill sets and helping them hone existing skills to improve their professional lives as well as contribute to improving their facilities' operations.

"The board has structured the bylaws to create an organization which will devote its energy and focus solely on employees of healthcare providers," McFaul said. "The intent is to insure the Society is free from any potential outside influence of suppliers of products and services, including consultants. In fact, as the Society gains members, the board will transfer all control to elected practitioners from provider organizations; a decision which will preclude a majority of the founding board members from participating on an ongoing basis," he added.

ISHVA plans to hold its first annual meeting in the spring of 2006 in the Philadelphia area, according to McFaul.

The agenda for that inaugural meeting remains in development but will offer a "boot camp" environment for training and education. The board intends to structure the two-day event to include advance study, in-depth educational sessions during the meeting and post-meeting study as well.

"The board recognizes the industry has many avenues for professionals to learn about the use of value analysis as a tool to manage expenses," McFaul said. "However, we believe healthcare providers need access to high quality, unbiased training and education that will truly sharpen their interpersonal skills and provide meaningful instruction on how to create dynamic processes that provide better expense management outcomes for their employers," he noted.

Additional information pertaining to ISHVA, including a copy of the bylaws, is available at the Society's Web site at www.ISHVA.org.

ISHVA's founding Board of Directors comprises the following healthcare industry professionals:

Brian J. Alsford
Vice President - Director-Purchasing, Financial Controls
and Supply Chain Intelligence
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
New York

Rick Dana Barlow
Editor
Healthcare Purchasing News
Sarasota, Fla.

Sue Beauregard
Director of Value Analysis
Lenox Hill Hospital
New York

Lawton R. Burns, Ph.D.
Director-Center for Health Management and Economics
The Wharton School
Philadelphia

Joseph Colonna
President and CEO
Strategic Initiatives In Healthcare, LLC
Jackson, N.J.

Rebecca Garry, MSN, RN
Principle Consultant
BD Healthcare Consulting and Services
Boston

William McFaul
Chairman and CEO
The Center for Modeling Optimal Outcomes, LLC
Jackson, N.J.

Paul Ramey
President
Joint Ventures Inc.
Seattle

John Strong
President and CEO
Consorta, Inc.
Schaumburg, Ill.

Curt Werner
Publisher and Editor
First Moves Magazine
Sarasota, Fla.

     
   ISHVA
   NJ,    USA
   732-928-7455 (phone)
   info@ISHVA.org
   www.ISHVA.org