Media

4 professionals recognized by Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership as Future Famers

SCHAUMBURG, IL (May 18, 2018) – Bellwether League Inc.,the Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership, recognized four professionals for their contributions to supply chain operations during the first decade or so of their respective careers.

The Future Famers Class of 2018 includes the following individuals who have made significant strides in the healthcare supply chain industry early in their employment:

• Amy Chieppa, Executive Director, Integration and Performance, Piedmont Healthcare, Atlanta, GA
• Troy Compardo, Director, Supply Chain Operations, BJC HealthCare, St. Louis, MO
• Andy Leaders, Vice President, Strategic Markets, Owens & Minor Inc., Mechanicsville, VA
• Ryan Rotar, CMRP, System Director, Value Analysis and Project Management, University of North Carolina Health Care System, Durham, NC

“Bellwether League’s Future Famers Class of 2018 is another group of stellar, ‘early in their career’ supply chain leaders, pioneers and contributors to be recognized at the annual Bellwether event in October,” said Jamie Kowalski, Bellwether League Co-Founder and Board Member who also serves as chairman of the nominating committee. “Not only are they very similar in their unwavering commitment to supply chain performance optimization, but they represent a diverse group that focuses on a range of supply chain components and initiatives. Their breadth of experience and span of contributions bodes well for the healthcare supply chain’s efforts to continue to move the needle well beyond the current state, and closer toward the profession’s goals. Our industry is lucky to have such individuals in our midst.”

Nick Gaich, Chairman, Bellwether League’s Board of Directors, expressed his admiration and appreciation for the Future Famers Class of 2018.

“Delivering meaningful impact to one’s profession begins with a spark of passion, a heavy dose of commitment, and an unyielding desire to serve others,” Gaich said. “All of these qualities are then bound together with a learning mindset. Our 2018 Future Famers are demonstrating all these qualities and much more. Bellwether League is pleased to honor their contributions and influence in this stage of their careers and look forward to monitoring their continued growth and impact in advancing healthcare supply chain excellence for years to come.”

The newest Future Famers will be recognized during the 11th Annual Bellwether Induction Dinner event, scheduled for Monday, October 1, at The Westin-O’Hare in Rosemont, IL, a northwest suburb of Chicago adjacent to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

Future Famers Class of 2018

Amy Chieppa represents Supply Chain’s link between Piedmont Healthcare’s operations and clinical leadership and business intelligence communities by coordinating and facilitating new and existing interdepartmental initiatives to achieve accuracy, efficiency and expense reduction overall. Some of her key projects involved bundled payments for care improvement and the alignment of quality care and cost management in orthopedics, the latter of which included product consumption and supplier contract compliance. She also led supply chain connectivity efforts within Piedmont’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation and electronic medical record (EMR) system, helped to capture more than $1 million in reimbursement from a contact compliance issue, as well as manages a single item master for the entire multi-facility healthcare system.

Troy Compardo spearheaded the implementation of an automated guided vehicle (AGV) system to manage the horizontal movement of inbound products within BJC’s healthcare facilities even during construction and renovation projects, offsetting the need to augment staff levels for those duties. Compardo also oversees supply chain operations for BJC’s vast network of more than 170 non-acute care locations from the integrated delivery network’s four main distribution points on campus and throughout the organization. As BJC adds more physician group practices to its Medical Group, Compardo leads the training and development program for entry-level supply chain technicians and coordinators to service their needs.

Andy Leaders transformed selected distribution centers within Owens & Minor’s network into revenue-generating service centers by adding kit packing, printing and other relevant and useful provider-demanding services to the mix, and attracting provider customers to rely on those third-party services to augment their own internal supply chain operations. Leaders convinced corporate management that creating, developing and managing third-party services demanded by providers could bring commercial value to the corporation as well as provide financial and operational relief to provider customers. With this model, Owens & Minor was able to offer traditional distribution service, third-party logistics service and even consolidated service center operations to provider customers on demand.

Ryan Rotar designed, developed and implemented a variety of process improvements necessary for University of North Carolina Health Care’s Supply Chain team to order, assemble, configure and fill every stocking location throughout the multi-facility organization. Among those process improvements was a comprehensive data analytics component that tracked every product and service from outside the organization to the point of use, as well as installing a storage equipment framework throughout the enterprise. Rotor also worked directly with clinical leadership at all levels – from floor staff to the CNO – to ensure product and service availability for clinicians to provide high-quality patient care. He was instrumental in streamlining the ordering, receiving, clinical documentation, replenishment and charge capture cycle down to 6 steps from 12, even reducing clinician participation only to two steps, a 90 percent reduction overall. His accomplishments helped the organization slash expenses by a cumulative $2 million-plus initially and more than $1 million annually.

About Bellwether League

Bellwether League’s Board of Directors, a veteran group of industry advocates, evaluates and validates professionals submitted for consideration in its three award programs: Bellwethers, Future Famers and Ammer-Level Supply Chain Organizations.

The Board selects deceased, retired and currently active professionals with a minimum of 25 years of exemplary service and leadership performance in supply chain operations that meet its criteria to be publicly recognized as Bellwether Class Honorees. Those honored demonstrate their qualifications by advancing the profession through work experience and performance and active participation in professional organizations and their communities.

Future Famers represent supply chain professionals early in their healthcare careers who do not yet qualify for Bellwether consideration, but have contributed to the healthcare supply chain profession in a meaningful way.

Departmental recipients of Bellwether League’s Dean S. Ammer Award for Supply Chain Excellence demonstrate superior performance achievement in their daily operations.

Bellwether League has honored 96 innovators, leaders and pioneers in healthcare supply chain management in five distinct categories: Education & Media, Supply Chain Management, Group Purchasing, Supplier and Consulting Services. Bellwether League also has recognized 21 Future Famers to date and two highly designated Ammer-Level organizations.

Launched in late July 2007 by a group of influential veterans in the healthcare supply chain industry, Bellwether League Inc., is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit corporation that identifies and honors men and women who have demonstrated significant leadership in, influence on and contributions to the supply chain from healthcare providers, healthcare product manufacturers and distributors, group purchasing organizations, consulting firms, educational institutions and media outlets.

Bellwether League currently is funded by seven Founding and Platinum Sponsors – Halyard Health, HealthTrust, Owens & Minor, Premier, Vizient and VIE Healthcare – and a host of additional sponsors.

Bellwether League’s 2018 Board of Directors includes:

• Nick Gaich, (chairman) (Bellwether Class of 2013),CEO, Nick Gaich and Associates, Morgan Hill, CA
• Patrick E. Carroll Jr. (secretary), President, Patrick E. Carroll & Associates, Cypress, CA
• Deborah A. Petretich Templeton, R.Ph., (treasurer), Chief, System Support Services, Geisinger Health, Danville, PA
• Rick Dana Barlow (co-founder, executive director), President, Wingfoot Media Inc., Schaumburg, IL
• Dee Donatelli, (Bellwether Class of 2015), Principal, Dee Donatelli Consulting LLC, Newton, KS
• Todd Ebert, R.Ph., President and CEO, Healthcare Supply Chain Association (HSCA), Washington
• Edward J. Hisscock, Vice President, Clinical Sourcing and Informatics, and Transformation Officer, Non-Labor Spend, for Trinity Health, Livonia, MI
• Jamie C. Kowalski (co-founder, founding chairman 2007-2013), (Bellwether Class of 2017), CEO, Jamie C. Kowalski Consulting LLC, Milwaukee, WI
• Nathaniel Mickish (Future Famers Class of 2015), Vice President, Sourcing, Supply Chain Management, Texas Health Resources, Arlington, TX
• Mark A. Van Sumeren, Strategic Advisor, Health Industry Advisor LLC, Richmond, VA
• John B. Gaida, Chairman Emeritus, Bellwether League Inc., Arlington, TX

For more information about Bellwether League, visit BellwetherLeague.org.

Contact:  Rick Dana Barlow
Wingfoot Media Inc.
E-mail:     rickdanabarlow@wingfootmedia.biz
Phone:     847-466-7425