Scripps Physician Leader Receives National Supply Chain Award

M. Jonathan Worsey, MD, Scripps Health medical director of value analysis, has been recognized for his work on supply chain initiatives by Healthcare Purchasing News, the nation’s only comprehensive business news magazine dedicated to health-care supply chain management.

The publication recently presented one of its annual PURE Awards to Dr. Worsey, who is a board-certified colorectal surgeon on staff at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla. PURE stands for Physicians Understanding, Respecting and Engaging supply chain.

The award recognizes physicians who have made significant contributions to supply chain operations through their activities, practices and thinking, according to the magazine. The recognition focuses on physicians who have become supply chain advocates at their organizations and solidified the bonds between clinicians and supply chain professionals.

“The PURE Award recognizes Dr. Worsey’s significant contribution to our efforts to establish an effective value analysis process that closely aligns supply chain managers, surgery leadership, the chief medical officer, chiefs of staff and service/care line physician leaders at each of our hospitals,” said Scripps President and CEO Chris Van Gorder.

Dr. Worsey said he became interested in supply chain issues at Scripps while serving a two-year term as chief of staff at Scripps La Jolla.

“I gained much insight into some of the non-clinical aspects of hospital activities that most physicians never see, such as the supply chain network at Scripps,” he said. “This plays a critical role in the operation of our hospitals and clinics, and it has a direct impact on the quality of patient care and the cost-effectiveness of our operations. Given the relationships I had developed with my colleagues, administrators and hospital staff members, I was confident that most physicians would be supportive of supply chain initiatives that benefit our patients, are done in a transparent manner and help us to control our costs.”

In his new role as medical director of value analysis, Dr. Worsey helped standardize a process that had involved 27 committees handling physician product requests to a single system-wide approval process. Requesting physicians detail their reasons for the request, and describe how the item is better than existing products and the urgency for this product. It is then determined whether the requested product warrants adoption primarily based on clinical evidence of benefit to patient outcomes.

More recently, Dr. Worsey led a General Surgery Summit for Scripps surgeons to encourage standardization of surgical equipment and products with significant potential cost savings. He also spoke recently in Florida about the Scripps Value Analysis work at the annual clinical advisor meeting of HealthTrust, Scripps’ group purchasing organization.

Dr. Worsey is in private practice and has been a member of the medical staff at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla since 1999. He has held numerous medical staff leadership positions, including chief of surgery. He is currently co-chair of the Surgery Care Line and a member of the Scripps Accountable Care Organization Board.

Learn more about Scripps Health, a nonprofit integrated health system in San Diego, Calif.