(December 2021) – The KAHRMM Board held a strategic planning meeting in McPherson on Nov. 12. Mike Morgan, president, began the meeting by leading a discussion on the October Golf 4 Education and Conference, in Salina. The discussion included what was liked and what worked. The reverse vendor fair was discussed in-depth, while most of the vendors liked it; there were a few negative comments as well.

The board discussed thoughts on KAHRMM's real mission:

The mission of the Kansas Association of Healthcare Resource & Materials Management is to advance the profession of health care purchasing and materials management by:

• Assisting members through training and mentoring opportunities that promote excellence.
• Establishing proactive, collaborative partnerships through networking.
• Promoting high ethical standards.

The group made a conference call to Dee Donatelli, AHRMM, for an update, including Q&A. Donatelli stated the AHRMM Board is strictly advisory now, and AHA controls the AHRMM budget.

Other items up for discussion prior to focusing on the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Analysis were:

• Not focusing on Chapter Affiliation with AHRMM
• Focusing on KAHRMM membership education

• 501C6 education organization
• Providing more entry-level education since many members are new/younger
• Providing more open-forum opportunities at gatherings or online

The board's focus in the afternoon was on the SWOT Analysis and strategic plan. The following lists are the board's analysis of where KAHRMM is today.

• Strengths
  • Knowledge in the group/older members
  • Community/networking
  • Financial reserves
  • Education
  • Transparency
  • Gateway to vendors
  • Responsible for a large part of the hospital expense budget
  • Professional development
  • Leadership
  • Communication (best practices)
  • Friendships/relationships

• Weaknesses
  • Connecting
  • Marketing
  • Lack of member participation
  • Time
  • Commitment
  • Membership: active vs. passive
  • C-suite acknowledgment
  • Distance to meetings

• Opportunities
  • Membership growth and engagement
  • C-Suite involvement
  • Meetings, technology, YouTube
  • Relevance
  • Better education for members
  • Flexibility for other professional groups
  • Meeting location flexibility
  • Rebranding
  • Expanding and growing a vendor fair
  • Class of trade

• Threats
  • Government
  • Limited facility funding
  • Members leaving and/or retiring
  • Limited time
  • Insignificance
  • Travel limitations
  • No new members and member engagement
  • Supply disruptions
  • Unknown factors
  • Short window of time
  • Don't know all facility members

After the SWOT Analysis was completed, the following list is a few of the beginnings of the To-Do Plan for KAHRMM based on the discussion throughout the meeting.

KAHRMM'S To-Do Plan:

• President's letter to members
• Letter to CEOs via a KHA update
• Education Committee
• Know potential members-other facilities
  • Obtain a list from Bruce and Randy
• Marketing

--Mike Morgan