Category: In the News

School’s in for summer interns at HealthTrust Europe

In the News
Posted on

Students from two local Birmingham universities will be spending their summer at health and care solutions provider, HealthTrust Europe (HTE), gaining valuable work experience skills to enhance their entry into the workplace.

The six internships are based at HTE’s headquarters in Edgbaston, across a range of business disciplines from financial analytics to Legal to marketing.

HealthTrust Europe is a solutions partner for health and care providers, helping them to source the best value products and services to deliver high quality patient care.

Emma Stewart, HR Business Partner said: “As part of our commitment to developing employees of the future we have taken on six interns.

“HealthTrust Europe is a trusted partner for the NHS and commercial health and care providers sourcing a wide range of services and products such as pathology reporting, endoscopy, and consultancy and advisory services. To enable us to do this a broad range of skills and expertise are needed, so we have a wide range of interesting and exciting careers.

“Our staff are extremely knowledgeable and have a wealth of experience in many fields that they are keen to share with our interns.”

The summer-long internships have been offered to five second year students, and one graduate who have been studying a range of disciplines including Law, Biomedical Engineering and Economics at Aston University and the University of Birmingham.

The students have been allocated roles, in line with their studies, which will help them gain valuable experience and knowledge about the workplace before they enter the world of work. As well as gaining sector specific knowledge and learning to use various specialist business software packages such as Salesforce, the interns are also developing essential “soft” skills such as teamwork, problem solving and communications skills. Amidst a tough graduate labour market, the internships are paid the national living wage and are designed to equip students with the best skills to enter the workplace confident and prepared.

Marketing intern, Kiran Mehat said: “Having the opportunity to work in an international organisation like HealthTrust Europe lets me develop my skills in the workplace and give me an idea of the career opportunities that exist.

“HealthTrust Europe really appealed to me as I wanted the opportunity to work for an organisation that is driven by the care and improvement of human life.”

HealthTrust Europe responds to government’s Prevention green paper

In the News
Posted on

Anna Clark, senior director of pharmacy, HealthTrust Europe responded to the publication of the Government’s Prevention Green Paper “Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s”:

“We welcome this week’s Prevention Green paper, which signals a shift towards smarter approaches to healthcare. As a healthcare solutions partner, our mission is to support the care and improvement of human life and help the NHS source the best value products and services to deliver high quality patient care.

“We are particularly pleased with the paper’s focus on screening and Antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We look forward to continuing to work closely on the provision of solutions to tackle the challenges which remain for both areas via our Pathology offering. On AMR we look to further enable the access and use of Point of Care Testing (POCT), a solution which can be used to minimise misuse of antibiotics and ensure appropriate immediate treatment.

Finally, we have increasingly witnessed the importance of mental health prevention and look forward to engaging with the national launch of the Every Mind Matters campaign. We have recently as a business began the roll-out mental health first aid training to all of our staff and will continue to champion the creation of ‘healthy places’ with our colleagues, customers and suppliers.”

 

HealthTrust Europe rolls out mental health first aid training for staff

In the News
Posted on

HealthTrust Europe rolls out mental health first aid training for staff

  • Fifth of workforce now trained as a mental health first aider
  • Training provided by Birmingham Mind, HealthTrust Europe’s charity of the year
  • HealthTrust Europe announces £5,000 has been raised for the charity in the first half of 2019

Employees at healthcare solutions partner HealthTrust Europe (HTE) are being trained to spot the signs and tackle the stigma of mental illness in the workplace.

The mental health first aid courses are being delivered by Birmingham Mind, the largest independent mental health charity providing services in and beyond the City of Birmingham’s boundaries. The organisation is also HTE’s chosen charity of 2019 and half-way through the year of fundraising the company’s members of staff have raised £5,000.

The initial two-day programme was offered this summer to volunteers across the business which is based in Edgbaston, Birmingham. The aim of the training was to give them the knowledge and confidence to recognise signs of mental health problems, encourage someone to seek the right help, and to reduce the stigma around mental illness. This can range from mild anxiety through to the early signs of depression and suicidal tendencies.

Helen Wadley, chief executive officer of Birmingham Mind, said: “To tackle the stigma of mental health, it is essential that industry works together to support their local communities. It is a pleasure to partner with HealthTrust Europe who are taking proactive steps to place employee wellbeing at the centre of their business and create a healthy working environment.”

“The aim of these courses is to give everyone the knowledge and confidence to recognise signs of mental health problems, encourage someone to seek the right help, and to reduce the stigma around mental illness.”

Initially senior managers anticipated eight to nine staff members would volunteer for the training but were astounded when 26 signed up. Later this year complementary training will be delivered to 35 managers across the business. The next stage will be for all staff members to attend awareness training.

Ian Hadridge, associate vice president of business solutions, said: “As a mission-driven organisation committed to the care and improvement of human life, HealthTrust Europe already delivers comprehensive first-aid training to all employees. To continue this objective and to ensure the health and wellbeing of staff remain of top priority, mental health training is the next logical step to take.

“Like many employers HealthTrust Europe offers a benefits package that provides colleagues access to free, confidential counselling should they want it. However, the new mental health training teaches colleagues to be aware of the signs of mental ill health in others, and advises staff how they can help an individual whether it is in the workplace, at home or in any other setting.”

One in four of people will have problems with their mental health at some point. These problems range from the day-to-day worries that everyone experiences to longer-term serious conditions. Common mental health problems include; anxiety, depression, post-natal depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and phobias. About one in a hundred people will experience severe mental illness.1 

Each year, HTE chooses a charity partner in order to raise money and awareness for issues that are at the heart of our communities. Events this year included: a women’s boxing contest; a football match against West Midlands office technology partner, Altodigital; participating in endurance challenge, Wolf Run; and a sponsored haircutting. HTE hope to raise more money throughout the rest of the year.

1Mental Health Foundation 2015, Fundamental Facts about Mental Health, available at www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Preparing for the Next 20 Years: From the Desk of Ed Jones

In the News
Posted on
Ed Jones

BUILDING ON TWO DECADES OF FOUNDATIONAL HISTORY & BUSINESS GROWTH 
The official acknowledgment of HealthTrust’s 20-year milestone commences this quarter with the publication of our first annual report.
We will continue to commemorate our platinum achievement throughout 2019, including a celebration with member attendees during the HealthTrust University Conference in Nashville.

WELCOME KINDRED HEALTHCARE

As part of our continued growth in the area of total spend management, I am pleased to welcome Kindred Healthcare to the HealthTrust membership. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Kindred Healthcare is a specialty hospital and rehabilitation company providing services in 45 states. We look forward to a long relationship, supporting their patient care mission by providing access to quality products and supply chain efficiencies, as well as working with the Kindred team to enhance their operational performance.

PHARMACY OPTIMIZATION

Michael Berryhill

HealthTrust manages one of the largest purchasing programs for pharmaceuticals in the GPO market, with billions of dollars of pharmacy spend on the IDN side through HealthTrust, as well as billions of dollars of spend in the employer/pharmacy benefits management space through our CoreTrust business. Historically, this has been delivered through two separate teams within HealthTrust. Michael Berryhill, HealthTrust COO, recently announced the reorganization of our pharmacy program into a single function, focused on strategy and execution of pharmacy optimization.

Joey Dizenhouse

HealthTrust Senior Vice President Joey Dizenhouse now leads the Pharmacy Services Group. With more than 20 years of experience in the health/pharmacy insurance field, he has worked with some of the nation’s largest IDNs and employers and has particular expertise in designing employee benefits/PBM group purchasing programs. Joey officially joined HealthTrust in 2016 after several years of consulting with us.
As part of this redesign strategy, Joey and his team conducted a rigorous RFP process and selected OptumRx as HealthTrust’s exclusive pharmacy care services partner. OptumRx will provide pharmacy benefit solutions intended to support better health outcomes, improved consumer experiences and lower costs. Combined with HealthTrust’s portfolio and pharmacy capabilities, this partnership will enable us to deliver programs that incorporate transparency, flexibility and alignment of incentives between the PBM, employer and patient.

STAFFING RECOGNITION

Brendan Courtney

Another area of our business—HealthTrust Workforce Solutions—was recognized in the first quarter with a “Best of Staffing Client Award” by ClearlyRated for endorsements received from its client organizations. Presented in partnership with CareerBuilder and Indeed, “Best of Staffing” recognition is based on Net Promoter Score—a measure of how likely clients are to recommend an agency to a friend or colleague. With a mission of helping hospitals and health systems fill critical labor vacancies, HealthTrust Workforce Solutions received high ratings from nearly two-thirds of its surveyed clients, indicating they would recommend the agency to others. The rating is significantly higher than the staffing industry average of 35 percent for agencies participating in the annual survey in 2018. Congratulations to president and CEO of HealthTrust Workforce Solutions Brendan Courtney and his team on this recognition.

HEALTHTRUST EUROPE

HealthTrust Europe (HTE) is a market-leading total spend management company, delivering the highest quality products and services at market competitive pricing, including double-digit savings across many categories. Since inception as HTE in 2011, its offerings have expanded to also include pharmacy automation, drug contracting, purchased services/outsourced frameworks, and flexible contracting solutions— such as information communication technology and staffing.

Dennis Robb

Working in partnership with the National Health Service (NHS), HCA Healthcare UK and private equity firms affiliated with our CoreTrust Europe GPO, Dennis Robb and the HealthTrust Europe (HTE) team increased its total spend under management to £1 billion in just 10 months.
The recent HealthTrust Europe and HCA Healthcare UK supply chain initiative achieved more than £5 million in savings and significant operational improvements. The work was a collaboration between HTE operations staff in Birmingham, our U.S. team and the London-based supply chain team. Together, they drove pharmacy automation and inventory control, enhanced clinical engagement, installed new IT platforms, improved data and financial analytics, and provided general data protection compliance and robust contracting.
These and many other areas of our business will continue to position HealthTrust for success over the next 20 years and beyond. Thank you for trusting us with your spend management, and clinical and operational performance improvement needs.

 

Ed Jones
President/CEO, HealthTrust

HealthTrust Selected as Exclusive Supply Chain Performance Provider by Beth Israel Lahey Health

In the News
Posted on

NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 20, 2019 – HealthTrust, a healthcare performance improvement company in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, announced today its selection by Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH) as its exclusive national supply chain organization, effective Oct. 1. Based in Boston, BILH is an integrated care delivery network of 13 hospitals in Eastern Massachusetts, including four academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, eight community and specialty hospitals, and other sites of care. Three quarters of the region’s residents reside within just a few miles of a BILH-affiliated primary care provider.

BILH is a new health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,000 physicians and 35,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through research and education. In selecting HealthTrust, BILH sought an integration authority that would be a catalyst in transforming its supply chain performance in support of quality initiatives.

“We are honored to be selected to play an instrumental role in the future vision of Beth Israel Lahey Health,” said Ed Jones, president and chief executive officer of HealthTrust. “These esteemed providers have served their patients and communities for more than a century, and we are excited to work together to fashion a comprehensive integration plan that will seek to enhance care throughout the region.”

Promoting nurses, and good mental health

In the News
Posted on

HealthTrust Europe (HTE) has been marking two of this year’s health and care awareness events, International Nurses’ Day and Mental Health Awareness Week. Both were supported by HTE which is a trusted partner for the NHS and commercial health and care providers.

The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (13-19th May) was body image – how we think and feel about our bodies. To coincide with both awareness events, HTE welcomed Jim Chapman, RMN, RNT, MA, PGCert, Head of Department for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, Birmingham City University as a guest speaker to talk to employees. Jim has worked across Birmingham in a range of in-patient and community-based settings. He now manages a team that trains mental health and learning disabilities nursing students to become part of the future workforce. His talk to HTE members of staff referred to a number of topics from the work of mental health nurses, how body image issues can affect all of us at any age, and mental health in the workplace.

HTE has also been celebrating the work of nurses by marking International Nurses Day. The day was devised to recognise the contribution that nurses and allied health professionals make to people’s lives and is celebrated each year on 12th May, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.

HTE encouraged members of staff to bring in healthy baked goods, with a prize awarded for the most delicious nutritious snack which was judged to a double ‘chocolate’ vegan brownie Proceeds raised by the sale of the food will be donated to HTE’s charity of 2019 Birmingham MIND. Further donations can be made at HTE’s JustGiving page.

The theme for the 2019 International Nurses Day is Nurses: A voice to lead – Health for All and is marked by health and care providers across the world. Events in the UK included a service in Westminster Abbey, and another at Coventry Cathedral in which one of HTE’s GPO customers, University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW) participates.

Associate Vice President for Group Purchasing Organisation, Nanette Grant, said: “We’re delighted to celebrate two important awareness days.

“We support nursing services in the communities we serve by being a solutions partner for health and care providers, helping them to source the best value products and services to deliver high quality patient care.”

HealthTrust Europe football match raises more than £1,000 for Mind

In the News
Posted on

A charity football match organised by HealthTrust Europe (HTE) has raised over £1,000 for Mind, the company’s chosen charity for 2019.

HTE is supporting the mental health organisation as part of the company’s commitment to the care and improvement of human life.

HTE colleagues faced a team from Kingswinford-based Altodigital in the friendly match which took place at the University of Birmingham on Thursday 25th April. Altodigital, is the largest independent supplier of office technology in the UK and has recently entered into a new partnership with HTE to supply document services to CoreTrust Europe, a subsidiary of HealthTrust Europe.

Despite a close second half Altodigital won 3-2. Dennis Robb, CEO of HealthTrust Europe said: “Altodigital were commendable opponents and I would like to praise them on their win.

“I am delighted that colleagues supported our chosen charity for 2019 by both playing on the night and making donations. The effort made exemplifies HealthTrust Europe’s mission to improve healthcare in the communities we serve.

“This is just the first of this year’s events HealthTrust Europe has planned to raise money for Mind and support the wonderful work they do.”

Following the game, Tim Hubbard, Corporate Business Development Director for Altodigital and team captain, said: “We really enjoyed playing against our new client. It was definitely competitive as we’re two companies used to success and winning, but ultimately all the players are delighted that we have managed to raise over £1,000 for Mind and support the fantastic work that it does.”

HTE has set up a JustGiving page for 2019 to help it collect donations for Mind during the year.

HealthTrust Europe raises funds for its local community

In the News
Posted on

Much-needed funds have been raised for Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid (BSWA) by healthcare solutions partner HealthTrust Europe (HTE).

Demonstrating the company’s mission of commitment to the care and improvement of human life within the communities it serves, staff members celebrated International Women’s Day 2019 on March 8th with a dress-down day and donated a total of £533.

The money will help BSWA support women and children affected by gender-based abuse including domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, female genital mutilation and forced marriage.

HTE is a solutions partner for health and care providers; helping them to source the best products and services to deliver high quality patient care. The company is a trusted partner for the NHS and commercial health and care providers.

The theme of the campaign this year is “Balance for Better” and members of staff came together to discuss how they can help forge a more gender-balanced world and remember ordinary women who have done extraordinary things to help further equality.

As well as being a day for reflection, vital funds were raised by generous members of staff who organised a cake sale and a dress down day. The local charity provides a helpline, community-based and central drop-in services and six safe, emergency refuges. The support it offers helps to unlock women’s power and enable them to regain their confidence and skills to achieve their aspirations.

The day was recorded in a series of photos of staff members many of whom had dressed in purple, the colour historically linked with efforts to achieve gender equality.

Nanette Grant, Associate Vice President of Group Purchasing Organisation (GPO) who launched the celebrations said: “The theme this year is Balance for Better, and in this context, we define balance as meaning ‘together we have impact and power’.

“It’s not just an issue for women, it’s important everyone helps to drive forward and achieve a gender-balanced world. Today is an opportunity to recognise the unique and intrinsic worth of each individual, which ties into HealthTrust Europe’s mission and is an opportunity for us to work in partnership to improve healthcare in the communities we serve.”

International Women’s Day is held globally each year on March 8th to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, to campaign for accelerating gender equality. It has occurred for well over a century, with the first​ gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Prior to this the​ Socialist Party of America, United Kingdom’s Suffragists and Suffragettes, and further groups campaigned for women’s equality.

HealthTrust Europe runners raise more than £3,000 to help fight childhood illness

In the News
Posted on

Sporty HealthTrust Europe (HTE) employees have raised more than £3,000 for the charity Duchenne UK.

Eighteen staff, relatives and friends took part in a charity 5k and 10k run in Sutton Park on Saturday 17 November.

The funds were raised via a JustGiving page set up by HTE, which out of 16,855 fundraisers was in the top three per cent in the country for fundraising in November.

Duchenne UK funds research into treatments and a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) which is the most common genetic disease diagnosed in childhood and is caused by lack of the protein dystrophin that affects the entire body. The illness almost always affects boys, and they tend to be diagnosed before the age of five. There are around 2,500 patients in the UK and an estimated 300,000 worldwide.

An innovative healthcare solutions partner, HTE’s mission is to improve patient care by driving better value for healthcare providers. Through its market-leading Group Purchasing Organisation (GPO) model, as well as wider flexible spend solutions, HTE partners with healthcare providers to deliver the highest quality products that meet their needs at the best price available.

Through fundraising activities HTE has raised more than £6,000 so far this year for Duchenne UK, its chosen charity for 2018, and other worthy causes.

Anna Clark, HealthTrust Europe’s Director of Pharmacy, and an ambassador for the charity took part in the 5k run. She said:

“It was a great run for a great cause. Duchenne UK provides real hope to patients and parents in the face of adversity and are making significant inroads to prolonging and changing the lives of those living with DMD.

The support of HealthTrust Europe in raising both awareness and money during 2018 is incredible and really will contribute to the future landscape of this condition. I cannot express my gratitude enough for all of the support.”

Emily Crossley, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Duchenne UK said:

“We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone at HealthTrust Europe for supporting Duchenne UK. We are a lean charity and extremely grateful for your support. You can rest assured that your fundraising WILL make a difference.

Our charity is spending money right now on research that could make a major difference to the thousands of boys born with DMD. We believe that we are at a breakthrough moment in the history of this disease, a point where treatments and possibly even a cure, are within reach.”

More information about the charity can be found on the Duchenne UK website.

HealthTrust Europe is part of HCA Healthcare, a leading international provider of healthcare services, who is driven by the care and improvement of human life. Our mission is to improve healthcare in the communities we serve through strengthening provider performance and clinical excellence. HealthTrust Europe operates as the UK arm of HealthTrust, who globally serves approximately 1,500 acute care facilities and more than 32,500 alternate care sites and leverages $39bn of spend to negotiate cost saving opportunities and best terms for its members.

HealthTrust Europe fundraises for Duchenne UK and helps raise awareness

In the News
Posted on

Duchenne UK has received a financial boost thanks to sweet-toothed colleagues at HealthTrust Europe (HTE) in Birmingham.

HTE’s chosen charity for 2018 is Duchenne UK so, on 7th September, colleagues marked World Duchenne Awareness Day and held a cake sale. A total of £814 was raised, bringing the amount donated so far this year to £3,660.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) affects 1 in 3,500 boys. It is the most common genetic disease diagnosed in childhood and is caused by lack of the protein dystrophin that affects the entire body. The illness almost always affects boys, and they tend to be diagnosed before the age of five. There are around 2,500 patients in the UK and an estimated 300,000 worldwide.

One of the many projects funded by Duchenne UK is a clinical trial to examine the safety and efficacy of Tamoxifen as a potential treatment for DMD. The drug has been used to treat breast cancer since the 1980s and is also used for hormonal disorders in pre-pubescent boys. Early studies indicate that repurposing Tamoxifen to treat DMD reduces fibrosis, increases the thickness of muscle fibres and causes a delay in disease progression.

Anna Clark is HTE’s Director of Pharmacy and is an ambassador for the charity. She said:

“Duchenne UK provide real hope to patients and parents in the face of adversity and are making significant inroads to prolonging and changing the lives of those living with DMD. The support of HTE in raising both awareness and money during 2018 is incredible and really will contribute to the future landscape of this condition. I cannot express my gratitude enough for all of the support.”

The charity Duchenne UK has a clear vision to fund and accelerate treatments and a cure for the condition for this generation of patients. Emily Crossley, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Duchenne UK said:

“We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone at HealthTrust Europe for supporting Duchenne UK on World Duchenne Awareness Day. We are a lean charity and extremely grateful for your support. You can rest assured that your fundraising WILL make a difference.
“Our charity is spending money right now on research that could make a major difference to the thousands of boys born with DMD. We believe that we are at a breakthrough moment in the history of this disease, a point where treatments and possibly even a cure, are within reach.”

HTE is committed to the care and improvement of human life, strengthening provider performance and clinical excellence through an aligned membership model and the delivery of total spend management solutions that leverage our operator experience, scale and innovation.

More information about the charity can be found on the Duchenne UK website.