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Medical Supply Program Office Newsletter
MAY 2024
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MSPO Director Message
On April 25, Ms. Song Stisher, the Director of the Medical Supply Program Office (MSPO), underscored the significance of National Volunteers Week, a time when our Nation and VA honor volunteers for their substantial contributions to their communities, organizations, and most notably, our Nation's Veterans. Alongside this, Ms. Stisher recognized The VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE) for their remarkable impact on Veterans and their families, and for their delivery of millions of service hours.
Additionally, she expressed gratitude towards MSPO employees for their long-standing service and contributions, which have been pivotal to MSPO's milestones. This was particularly evident when a Prime Vendor (PV) underscored the significant impact of the Clinical Product Tool (CPT) in consistently enhancing the Unadjusted Fill Rates each month.
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Stay informed on the latest updates and important announcements from Logistics and MSPO Leadership.
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Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Events and Trainings |
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Thursday, May 09: ECAT Program Updates
Monday, June 24: FY24 Logistics/Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN) Chief Logistics Officer (CLO)/ Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO) Conference Pre-Registration Deadline
Tuesday, July 9: FY24 Logistics/ VISN CLO/ CSCO Conference Begins
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Do you have questions about the MSPO newsletter?
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MSPO wants to recognize and extend a warm thank you to our April 2024 MSPO Newsletter Champions: Dave Silver (VISN 19), Robert Hoff (VISN 17), and Randall Hicks (VISN 8), who have collectively forwarded the MSPO Newsletter to over 900 employees. |
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May is a special month for us at VHA - it's National Nurses Month! This is a time for us to recognize and honor the contributions and impact of our nursing staff. MSPO would like to thank our very own Pamela Young and Theresa Taylor for their dedication and service to our Veterans. |
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Congratulations to Crystal Phillips, Carla Dabbs, and Jonathan Jones for winning a HeRO award for their work on the Clinical Product Tool (CPT)! The National Hero Award is the highest level of High Reliability Organization (HRO) recognition available within the VHA and is reserved to honor employees who advance VHA’s Journey to High Reliability through the demonstration of HRO Principles. Well done, Crystal, Carla, and Jonathan, and the many others who have leaned in to make CPT what it is today. |
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Crystal Phillips, Acting Director of Category and Catalog Management, MSPO
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Carla Dabbs, Supply Systems Analyst, MSPO/MSPV Quality Management Team
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Jonathan Jones, Supervisory Supply Systems Analyst, Product List/Quality Management Branch (Acting)
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This month, we want to congratulate Vicky Fuller-Allen who will receive her 40-year service pin on May 8. Thank you for your service and dedication, Vicky!
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MSPO is thrilled to announce that Ms. Crystal Phillips, Acting Director of Category and Catalog Management, MSPO, has been recognized by the Strategic Acquisitions Center (SAC) and awarded a Challenge Coin for her efforts with CPT.
Mr. Christopher D. Parker, Associate Executive Director, Strategic Acquisition Center and Acting Associate Executive Director, National Acquisitions Center, commented on MSPO and SAC's partnership:
MSPO and SAC team members met at VA Medical Center (VAMC) Raleigh, NC to meet with local hospital and VISN logistics teams to discuss current MSPV performance as well as discuss improvement on the horizon as NextGen comes online this year. The team met with Medical Center Leadership and identified multiple improvement ideas for streamlining processes and the need for additional automation for material inventory management, ordering, receipt, issue and reconciliation. The team toured VA and contractor facilities and were able to provide on-site training regarding order fulfillment and vendor management. Plus, it was a fantastic opportunity to ensure our Head Quarters (HQ) approach matches how business is being conducted in the field every day -- looks like we're aligned for a fantastic start as MSPV NextGen comes online.
Pictured Right: Christopher D. Parker (Associate Executive Director, Strategic Acquisition Center and Acting Associate Executive Director, National Acquisitions Center), Crystal Phillips (Acting Director of Category and Catalog Management, MSPO), and Katie Hulse (Director of Acquisition Services 3, SAC)
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Per VA PROCUREMENT POLICY MEMORANDUM (2016-02) – VA-Wide Procedures Regarding the Use of Ordering Officers (VAIQ 7696245) (and VAAM M816.505-70) and the MSPV 41222 contract-specific training, OOs are required to maintain an “Active” status as ordering officers under the MSPV Gen-Z Transition 2 (T2) program.
During a recent compliance audit, it was identified that many OOs fell within 4 of the below categories of non-compliance within the MSPV Gen-Z T2 program:
- OOs placing orders without a nomination in eCERT;
- OOs placing orders with expired trainings (required to be reuploaded annually upon completion);
- OOs not fully acknowledging their appointment letter;
- Appointed OOs who have not recently placed orders.
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If you find yourself in one or more of these categories, please CEASE ordering and contact vacosacmspvoo@va.gov for additional information. Feel free to review the MSPV Field Guide: Chapter 4 – Ordering Officer (OO) Nomination for additional instructions on submission of nominations and the approval process via the link below.
Communication directly with OOs and MSPO will be deployed regarding non-compliance, prompting OOs to take corrective action.
This partnership extends the collaborative effort intended to maintain compliance with the MSPV Ordering Officer program.
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The Federal Chief Information Officers (CIO) Council has mandated that all departments/agencies replace legacy PIV card versions and use only Version 8.1 PIV cards (see 1st image below). Employees, as well as, contractors should check their PIV cards asap.
If the card shows an expiration date of June 2024 OR if your card matches the 2nd or 3rd image below, the employee must begin the process immediately to replace their PIV cards. You should contact your PIV sponsor.
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 Note: The Green line on the V8.1 badge above is noted for CONTRACT EMPLOYEES ONLY
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The supply chain community is constantly evolving and changing and due to policy/regulations updates there is a need for this face-to-face to allow supply chain staff to discuss the impact of logistics and procurement policy on the VHA logistics community.
The primary purpose of this face-to-face conference is to develop and sustain knowledge pertaining to Logistics complex operational needs. The face-to-face conference will increase the understanding in incorporating methods and opportunities to change operational best practices using available performance measurements. This training will promote the Logistics operational proficiency among customers throughout VHA.
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Pre-Register no later than June 24, 2024
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Learning Objectives
- Improve knowledge of attendees as it relates to supply chain;
- Improve knowledge of Quality Control Reports (QCRs) and gather current baseline as it relates to compliance;
- Improve knowledge of VA/VHA best practices in conducting supply chain operations;
- Improve knowledge of current performance measurements;
- Provide the vision for the future of the VHA Supply Chain;
- Gain customer feedback to determine perceived workload of the field (baseline data).
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At the conclusion of this educational program, learners will be able to
- Conduct post conference survey/evaluation to measure knowledge gained
- Assess current Quality Control Report compliance baseline by analyzing the following: reduction in waivers, reports submitted on time, etc.
- Determine if there is a positive correlation to findings using current baseline (increase positive/improvement in findings; decreased perceived workload of the field)
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DATE
July 9-11, 2024
LOCATION
Portland, Oregon
TARGET AUDIENCE
19 Procurement & Logistics Office (PLO) Logistics Staff, VISN CLOs, CSCOs, VHA Program Offices Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), and VA/VHA Senior Leadership
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On April 22, MPSO debuted the Facility Readiness Checklist and Dashboard (FRC/D).
The Facility Readiness Checklist will help Facilities manage and report progress and completion of tasks required to transition to Gen-Z V1.
The Facility Readiness Dashboard will allow VISN and Facility Implementation Leaders, and others, to view facility progress towards completing implementation.
Facility Readiness Checklist (FRC)
Facility Readiness Dashboard (FRD)
Links to access the FRC/D can be found on the Implementation SharePoint Page on the MSPO One-Stop-Shop.
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Starting April 2024, MPSO kicked off its MSPV Gen-Z V1 Implementation Training Checkpoints series designed to provide a forum for VISN and Facility Implementation Leaders to learn and discuss key requirements of the Gen-Z V1 Implementation.
Join us for Training Checkpoint #3: MSPV Gen-Z Transition 2 Closeout Task Review, held this Thursday, May 9, from 2:00pm-3:00pm ET! Invites are forthcoming from VHA MSPV Support.
A recap of past Training Checkpoints, including a session recording, presentation slides, and FAQs, are available for the following sessions:
A calendar of events outlining future Training Checkpoint sessions is available on the Implementation SharePoint Page on MSPO One-Stop-Shop.
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The next ECAT Program Updates meeting will take place on May 9. Program updates are for existing and active ECAT users and will cover policy changes, reinforce key points from ECAT training, and provide a forum for users to ask questions.
Please visit the ECAT SharePoint for more details and to access the May 9 meeting link.
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The most recent MSPV Product List was published on April 15.
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Facility CORs, we've got you covered! Enhancements were introduced to the ”Recommended Core” items to streamline workflow and improve transparency:
- “Recommended Core” items are MSPV Product List items that a facility has purchased once in each of the last two months, regardless of source.
- Previously, the number of “Recommended Core” items would only be reduced if the item was added to a facility’s Core List. Now, if Facility Contracting Officer Representatives (COR) users do not agree that an item should have Core status, they can review “Recommended Core” items and reject the item in the same drop down as for Core List Additions, as seen in the image below.
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From the "Core Item?" dropdown, when the option "Reviewed, do not plan to add at this time” is chosen, a field labeled "Facility Comment" will appear. This field contains predefined explanations for why it was decided to not include the item in your Core List.
Reasons range from Seasonal, Clinical Product Review Committee (CPRC) Rejection, to Other. If Other is selected, a free text pop up will appear to provide additional information.
Any “Recommended Core” items that have been rejected by a Facility COR user will update to a new status of "Recommended Core: Rejected".
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These features empower you to:
- Clearly communicate rejections for “Recommended Core” items.
- Provide valuable insights for future Core List selections.
- Streamline review of “Recommended Core” items
- Ensure your Core List accurately reflects your facility's needs.
Stay tuned! We're continuously enhancing CPT to optimize operations and support a smooth Gen-Z V1 transition.
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The process of submitting offline stock requests to your Prime Vendor is no longer necessary. The CPT Core List is updated weekly with your Prime Vendor’s feedback on item availability in their distribution centers.
Please manage and approve your Core List through CPT to ensure your critical surgical, dental, select prosthetic and lab supplies are stocked at your Prime Vendor’s distribution center.
Every Monday at 9am ET, all Core Lists are sent to your Prime Vendor National Representative. They provide feedback to MSPO by the close of business every Wednesday.
Please note that if you make modifications to your Core List during the week, your Prime Vendor will receive these updates the following Monday.
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CPT SharePoint
CPT Core List Training Session.mp4
Training Video Manage My Core List.mp4
Navigate CPT Quick Reference Guide (QRG) Manage My Core List.pdf
Did You Know?
Since November 2023, 646+ VHA employees representing all 18 VISNs (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23) have been trained on the Core List Management Portal.
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The Medical Supply Program Office (MSPO) grounds itself in its mission to be a VHA supply chain leader that gets the right medical, surgical, dental, select prosthetic and lab supplies to the right hands at the right time to better the health and welfare of Veterans and their families. MSPO aims to empower logisticians and clinicians to make spend- and data-driven supply decisions that improve VA patient outcomes and experiences so they may in turn provide the highest quality Veteran care and service. |
Links and Resources
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MPSV One-Stop-Shop |
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Clinical Product Tool |
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ECAT Program |
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MSPV Product List |
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Please share this communication! Post a copy where all supply chain staff may review the information included in this newsletter.
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