Value-Based Procurement Enhancing Cardiac Patient Care at St. Mary's General Hospital
Mohawk Medbuy contract savings enable Member hospital to invest in technology, equipment and programs that improve patient outcomes
Savings generated by an innovative procurement partnership between Mohawk Medbuy Corporation (MMC) and St. Mary’s General Hospital are at the heart of some recent enhancements to lifesaving cardiac care at this Member hospital.
St. Mary’s Regional Cardiac Care Centre is one of three top cardiac centres in Canada. As both an acute care hospital and cardiac centre, over 1,000,000 residents in the area stretching north to Grey-Bruce and south to the shores of Norfolk rely on St. Mary’s. Demand for advanced cardiac care is increasing, along with the need for further investment in infrastructure. St. Mary’s cardiac program has seen a 55 percent volume increase since 2005, which requires a significant increase in its capacity to manage the growing waitlists.
To help drive efficiencies, meet this growing need and improve access to quality care, Mohawk Medbuy partnered with St. Mary’s to undertake an innovative, value-based procurement initiative. “What was really unique and refreshing about this process was that the financial and clinical outcomes were not at odds,” says Dr. Heather Warren, Joint Chief and Medical Director of Cardiovascular Services at St. Mary’s. “We were working together towards the same goal, which was more efficient care, better access to care, and then ultimately improving the quality.” Hear more from Dr. Warren here:
Dr. Heather Warren, Joint Chief and Medical Director of Cardiovascular Services at St. Mary’s General Hospital outlines how Mohawk Medbuy’s procurement approach addresses the complex needs and helps fulfill the financial and clinical goals of cardiac care at St. Mary’s.
The resulting procurement solution has been in place at St. Mary’s since 2021. Awarded to Medtronic Canada, one key advantage of this MMC contract is the high degree of flexibility in terms of how the savings it generates are spent. St. Mary’s is able to use these funds to support what’s most needed to sustain the community’s growing need for cardiac care and to enhance patient outcomes.
“We receive about 89% of funding from the province for every cardiac procedure, leaving a significant gap between what is funded and what it costs to provide this level of specialized care,” says Brandon Douglas, Director, Cardiac Program and Critical Care at St. Mary’s. “Savings realized through this procurement have helped us not only address the funding gap but also invest in improvements to grow our capacity, reduce wait times, address care gaps, decrease the length of hospital stays and invest in staff education and training.”
The MMC / Medtronic contract savings have also allowed St. Mary’s to enhance its cardiac programs with technology that’s on the leading edge of care. “Medical technology and innovation change at breakneck speed, and you must have the resources to be nimble and respond,” says Dr. Warren. As a result of this initiative, “things we thought would be five to six years away, we’re now bringing in in year one,” she adds. “We can be much more responsive in real-time.”
These early successes are the result of a collaboration centred on partnership, innovation and enhancing patient care. “It’s been amazing what this initiative has already accomplished,” said Ally Dhalla, Vice President of Pharmacy Services & Innovation at MMC. “The early improvements St. Mary’s has been able to implement really demonstrate how MMC’s innovative procurement approach supports better patient outcomes.”
“We are thrilled to see the early results of our value-based procurement partnership and how St. Mary’s has been able to leverage value to improve patient outcomes,” says Frann Hill, Regional Sales Manager, Medtronic Canada. “These are essential towards the ultimate goal of improving patient access to quality care while enabling greater efficiency in health care delivery.”