VARs See Healthcare Challenges Up Close

Nearly two dozen VARs recently got a behind-the-scenes look at how a hospital operates in order to help them better service their own healthcare customers. Avnet Technology Solutions organized the five-day session with Scottsdale Healthcare, an Arizona facility.

VARs such as Rick Chorazyczewski, an account executive with Logicalis, said the experience was unlike any other training exercise they have ever participated in.

"After seeing the differences in how technicians in radiology and staff members in admitting use technology, I understand the healthcare industry much more than I had from just reading or hearing about it. I feel like I've lived it for a week," Chorazyczewski said in a statement. "This experience will be a tremendous asset as I discuss technology solutions with healthcare providers, and it puts me on the path to becoming a trusted advisor."

The VARs spent about half their time in classrooms getting briefed on the technology challenges of numerous hospital departments, for instance, radiology, as pictured here.



"It sounds cliche, but I found it to be a life-changing event. To spend an entire week in a hospital, seeing every line of business and what they go through for patient care, as well as the back-end issues like patient records, patient billing and dealing with payers, it was great. There's no other way to put it. All the integration that needs to be done to make it look seamless to us, it's definitely been a foundation piece that we can build our and#91;healthcare practiceand#93; around," said Greg Paetow, director of Mid-Atlantic business development for Melillo Consulting, Somerset, N.J.

Scottsdale Healthcare plans to use some of the information it developed for solution providers in other forums, said Jim Cramer, vice president and chief information officer at Scottsdale Healthcare. In addition, the hospital may host a second session for VARs in the fall.

"I'm very happy with the way it went. I think the level of engagement of the participants was outstanding," Cramer said. "The level of engagement of the directors we presented was very well received. I think every one of participants came away of with better understanding of this industry."

Pictured here, an unidentified hospital associate speaks on supply chain issues.

Here, the VARs model their scrubs outfits that they wore while examining the hospital's surgery department.

"They were watching actual surgeries to understand the technologies in that department," said Tony Vottima, vice president of vertical and technology solutions at Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas. "They got to see and talk to personnel live, and they can go back to their territories now and have a good solid understanding what the challenges are."

Joe Roslansky, director of sales and business development, Capital Data, a Minneapolis, Minn.-based solution provider said he's already had a better dialogue with healthcare clients home in Minnesota.

"One of the things I learned was they have a lot of jargon. I learned a whole new dictionary. That by itself was valuable as we interact with IT folks. Before, and#91;customersand#93; would throw out jargon and acronyms, and we didn't know," said Roslansky, pictured at far left. "This was the best training I've ever received in my professional life, but it was also an unbelievable experience in my personal life, to understand what they're going through."