Extract BIG savings from physician preference items. Use a data-driven, team-based approach to drive down costs.

As baby boomers reach retirement age, the demand for cardiac, spine and orthopedic implants is expected to escalate rapidly. Containing spending on these physician preference items (PPI) will be crucial for hospitals, which are facing reduced revenue streams due to bundled payments and other factors. Materials managers will play a lead role in devising cost-reduction strategies. They'll need to establish benchmarking data to share with physicians to build consensus on how to best cut PPI costs without sacrificing the quality of care. Follow these steps to get started.