Vice President, Cooperative Services of Florida
The Journal of Healthcare Contracting: What’s the most challenging or rewarding project that you’ve worked on in the last 12 to 18 months?
Jennifer Reverendo: A regional GPO exists to drive value for its members; however, during a global pandemic, it would be understandable to press the pause button. The biggest challenge over the last year has been finding a balance with our members to advance value opportunities while maintaining a daily focus on mitigating supply shortages. I am grateful to have a resilient team that is dedicated to serving our membership on both of these fronts.
JHC: What project or initiative are you looking forward to working on?
Reverendo: LeeSar and CSF have been challenged to think differently over the last several months in order to support the changing needs of our membership. As we settle into a new normal, I look forward to enhancing member experience. For LeeSar I look forward to enhancing customer service communication and exploring options to improve the ordering experience. For CSF, I look forward to revitalizing our focus on member engagement. Specifically, I hope to foster targeted cross-member collaboration with clinical service line owners for peer discussion on value initiatives.
JHC: What changes brought about by the pandemic are here to stay in the supply chain?
Reverendo: In the healthcare sector, we see some clinical protocols, altered by the pandemic, remaining in their revised state and continuing to affect the way we buy supporting supplies. In order to support those practices and to build future security we need to develop strategic multisource partnerships for critical supplies, execute a deeper level of scrutiny on product origin to prioritize domestic or contiguous country manufacturing, and include stronger contract language regarding supply pipeline security.
JHC: Who do you look up to for inspiration or mentorship?
Reverendo: As I increased leadership responsibilities, I found I needed to be intentional about finding and sustaining an effective support network. Ideally, I wanted to tap into shared experiences, lessons learned, and insights gained from various leadership development resources. I was extremely fortunate to work with a small group of amazing women for several years who shared a like-minded sense of purpose, embraced personal leadership development, and were committed to the selfless support of each other’s success. This is still the group I look to for coaching in the moment, general guidance, and emotional support.
JHC: What’s the most important risk you took and why?
Reverendo: The most important risk I took was uprooting my family to another state in order to take advantage of a career opportunity. That decision was significant because it required each of us to be onboard, knowing that we would leave our comfort zones and be required to adapt through extensive change in every facet of our lives. Similar to evolving a business in order to thrive, I think you hold tight to the vision while you work through the changes you expected, address the ones you did not, and honor the feelings that come along without letting them get in the way of progress. The target condition is that the long-term benefit surpasses the short-term challenges.