Optimizing Healthcare Procurement: Mission Health Communities

Mission Health Communities is a privately held senior living provider founded in 2006 with 54 communities across twelve states. Like many other healthcare providers, Mission faced challenges with purchasing and turned to Direct Supply® DSSI™ in 2013.

Direct Supply® DSSI™  provides technology-driven procurement solutions for healthcare organizations to drive operational efficiency and greater financial performance. The program is powered by healthcare procurement experts and a cutting-edge platform with over 35 years of data. In 2022, Direct Supply DSSI helped healthcare organizations drive significant cost savings – almost $630,000,000! 

Learn how Direct Supply DSSI helped Mission Health Communities drive healthcare cost savings and operational efficiency.

Simplifying the Healthcare Procurement Process

The spend experts at Direct Supply DSSI leverage millions of data points from the DSSI platform and proprietary artificial intelligence to help customers make informed decisions about their purchasing. When Mission Health Communities joined Direct Supply DSSI, they had more than 1,000,000 different supply items in their system – many of which were duplicative, not under contract, and GL coded incorrectly. The internal procurement team lacked the tools and the time needed to correct these issues within their existing healthcare supply chain and purchasing behaviors. The Direct Supply DSSI spend management team quickly jumped in to alleviate some of this pressure. The team reviewed each item individually and assessed its value for the organization. They were able to simplify the order guides the Mission team was using and made it easier to manage. 

After this initial clean up, the spend experts worked closely with the internal procurement team at Mission to identify opportunities for additional healthcare cost savings and operational efficiencies. Quarterly business reviews were conducted to discuss recommendations and the Mission team made the final decision on which changes were implemented. 

The Strength of Partnerships in Healthcare Purchasing

Direct Supply DSSI has a network of almost 500 manufacturers and suppliers, including national names like Medline, Sysco® and Staples®. The spend management arm of the DSSI program utilizes our relationships with these suppliers to find solutions to ensure providers have reliable streams of high-quality products at advantageous prices. These relationships have continued to pay off at Mission Health Communities. When COVID-19 arose, their spend management partner at Direct Supply DSSI was the first person to raise the flag, alerting them that their supply chain was going to be interrupted, specifically with N95 and surgical masks. Thanks to these supplier relationships and proactive product management, Mission maintained its stock of critical items, including PPE, despite supply chain issues while buffering inflation throughout the height of the pandemic. 

Personal relationships are at the center of the value of the spend management solution of Direct Supply DSSI. By understanding the needs of the corporate office and their communities, the DSSI team doesn’t just react to providers’ needs but anticipates them. Beyond that, the team is on alert for new challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. 

What Kind of Savings can Direct Supply DSSI Provide?

In 2023, Direct Supply DSSI saved healthcare providers over $630,000,000 through hard cost savings, operational efficiencies, invoicing process gains and more. Representatives from Mission estimate that Direct Supply DSSI has saved Mission Health Communities over $1 million on an annualized basis.

Direct Supply DSSI has procurement experts that work across categories, from food and medical supplies to MRO and office supplies. The team can support internal procurement professionals to get the most out of their data and overall purchasing. Healthcare procurement has often been considered a cost center. However, with Direct Supply DSSI,  procurement becomes a strategic advantage.