Special Series with IDN Directory - Part 2: Driving Utilization

YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=ol4GEyIEzjg

In Part 1 of this special series with IDN Directory, Dan Toomey and PJ Valentini covered the fundamentals of contract adoption: access, readiness, and alignment. They discussed day one readiness and the importance of having your sales, operations, and supply chain teams all speaking the same language before launch.

In Part 2, the conversation shifts to driving utilization. Once you have access to decision makers and your contract is in place, how do you identify the best opportunities? How do you build relationships that translate into actual spend? And who are the emerging stakeholders that could become your next champion?

Using Data to Target Your Best Opportunities

Most vendors know which accounts they want to pursue. But knowing where to focus within a region, or identifying facilities you had not considered, requires data. PJ explains how IDN Directory helps vendors pinpoint opportunities by looking at spend patterns and procedure volumes.

The platform tracks departmental spend, Medicaid expenditures, and inpatient and outpatient reimbursement codes. This gives vendors visibility into where facilities are putting their money and what procedures they are performing at volume.

"We see the recurring data. These guys are doing these procedures over and over again and they're doing a lot of discharges. If you have a product that fits right into that space, this could be a good smell test for you to reach out and say, 'Looks like you're doing a lot of this type of procedure. Our product fits directly into that operation.'" - PJ Valentini, IDN Directory

This approach helps vendors find opportunities they were not expecting. Instead of only pursuing accounts on their existing target list, they can discover facilities with high procedure volumes that match their product profile. It sparks new conversations and opens doors that might otherwise stay closed.

Empower Your Entire Sales Team

One question vendors often ask is whether IDN Directory access should be limited to a few power users or distributed across the whole team. PJ is emphatic: get everyone involved.

IDN Directory offers unlimited seats specifically because the tool becomes more valuable when the entire sales organization can use it. A rep in an airport can quickly pull up contact details before a meeting. Someone who loses a phone number can find it instantly on their mobile device. The information is accessible wherever your team is working.

While having a super user who manages the data and acts as a coordinator is helpful, the real value comes from democratizing access. When PJ runs demos, he always encourages marketing and sales leadership to bring their field teams into the conversation so everyone understands what is available.

For sales leaders, this data becomes a strategic tool for territory planning. You can overlay IDN Directory insights with your historical sales data, market share heat maps, and GPO information to make better decisions about where to deploy resources. If two accounts in your top 15 are underperforming, you can identify replacements based on procedure volumes and contact accessibility.

Building Relationships Through Transparency

Access to names and phone numbers is just the starting point. The real challenge is converting that access into genuine relationships that drive utilization. Dan emphasizes that trust building is not a solo activity; it requires your whole organization.

"It's not just one person that builds a relationship. They've got to have a good relationship with your company. So transparency is very important. Having an open book policy around why your pricing strategy is set up this way. Bringing your sales rep to meetings so they can learn the atmosphere. Bringing marketing for clinical questions. How often is your supply chain team meeting with their supply chain team?" - Dan Toomey

This multi-stakeholder approach builds trust at the organizational level, not just the personal level. When an IDN director interacts with multiple people from your company and each interaction reinforces the same message, you build brand credibility. They learn what to expect from your customer experience.

Dan also advocates for transparency about weaknesses. Sharing information that might seem like it should stay behind the curtain, such as training timelines for new hires or warehouse expansions in progress, actually strengthens relationships. You are giving them insight into your operations that makes them feel like partners rather than just customers.

The Rise of Growth and Strategy Officers

The purchasing landscape has shifted dramatically since COVID. Before the pandemic, if you sold into the OR, you talked to OR people. Then supply chain took on more decision-making authority, and vendors had to learn to engage a new audience. Now, PJ sees another shift emerging.

"Supply chain basically gets the wave of everything coming at them. Now there's new people that have come to the fore to help offset some of the responsibilities. The growth and strategy officer was not somebody I ever thought would be a big player. But if you're getting the door shut by the trifecta of purchasing, you don't give up. You find a different way in." - PJ Valentini, IDN Directory

Growth and strategy officers typically come from economics or finance backgrounds. When supply chain leaders focus primarily on price negotiation, growth and strategy officers think about ROI and how purchases will affect the hospital's financial performance. They can become your champion when price-focused conversations stall.

This is especially relevant for vendors who struggle to compete on price alone, or who have strong ROI stories that get lost in procurement discussions. A growth and strategy officer can advocate internally, saying, "I know supply chain has been pushing hard on price, but we see real opportunity here for the facility. Let's take a deeper look at the ROI."

As soon as PJ heard customers talking about this shift, IDN Directory started adding growth and strategy officers to their database. The platform evolves based on what vendors need, and this is the latest example of that responsiveness.

Staying GPO Compliant While Meeting Local Needs

A common question vendors face is how to balance GPO compliance with the desire to offer something extra to committed IDN partners. Dan's advice: know your GPO first.

Every GPO has a different operating strategy, contracting approach, and clinical philosophy. Premier and Vizient push members toward on-contract products. HealthTrust is known for strict compliance; their members know to stay within contract parameters. Understanding these differences is essential before you try to layer additional incentives.

If an IDN uses their GPO contract as a framework but is willing to commit above and beyond, you can explore local agreements that reward that behavior. The key is staying within contract parameters while offering additional value. For example, you might keep pricing consistent with the GPO contract but offer a larger rebate at year-end for volume commitments.

This approach keeps everyone in good standing. The IDN stays compliant and retains access to GPO resources. You stay in the GPO's good graces. And the IDN gets rewarded for choosing to do more business with you.

Want help building a data-driven targeting strategy for your contracts? Contact MedBridge Advisors to discuss your approach to driving utilization.

You might also find these episodes valuable:

• Episode 13: Building Access, Readiness, and Alignment for Your Contracts - Part 1 of this series with IDN Directory, covering the fundamentals of contract adoption.
• Episode 15: Turning Contracts Into Strategy - How to use analytics and stakeholder mapping to turn contracts into growth engines.
• Episode 24: The Role of the GPO Client Executive - Understanding who the growth and strategy officers work alongside and how GPO field teams fit the picture.