Bellwether League, Inc.Frank D. Kilzer

Frank D. Kilzer

Advancing the Profession/Industry Influence – Bellwethers challenge the norms, push the envelope and raise the bar. Examples include serving as a mentor either within his or her individual organization or on a national, regional or local level outside of his or her individual organization; producing and presenting internal training sessions for the C-suite and/or clinicians and physicians on supply chain management; pioneering new concepts and ideas that may become reality; influencing those up and down the corporate hierarchy on the benefits of and promotion of optimal and sound supply chain management principles and techniques.

Frank Kilzer is recognized as being the first to implement bar-code scanning and electronic commerce technology in a healthcare materials management operation in 1985. For the past four decades Frank has taken a leadership role in educating all sectors of the health industry on the benefits of using these enabling technologies to streamline the supply chain. With his experience, Frank is assisting other hospitals, distributors, manufacturers and the transportation sector with reengineering their material handling processes to leverage the benefits these technologies offer.  

Kilzer has been active in developing industry standards for applying bar codes to healthcare products. He was instrumental in establishing industry wide acceptance of the Universal Product Number (UPN), including a unique number for each packaging level. He coordinated a Health Industry Business Communications Council (HIBCC) pilot project at St. Alexius Medical Center to research the benefits of scanning bar codes on supplies and pharmaceuticals at the patient bedside. He also assisted the GS1 USA with a demonstration project and successfully tested scanning Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) bar codes at the patient bedside.   

Work Experience – Minimum 25 years of service within the healthcare supply chain (including a hospital or non-acute care facility, manufacturer, distributor, GPO, consulting or service company, university or news publication).

As vice president, material and facility resources, Kilzer serves as a member of the senior management team at St. Alexius Medical Center, Bismarck, ND, where he has spent his entire 43-year healthcare career, with responsibility for the Material Resources Division, including purchasing, printing, facilities, biomedical engineering, environmental services, linen services, security, home healthcare/hospice, and Great Plains Health Co., a division of St. Alexius providing home medical equipment and home respiratory care, as well as orthotics and prosthetic services throughout central and western North Dakota, northern South Dakota and eastern Montana, an area representing more than 70,000 square miles.

Kilzer serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the West River Health Clinic Network in rural southwestern North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota. He is a member of the Mobridge (SD) Regional Hospital Board. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Bismarck Cancer Care Center, Central Dakota Hospital Laundry Cooperative and Caduceus Systems LLC, Austin, TX.

Work Performance – Specific accomplishments and achievements in their respective organizations, including relationships with executives, clinicians, physicians and staff, quality management, expense management measures, committee involvement and management leadership.

In the mid-1970s, Kilzer saw bar coding introduced in grocery stores and almost immediately thought of his hospital’s off-site warehouse and his own supply chain challenges. Roughly 10 years later with a green light from the C-suite, he purchased a “bleeding edge” bar coding system and struggled for two years to make it work for the organization but to no avail. So Kilzer turned to his hospital’s information technology department to design something internally. Since then, he has installed computers equipped with bar code scanners in patient rooms to track medication and supply consumption at the bedside, paving the way for the entire healthcare industry to follow suit and was one of the pioneers in actively using electronic data interchange (EDI) transaction sets from suppliers.

His leadership efforts and vision has helped his organization slash inventory kept on-hand by more than half, as well as reduce required labor for processes now more efficiently performed.

Kilzer also has been exploring more advanced tracking technologies, such as radiofrequency identification, and has spoken extensively on the need for automation, item-level labeling and supply data standards in healthcare facilities, including the Universal Product Number (UPN) initiative.

Professional Activities – Minimum 10 years of active association participation (e.g., office holder, committee chair or contributor, organizing and running meetings, mentoring others) on the national, regional and local level; performed a minimum of 5 speaking engagements (national, regional, local, facility) and published at least 5 times (including writing an article or being interviewed by the trade media) during career. 

Kilzer is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management, the Health Industry Business Communications Council, and co-chaired the HIBCC Automatic Identification Technical Committee representing healthcare providers to develop EDI and bar-code standards for the health industry. Kilzer also participates in the DoD GDSN Project. He was a member of the Strategic Operating Committee of the Efficient Healthcare Consumer Response (EHCR) Initiative and served on its Information Technology/Electronic Commerce and Codification Work Groups. He was a charter member of the Health EDI Coalition and served as chair of the Board of Directors during 2002. 

Kilzer has presented at numerous conferences throughout the United States and internationally for many professional associations and health systems. These include ASHMM/AHRMM, Healthcare EDI Coalition, GS1 USA, World Research Group’s World Congress, the Health Industry Business Communications Council,  Amerinet Inc., Automatic Identification Manufacturers Association, RFID Journal’s RFID in Healthcare, Canadian College of Health Services Executives, Electronic Commerce Council of Canada, IAC of Columbia, South America, EAN Lima, Peru, EAN Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Institute For International Research, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Total Focus Conferences, Bangkok,  Thailand and Singapore, Southeast Asia, Medical Industry Association of Australia, GS1 Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, and many others, providing “hands-on” examples of how this technology can be applied in healthcare. 

Kilzer has published articles on how bar coding and EDI can be used to streamline the supply channel. His use of this technology at St. Alexius Medical Center has been featured in many journals and trade publications, including The Wall Street Journal, ID Systems Magazine, Automatic ID News, Healthcare Purchasing News, Healthcare Packaging Newsletter, Materials Management in Health Care and the Dominican Republic’s daily newspaper, The Liston Diario.The July 2007 edition of Healthcare Purchasing News recognized Kilzer as one of Supply Chain Management’s most influential people throughout the past three decades.

In His Own Words…

What do you think about Bellwether League Inc.’s mission and philosophy and how do you feel about becoming an Honoree?

I think it is remarkable that a group of my peers would establish an organization to honor individuals who have dedicated their entire careers to advancing the profession without considering they would ever be worthy of receiving hall of fame recognition. It was a very humbling experience when I received the call informing me that I was held in such high esteem by my colleagues. There are so many good people doing great things every day and for Bellwether League to have as its mission to recognize these individuals for the contributions they have made is tremendous. It certainly shines a spotlight on the important role our profession has on the people we serve.

What attracted and motivated you to join the healthcare supply chain management field when you did?

It was through good fortune and fate that I became involved in the healthcare supply chain. With the best mentors in the industry my career advanced very rapidly, from supply clerk, to buyer, purchasing agent, director of purchasing, director of materials management and ultimately vice president material and facility resources. 

I can very distinctly recall my first day at work, February 1, 1968. During the interview I noticed that people were wearing white uniforms and assumed it would be important for me to wear a white shirt and dress slacks. Shortly after I arrived at my first day of work a semi truck arrived at the dock. It was filled with black and white TVs, and I spent my entire first day unloading that truck. Those TVs were the first TVs in all the patient rooms at St. Alexius Medical Center. At the end of the day, ink from the shipping cartons had stained my white shirt so badly I was unable to wear it again. I consider this my introduction into the value of technology in healthcare.

If you were to encourage people – either outside of healthcare or just out of school – to enter the supply chain management field and potentially qualify to be a future Bellwether League Inc. Honoree, what would you tell them?

I would impress upon them how important it is to be passionate about their work, to remember that the people we serve are expecting the finest team of experts in the world to be caring for them and that they should look at themselves as being the supply chain quarterback. I would assure them that there are tremendous opportunities to make a difference and certainly encourage them to always build trust among their colleagues, to develop strong working relationships with their peers and with the physicians. As one final message of encouragement I would tell them that they will be successful if they consider their work as a ministry and not just a job.

What is the one industry challenge you would like to see solved in your lifetime?

Our industry has struggled throughout my career with using technology in the supply chain to its full potential. It would be great if we had globally recognized standards and were able to implement automatic identification technology to track and trace all supplies and medical devices in a more timely and efficient manner. With the number of implantable devices growing rapidly, how we conduct business will need to change. In addition to being efficient and as cost effective as we possibly can, patient safety should be considered our highest priority. Without global standards and the associated technologies this will be very difficult. It would be great if we can address these issues in my lifetime and, being an eternal optimist, I anticipate that we will.   

How important is effective and innovative supply chain management during tough economic times?

In tough economic times managing cost is essential. We can certainly leverage this to our advantage. It affords us the opportunity to be stewards of all our resources, whether it is doing a better job managing supply expenses, getting the most value from our construction and renovation dollars, developing a “go-green” culture in the organization, reducing our energy costs or making sure our staff have the finest tools available to do their jobs as efficiently as possible. Although these are tough economic times, there are also some very exciting times for those in supply chain management who want to make a difference.

Presentations:

Product Recalls and Supply Chain Interconnectivity: The Industry-Wide Challenge: World Congress 4th Annual Leadership Summit on Healthcare Supply Chain Management; January 26, 2010; Dallas, TX

Synchronizing Healthcare Product Data – Capitalizing on Current Industry Initiatives:  Amerinet Annual Member Conference; May 6, 2009; Las Vegas, NV

Data Standards: Myth or Reality: Amerinet Annual Member Conference; May 5, 2009; Las Vegas, NV

Emphasizing Patient Safety and Quality of Care: Why Effective Supply Chain Management Can Be the Difference Between Life and Death: World Congress Leadership Summit on Healthcare Supply Chain Management; January 21, 2009; Las Vegas, NV 

Building a Supply Chain That Improves Patient Safety, Streamlines Communications and Reduces Cost using Today’s Technology and Standards: GS1 Ireland Healthcare Group Conference: Improving Patient Safety and efficiency Through Better Communications;  May 15, 2008; Dublin, Ireland

Advanced Supply Chain Management Practices – Building a Supply Chain with Links to Finance and Patient Safety: World Congress 2nd Annual Leadership Summit on Healthcare Supply Chain Management; January 24, 2008; Las Vegas, NV

A Journey – Making The Hospital A Safer Place: GS1 USA Global Healthcare User Group – GS1 HUG; June 8, 2007, Orlando,  FL

Accurate Reporting – Tracking Clinical Product Utilization to Reduce Operating Expenses; World Congress Leadership Summit on Healthcare Supply Chain Management; January 25, 2007; Orlando, FL 

Undaunted Courage: Leading Physicians to Involvement and Commitment;Managing & Controlling Physician Preference Items; Total Focus Conferences; March 22, 2006, Bangkok, Thailand

A Dost of Medicine to Reduce Medication errors and Improve the Quality of Patient Care; Total Focus Conferences; March 23, 2006; Bangkok, Thailand

Improve Patient Safety, Increase Hospital Efficiency and Enhance Bottom Line Figures Through Effective Use of Auto ID and Bar Cod Technology; Total Focus Conferences, March 21, 2006; Bangkok, Thailand

Undaunted Courage: Leading Physicians To Involvement and Commitment;Managing & Controlling Physician Preference Items; World Research Group; June 22, 2005; Las Vegas, NV 

Improving Quality of Care and Reducing Costs, Utilizing Supply Chain Principles in the Pharmacy Automation Process;Institute for International Research 2nd Annual Pharmacy Automation Summit; May 24, 2005

The Role Of Packaging In Improving Health Industry Supply Chain Business Processes; Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council 13th Annual National Symposium on Patient Compliance; May 10, 2005; Philadelphia, PA 

A Healthcare Supply Chain Model for the Future; Designing and Implementing a Healthcare Supply Chain Model that Saves Lives, Improves Business Processes and Reduces Costs; Total Focus Conferences Inc; April 28, 2005; Bangkok, Thailand

Creating A Supply Chain That Improves Patient Safety and Reduces The Cost Of Healthcare/Overview of Benefits To Implementing A Best Practice Supply Chain Model; Designing and Implementing a Healthcare Supply Chain Model that Saves Lives, Improves Business Processes and Reduces Costs; Total Focus Conferences Inc; April 27, 2005; Bangkok, Thailand

An Inefficient Supply Chain Can Be Hazardous to Your Health...Let’s Fix It!   HospitaLog Asia 2004 2nd Annual Conference; October 13, 2004; Singapore

The Vision – A Point-of-Use Driven Supply Chain Model – Reducing Costs and Improving Quality; Healthcare eBusiness Collaborative Annual Conference; October 6, 2004; Chicago, IL

Undaunted Courage – Leading Physicians to Involvement and Commitment;Association of Health Resource and Materials Managers Annual Membership Conference; August 2, 2004; Nashville, TN  

Improving Supply Chain Efficiency Across All Departments to Prevent Medical Errors; Institute for International Research Pharmacy and Supply Chain Summit; July 21, 2004;  Washington, DC  

System Selection for a Comprehensive Bar-Code Enabled Medical and Supply Administration System Founded on Error Reduction and Improved Efficiency; July 20, 2004; Institute for International Research Supply Chain Summit; July 21, 2004;  Washington; DC 

Networking the Supply Chain with Technology – A Hidden Opportunity in Healthcare; Quorum Healthcare Materiel Resource Group Non-Traditional Solutions to Traditional Supply Chain Problems Conference; May 24, 2004; Brentwood, Tennessee

The Future Healthcare Supply Chain – Converting From Push to a Demand Pull Model; Institute for International Research Supply Chain Integrity Conference; September 26, 2003; Washington, DC

Optimizing Supply Chain Performance in Healthcare: Active Communications International Supply Chain Performance Conference; September 25, 2003; Chicago, IL

The Role Of Packaging In Improving Health Industry Supply Chain Business Processes: Institute for International Research Bar Code Implementation Strategies Conference;   March 27, 2003; Washington, DC

Implementation of Product Data Clean-up: Health Care eBusiness Collaborative Conference, Simplifying Medical Supply Information; March 4, 2003; Houston, TX

Getting The Data Right: Health Care eBusiness Collaborative Conference, Simplifying Medical Supply Information; March 4, 2003; Houston, TX

Enhancing The Quality Of Patient Care– Bar Coding Unit Doses And Patient Safety; WestPack Conference; February 19, 2003; Anaheim, CA

Getting The Data Right: Health Care eBusiness Collaborative Conference, Simplifying Medical Supply Information; November 13, 2002; Chicago, IL

Why Healthcare Needs A Common Language: Health Care eBusiness Collaborative Conference, Simplifying Medical Supply Information; November 13, 2002; Chicago, IL

Where In The World Are UPN/HIN And Bar Code Standards: Premier National Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition; May 16, 2002; Orlando, FL

Point-Of-Use Data Capture:Reducing Costs and Improving Quality;  Health Care eBusiness Collaborative Conference & Exposition; April 3, 2002; Dallas, TX

Strategies For Managing Supply And Drug Expense: The Role Of Technology And Standards: Waldo County General Hospital; November 29, 2001; Belfast, ME

Supply Chain: Wake Up To It’s Savings and Benefits: Ontario Hospital Association Annual Convention and Exhibition; Toronto, November 6, 2001; Ontario, Canada

The Health Industry Supply Chain: A Future Model for Today and Beyond:Institute for International Research Supply Chain and Materials Management Conference;   September 23, 2001; Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Addressing The Challenges Of Technology: Experiences Of St. Alexius: Medical Industry Association of Australia Annual Conference; September 11, 2001; Sydney, Australia  

Creating A New Supply Chain Model: The Links That Made It Work: Institute for International Research Supply Chain and Materials Management Conference;   September 23, 2001; Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Supply Process Automation Applications...In A Healthcare Facility: Healthcare EDI Coalition Collaborative Supply Chain Automation Project; June 27, 2001; Dallas, TX    

Hospital Supply Management Automation – Success: Healthcare EDI Coalition E-Business Conference & Technology Exposition; March 28, 2001; Las Vegas, NV

EHCR And The Role Of The Dot.Coms – A Plenary Session: Healthcare EDI Coalition E-Business Conference & Technology Exposition; March 27, 2001; Las Vegas, NV 

A Leading Edge E-Business Model ... For The Healthcare Supply Chain: Institute For International Research Supply Chain Management For Healthcare Conference; January 24, 2001; Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Healthcare Logistics In The New Millennium: Electronic Commerce Council Of Canada Healthcare Executive Symposium; January 23, 2001; Toronto, Ontario, Canada

A Star Wars Pharmacy & Materials Management Operation...Using Standards and Bar Codes; ANSI HISBI Conference and Meeting; December 6, 2000; Phoenix, AZ  

Leveraging The Benefits Of E-Business And Auto ID Technology; Healthcare EDI Coalition GPO Contract Administration and E-Business Standards Conference; October 26, 2000; Philadelphia, PA

E-Business & Data Synchronization; Healthcare EDI Coalition GPO Contract Administration and E-Business Standards Conference; October 25, 2000; Philadelphia, PA 

Bar Coding...A Success Story For Your Organization; Pennsylvania Statewide Healthcare Purchasing and Materials Management Association Annual Conference; September 22, 2000; State College, PA

UPN, HIBCC, EHCR...Recent Developments & Standards; Pennsylvania Statewide Healthcare Purchasing and Materials Management Association Annual Conference; September 21, 2000; State College, PA

A Leading Edge e-Business Model For The Healthcare Supply Chain; Health Industry Distributors Association Annual Healthcare Supply Chain Conference and Exposition; September 10, 2000; Orlando, FL 

Automatic ID & Data Capture Applications and Benefits; Healthcare EDI Coalition Internet & E-Business Implementation and Compliance Conference; July 18, 2000;   Dallas, TX

E-Business Standards For Catalogs and Electronic Transactions; Healthcare EDI Coalition Internet & E-Business Implementation and Compliance Conference; July 19, 2000; Dallas TX

E-Business Implementation – Developing Your Plan Of Action And Budget;Healthcare EDI Coalition Internet & E-Business Implementation and Compliance Conference; July 19, 2000; Dallas, TX

The Internet And Distribution Technology In the Health Sector; Allegiance Healthcare Executive Leadership Forum; June 21, 2000; Chicago,   IL

Networking The Supply Chain – A Hidden Opportunity In Healthcare; First International Conference of Standard Technologies Applied To The Health Sector; June 7, 2000;  Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic   

Controlling Pharmacy And Supply Costs – At The Patient Bedside And Beyond;First International Conference of Standard Technologies Applied To The Health Sector; June 7, 2000; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 

Healthcare Logistics In The New Millennium; Electronic Commerce Council of Canada EHCR Symposium; April 4, 2000; Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Implementing The New E-Business Model For Demand/Pull Continuous Replenishment;   Healthcare EDI Coalition Annual Healthcare E-Business Conference and Technology Exposition; March 21-23; 2000; Dallas,  TX

The UPN...it benefits everyone: Update on Technology Applications in a Hospital Setting; Lourdes Hospital and Health Services; February 24, 2000; Paducah,  KY

The Health Industry Supply Chain....A New Model For Today And Beyond; Institute For International Research Supply Chain Management For Healthcare Conference; January 31, 2000; Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Demand Pull Model – For The Healthcare Supply Chain: EHCR Strategic Operating Committee & Conference; January 12, 2000; Winter Park,   FL    

Continuous Replenishment And The Steps To Getting There: EHCR Conference; November 29, 1999; Orange,  CA

Materials Management – Setting Standards In The Supply Chain:  Healthcare EDI Coalition E-Business and Technology Demonstration Conference; November 3, 1999; Baltimore, MD

Networking The Supply Chain – A Hidden Opportunity in Healthcare:  First International Conference of Standards Technologies for Automation of the Healthcare Sector; October 21, 1999; Lima,  Peru 
Controlling Pharmacy and Supply Costs – At The Patient Bedside and Beyond:First International Conference of Standards Technologies for Automation of the Healthcare Sector; October 21, 1999; Lima, Peru

Cost Control and Commerce – At the Patient Bedside and Beyond: Healthcare Executive Roundtable; September 9, 1999; Coeur d’Alene, ID

Bar Coding and the Universal Product Number: Association for Healthcare Resource and Materials Management 38th Annual Conference and Exhibition; August 24, 1999; San Francisco, CA   

Compliance Requirements for Implementing the UPN: Premier Inc. Software Developers Conference: May 10, 1999; Chicago, IL

Technology and Streamlining the Supply Chain; Healthcare Education Foundation of West Virginia; Mid-Year Conference and Expo; April 22, 1999; Morgantown, WV 

Guidelines for Selection UPN/Auto ID Compliant Software Applications; 1999 National Conference and Technology Exposition; HEDIC Annual Symposium; April 8, 1999; Dallas, TX

Universal Product Number, Bar Code and Cost Savings for Medical Facilities;1999 National Conference & Technology Exposition; HEDIC Annual Symposium; April 8, 1999; Dallas, TX

UPN Compliance Protocols and Guidelines; HEDIC Supply Chain Software Developers Conference; March 12, 1999; Atlanta, GA 

The UPN & Auto ID...Making it Work For You; Healthcare EDI Coalition Business Strategy Conference; January 14, 1999; Los Angeles, CA

Controlling Supply Expenses and Patient Billing Costs with Auto ID; Healthcare EDI Coalition Business Strategy Conference; January 13, 1999; Los Angeles, CA 

The EHCR Initiative, What is it?; Healthcare EDI Coalition Business Strategy Conference; January 13, 1999; Los Angeles, CA 

The UPN & Auto ID...Making it Work For You; Healthcare EDI Coalition Business Strategy Conference; November 19, 1998; Dallas, TX

Controlling Supply Expense and Patient Billing Costs with Auto ID; Healthcare EDI Coalition Business Strategy Conference; November 18, 1998; Dallas, TX

The EHCR Initiative, What is it?; Healthcare EDI Coalition Business Strategy Conference; November 18, 1998; Dallas, TX 

The UPN & Auto ID...Making it Work For You; Healthcare EDI Coalition Business Strategy Conference; September 18, 1998; Philadelphia, PA

Controlling Supply Expense and Patient Billing Costs with Auto ID; Healthcare EDI Coalition Business Strategy Conference; September 17, 1998; Philadelphia, PA

The EHCR Initiative, What is it?; Healthcare EDI Coalition Business Strategy Conference; September 17, 1998Philadelphia, PA

The UPN & Auto ID... Making It Work For You; Healthcare EDI Coalition Business Strategy Conference; July 30, 1998; Chicago, IL

Controlling Supply Expense and Patient Billing Costs with Auto ID; Healthcare EDI Coalition Business Strategy Conference; July 29, 1998; Chicago, IL

The EHCR Initiative, What is it?; Healthcare EDI Coalition Business Strategy Conference; July 29, 1998; Chicago, IL

UPN & Automatic Data Capture for Hospital Materiel Resources; Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Acquisition and Material Management Supply Chain Logistics Conference; July 23, 1998; Las Vegas, NV

EHCR, UPN, ADC and A New Supply Chain Model; Association of Health Resource and Material Managers Annual Conference, March 31, 1998, Chamberlain, SD

Achieving Cost Savings Through Integrating Procurement Processes with Your Suppliers; American College of Health Care Executives Annual 41st Congress On Healthcare Management; March 3,1998; Chicago, IL 

UPN and Auto ID Applications and Implementation Strategies; Healthcare EDI Coalition Electronic Commerce Conference; February 5, 1998; Atlanta, GA

Making the Business Case for Change - Personalizing Electronic Business Objectives; Healthcare EDI Coalition Electronic Commerce Conference; February 4, 1998; Atlanta, GA

Update Bar Codes for Data Capture at the Bedside; Johnson & Johnson Bar Code Seminar; January 26, 1998; Tampa, FL

Understanding the HIBCC Bar Code Standard; Group Purchasing Organization UPN Summit; January 16, 1998; Nashville, TN

Unit-of-Use and Codification; Johnson & Johnson Ethicon Endosurgery Business Conference; December 5, 1997; Cincinnati, OH

Provider Applications for Point-of-Use Data Collection in the Supply Chain; UPS Worldwide Logistics Industry Update; November 20, 1997; Atlanta, GA

The Healthcare Electronic Business Model – Automation Requirements: Healthcare EDI Coalition Education Conference; November 5, 1997; Newark, NJ

Private Sector Collaboration – A Lesson for Healthcare; Ontario Hospital Association Annual Conference; November 4, 1997; Ontario, Canada

Efficient Hospital Materials Management - A Real Experience; “Manejo Eficiente de Suministros Hospitalarios: Una Experiencia Real;” IAC of Columbia Conference; October 22, 1997; Bogotá, Colombia

Managing Resources in the Information Era; Diversified Health Services 23rd Annual Conference; September 18, 1997; Milwaukee, WI

UPN/Automatic Data Capture in a Hospital; Healthcare Electronic Business Strategy and Implementation Workshop; Healthcare EDI Coalition; September 10, 1997; Chicago, IL

The Healthcare Electronic Business Model - Today and in The Near Future; Healthcare Electronic Business Strategy Workshop, HEDIC; July 9, 1997; San Francisco, CA

Case Study: St. Alexius Medical Center Capturing Point of Use Transactions to Improve Processes; The EHCR Re-Engineering the Med-Surg Supply Chain, Strategic Research Institute Conference; June 26-27, 1997; Chicago, IL

Bar Coding - Implementing Current Technologies in Healthcare to Improve Organizational Performance; Amerinet/IHC Membership Conference and Symposium; May 20, 1997; San Antonio, TX

Implementing Current Technologies to Improve Organizational Performance; Cambridge Health Resources Best Practice Strategies Conference; May 15, 1997; Chicago, IL

Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Bar Code Applications in Healthcare; ID Expo Annual Conference; May 12, 1997; Philadelphia, PA

Implementing the Universal Product Number (UPN) in the Information Stream; HEDIC Annual Meeting, April 4, 1997; Dallas, TX

Maximizing the Advantages of UPN and Bar Coding in Healthcare Operations; HEDIC Annual Meeting; April 3, 1997; Dallas TX

Implementation/Use of the UPN by Providers; HEDIC Health Care Industry Universal Product Number Implementation Workshop, February 8, 1997; Orlando, FL

Med-Surg Logistics For a Managed Care Environment; EHCR Workshop Re-engineering the Med-Surg Supply Chain; January 29, 1997; Atlanta, GA

Barcoding Case Study – Capturing Data at the Bedside at St. Alexius; Advances in Hospital Supply Chain Management  Streamlining Logistics Flow for Today’s Managed Care Environment Conference; October 28, 1996; San Francisco, CA

Demonstrated Benefits of UPN in Provider Operations; HEDIC Universal Product Number (UPN) Workshop: October 24, 1996; Los Angeles, CA

Implementation/Use of the UPN by Providers; HEDIC Health Care Industry Universal Product Number Implementation Workshop, August 21, 1996; Chicago, IL

Implementation/Use of The UPN by Providers; HEDIC Health Care Industry Universal Product Number Implementation Workshop, June 11, 1996; St. Louis, MO

A Provider Panel: How to Effectively Work with the Healthcare Provider in Designing & Implementing a Bar Code Program; HIBCC Executive Symposium May 16, 1996; Chicago, IL

The Universal Product Number/Benefits to the Health Industry; HIBCC Executive Symposium; May 13, 1996; Chicago, IL

Future of Bar Code Technology; Amerinet/IHC Membership Conference May 9, 1996; Salt Lake City, UT

The Health Care Supply Chain in Action; IQ 1996 Intelligent Business Strategies; March 20, 1996; Chicago, IL

Healthcare Supply Chain Management: A Case Study; West Jersey Health System; February 26, 1996; Newark, New Jersey

Telemedicine Technology – Improving Access to Healthcare in the Rural Dakotas; Regional Board Retreat; February 2, 1996; Rapid City, SD

Pioneering ADC/ID in Health Care; Scan Tech 95/AIM USA Breakfast of Innovators October 25, 1995; Chicago, IL

Bar Coding in Materials Management: A Case Study; 1995 AIM, USA Educational Forum April 4, 1995; East Brunswick, NJ

Reaping Bar Coding Benefits; 1995 Interphex Conference March 29, 1995; New York City, NY

Hospital Applications for Bar Codes to Unit-of-Use Level of Packaging; Sherwood Medical Product Labeling Initiative; March 20, 1995; Deland, FL

Healthcare Materials Management Application for Bar Coding; Minnesota Chapter of American Society of Health Care Materials Management Meeting October 10, 1994; Winoma, MN

Hospital 2000 - Use of Bar Coding Today/In the Year 2000 and What is Needed to Get There; Scan-Tech '94 October 3, 1994; Chicago, IL

Provider Benefits from Bar Coding at the Point of Manufacture; Johnson and Johnson Corporate Bar Code Initiative September 8, 1994; New Brunswick, NJ

Telecommunications and Telemedicine; Red River Trade Corridor Conference August 15, 1994; Fargo, ND

Bar Code Technology in a Managed Care Environment; HIBCC Annual Conference June 20, 1994; Chicago, IL

Applications for Bar Code Technology in Healthcare; AIM, USA Conference June 10, 1994; Pittsburgh, PA

Use of Bar Codes in a Community Hospital; Health Industry Business Communications Council Annual Conference; June 24, 1993; Atlanta, GA

Publications:

Auto ID, Electronic Commerce Equal Healthcare SolutionsEDI Forum Journal of Electronic Commerce; Volume 10, No. 3 (Fall 1997)

Opportunities Abound for Auto I.D. In HealthcareEDI World; March 1994

North Dakota Hospital Gets Positive Results From Use of Bar CodesMaterials Management in Health Care; June 1993

Feature Article Interviews and Stories:

The Sting – It’s hard to sugar coat beekeeping, but the hobby does have its benefits: The Journal of Healthcare Contracting; Vol. 5 No. 3; May/June 2008

30 Years – A look back – A look ahead – Supply Chain Management’s Most Influential; Healthcare Purchasing News; Vol. 31 No. 7; July 2007

Auto ID Tug-of-War: Bar coding vs. RFID; Healthcare Purchasing News; Vol. 29 No. 6; June 2005

Wired For Nurses...Automating Processes Enhances Quality, Safety, Staff Satisfaction; Hospitals & Health Networks Healthcare’s Most Wired Magazine; Fall 2003 

The Healthcare Market – Then And Today; Scan – The Data Capture Report; April 25, 2003

Straightening Out the Supply Chain; Health Informatics Journal; August 2002

A Healthcare Technology Conference Will Be Presented. “Frank Kilzer from the United State’s St. Alexius Hospital will be the speaker at the conference;” Listin Diario (National Press of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo); June 7, 2000

Using Bar Codes to Reduce Medical Errors; Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News; March 2000

EHCR In Action: A Hospital’s UPN Crusade; Healthcare Industry Executive Journal; Premiere Issue, September/October  1999

Tech Update,  Delivering the Goods: How Healthcare Can Plug The Leak of Billions of Supply-Chain Dollars; Healthcare Informatics Journal; August 1999

Case in Point, St Alexius Medical Center; Healthcare Informatics Journal; August 1999

Identity Crisis: Lack of Uniform Product Identifiers Hobbles Healthcare’s Supply Chain; Healthcare Informatics Journal; August 1999

Percival Award Winner Shares Healthcare Sales Secrets; Scan– The Data Capture Report; March 12, 1999

The Ultimate in Healthcare Product Identification is Now in The Net: HIBCC LinesMagazine; January/March 1999

Healthcare Organizations Make Strides in Capturing Efficiencies – The Vision of Good Things to Come; Automatic ID News; January 1999

Top Performers: Home Care’s Top Companies for 1998: Homecare Magazine; December 1998

Models Of The Future...St. Alexius Creating “Electronic Groundswells in Materials Management; The Health Strategist Newsletter; Vol. 5, No.9, October 1998

Electronic Commerce in Healthcare; Healthcare Automation Magazine; September/October 1998

Software Shopping? Dump The Old RulesMaterials Management in Health Care; May 1998

Top Down Mandate Wins Again: Healthcare Industry Accepts Bar CodingImage Printing Digest; Summer 1997

St. Alexius, A Role Model in Hospital Bar CodingBismarck Tribune, June 21, 1997

Doctor’s Orders Hospital Cost Cutters Push Use of Scanners to Track Inventories;Wall Street Journal; June 10, 1997

Air Supplies/Supply ManagementHospitals & Health Networks; December 20, 1996

After Helping Tame the West, Remote St. Alexius Leads the Way in Bar Code UseHospitals Materials Management; December 1996

Support Service Centers are Back – Now It’s Your CallMaterials Management in Health Care; December 1996

Vertical Industry Overview: Auto ID in Health CareI.D. Systems Magazine; October 1994

System Manages Medical Center OperationsAutomatic I.D. News; May 1994

Scanning for SimplicityFor The Record Magazine; November 8, 1993

Bar Coding: Healing What Ails HealthcareHealthcare Packaging Newsletter