Surgeons and the Value Analysis Committee: Agents of Change
VAC Dynamics Through the Eyes of the Surgeon

The surgeon has long been the key driver and decision maker concerning what new surgical products will be adopted for use in the operating room. Often considered a barrier to achieving cost efficiencies, surgeons now find themselves at a crossroad of innovation and fiscal responsibility.

This whitepaper publication resulted from interviews conducted by Blueprint, a healthcare research and practice solutions organization, and provides insight into the dynamics of the surgeon’s influence and expanding role as a champion of patient care and VAC relations. In this whitepaper, the term VAC will be used to represent Value Analysis Committee and Value Analysis Team, as both are accepted references to the hospital group charged with making new product adoption decisions and reducing inventory costs for surgical products.

You may recall reading the whitepaper “Is Your Value Analysis Committee a Leader in Change” (published early 2010 by Blueprint). In that document, Blueprint focused on some of the best VAC practices being adopted in the healthcare community today. While conducting research among 50 surgeons, a recurring topic was discussed during the interviews with supply chain management; the surgeon can be the “make-or-break” factor in achieving VAC success.

This document will focus on the surgeon and how they view and interact with their respective VAC. If you are struggling with your VAC success or interested in learning how other Value Analysis Committees interact and collaborate with surgeons, then you should find this whitepaper helpful. The goal of this document is to help identify the surgeon perceptions and experiences that help influence the success or failure of a hospital VAC.

VAC Dynamics Through the Eyes of the Surgeon

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