Surgery Partners Inc., a large and growing organization that manages over 200 Physician Practices, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, and Specialty Hospitals, revamped their previously decentralized, reactive capital planning and procurement process to establish a foundation for continuous improvement.
With many disparate locations, Finance and Supply Chain leaders faced many unique challenges to collect, track and report on current and forecasted capital spend. While different homegrown tools had been used here and there in the past, Surgery Partners lacked a unified, cross-functional approach and a way in which capital data could be used for strategic purposes.
Surgery Partners recognized the need to transform their capital sourcing process, improve data collection, and ultimately achieve cost and time savings. Led by a cross-functional team comprising Finance, Operations, and Supply Chain leadership, they partnered with OpenMarkets to implement CAP Connect™, a comprehensive capital budgeting and requisitioning software. This platform includes a built-in product directory for streamlined sourcing, customizable finance tracking tools, and an enhanced user permissions schema. The solution provided by OpenMarkets not only established a robust foundational data framework but also offered the flexibility necessary to tailor the system to Surgery Partners' specific requirements.
“Partnering with OpenMarkets forced us to look at our capital policy and use this as an opportunity to make key changes to our review steps and workflow” said Jeff O’Brien, Vice President & Treasurer. “We were able to produce a more structured and scalable capital environment. This ensured all within the capital workflow, from those submitting their capital needs to those reviewing and approving, understood their role. OpenMarkets made it simple to collect the data we need, and integrate data to and from other tools, into a single-source-of-truth for system-wide capital.”
Collaboration between Finance and Supply Chain in the capital procurement space is a key for success at any organization. While Finance tends to own decisions on the capital process, it is only through collaboration and alignment with the Supply Chain that an organization can maximize their capital goals and create a process that is the most beneficial to the clinical teams and the bottom line.
“Strengthening the involvement of our regional Supply Chain team in capital decisions has significantly enhanced our strategic sourcing capabilities on a larger scale," remarked Jackie Wright, Chief Procurement Officer. "This heightened engagement has empowered us to pinpoint numerous opportunities, ensuring that our local sites navigate the capital landscape in alignment with Surgery Partners' contracts and criteria. We've maintained contract compliance with our GPO and enhanced our efficiency in reviewing clinician requests. We view this as just the beginning, with OpenMarkets continuing to support our growth and advancements, enabling us to exercise greater strategic control over our capital allocation.”
“It’s impressive to see Surgery Partners seize the opportunity to digitize their capital procurement approach and enhance solutions that support clinical care and the supply chain,” commented Trevor Wood, CEO of OpenMarkets. “Buttressed with strong internal leadership, Surgery Partners has made decisive organizational decisions, garnered support from clinical and administrative teams, and provided clear guidance on system and reporting requirements. It’s exciting to witness their strides in cost reduction and operational efficiency."
The ability of OpenMarkets CAP Connect™ to empower the sourcing team, centralize the organization’s workflow and improve operations has created a successful partnership that's delivering savings in the form of time and money.
