Hospitals have a responsibility to their patients to provide the best care in the safest way possible. At the same time, there is increased demand by stakeholders to find solutions that lower costs. With a tighter focus on providing high-quality health care at lower cost, hospitals must find supply partners who support their goals, align with their values, and can act as an extension of their organization to prioritize their needs and patients.
Almost a decade ago, a Gallup article discussed the importance of the relationships between suppliers and hospitals, emphasizing how critical partners are to the financial and operational success of a hospital. At the time, medical supplies accounted for an average of 30 percent of hospitals’ total operating budgets.
Then, a more recent study showed that 74% of Chief Procurement Officers acknowledge the importance of working closely with existing partners to obtain more value. Which is only possible with a partner who shares your interests and understands the benefit of delivering more value.
Today these truths continue to prove evident. As healthcare costs are ever-increasing and budgets feel more scrutinized and strained the importance of good, trusted partnerships is even more critical to the health of the system.
To ensure that a partner will be the right fit and that these objectives will be met, a good supplier will exhibit key criteria including integrity, problem-solving capabilities, good communication, and ease of doing business. Without these qualities, a long-lasting partnership will not be able to thrive, and long-term cost savings will not be realized.
At Silentia, we have worked diligently for more than three decades to build a culture that prioritizes these guidelines for how we work with our customers around the world, as well as for our own team.
Integrity
Honesty and trust should be the foundation of any relationship. At Silentia, we guarantee transparency about how we work with you, how we operate, and how our products are made. This is the best avenue for determining the best solution for you, even if it is less profitable for us.
We also commit to working with you continually after the installation to make sure that our products are easily implemented into daily routines and continue to meet the requirements. This long-term commitment is at the heart of our “with you all the way” philosophy, that once you understand the value our products bring to patient privacy and infection control you have a partner for life.
Problem-solving
When working with hospital partners, before our Silentia team presents any product or solution, our goal is to understand your needs for improved privacy and infection prevention. From there, the relationship progresses into a mutual understanding of the vision for long-term success. With products built for the future of health care, we place the utmost importance on continually innovating and identifying areas of potential growth and improvement for our customers.
One of our many successes took place in the NICU at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, CA. We were brought in to collaborate early in the process, which allowed us to contribute ideas being developed by the design team. This also meant making connections and opening dialogue with their infection control, nurse leadership, and architecture teams to come up with the best solution for all stakeholders involved.
Good communication
A good partnership doesn’t exist without open dialogue, clearly articulated expectations, and shared outcomes. We understand the importance of keeping you up-to-date and in-the-loop, from pertinent product and ordering information to education around privacy and infection control.
We understand the value of in-person interaction and personal contact when you need it. For many regions around the US, we have local representatives committed to serving your facility. Additionally, as part of our commitment to being “with you all the way”, we perform periodic partnership evaluations, training, quality assurance, and service and maintenance.
Ease of doing business
What sets us apart from many other suppliers is how simple we make the process for our customers. There’s an ease to working with a small business and local representation that allows both hospital and supplier to interact and conduct business more seamlessly. The efficiencies we gain from in-house design and manufacturing, a reliable supply chain, and internal operations management are passed on to our customers throughout the life of the partnership.
When it comes to patient care, you shouldn’t have to choose between financial stability and quality of care.
At Silentia, we understand the complex nature of procurement and supply resource management. With over 30 years of experience working alongside finance, administrative, and nursing teams, we have the insight and know-how to deliver the products you need to protect your patients, reduce costs, and make your life a little easier.
Connect with us and we’ll show you how the future of clean patient privacy prioritizes safety for your patients and the long-term health of your facility.
This article was written by Richard Hillard, Regional Sales Manager, Southern CA, at Silentia, Inc.
