Leaders Speak: The Conversations We Want to Have with Vendors

At ViVE, now in its third year, one of the most popular offerings is the Provider and Payer Connect Program, a platform designed to help health system executives discover and evaluate solutions during 15-minute meetings. It’s one of many opportunities that leaders from the vendor and payer sides have to engage with decision-makers during the multi-day event.

But whether a conversation takes place in a formal setting, a networking event, or a chance meeting, what’s important is that vendor leaders adopt the right approach. Rather than trying to pitch solutions, it’s about asking questions and listening, according to the leaders who provided valuable input.

Below are the responses they offered to the following question: What would you like vendors to know before engaging in conversations with you (or other leaders) at ViVE?

First, I’m grateful for our vendor partners that participate in ViVE. ViVE was created by CHIME and HLTH to be a space where creative and innovative ideas can be shared for the mutual benefit of improving human health. Similar to CHIME events, I’d encourage people to develop relationships and seek to solve problems together. A lot of people don’t know this, but I started my career in Technical Sales for GE. We were taught to ask questions and listen to what the customer was trying to achieve. We were also taught to recommend a non-GE solution if it would be better for the customer – again, developing trust and relationship for the long-term opportunities.

– Scott MacLean, SVP and CIO, MedStar Health (and CHIME Board Chair)

Focus less on solving a problem through a straw for my organization, and more on understanding our challenges. Then, figure out the right timing to introduce your product. Be up front if your product really wouldn’t work for us. Lastly, remember the golden rule: healthcare CIOs all talk to each other and share stories, good and bad. Missteps happen, it’s life. But don’t paper it over or make false claims, because we all talk, and that’s the quickest way to end up having your sales pipeline dry up.

– Aaron Miri, SVP and Chief Digital & Information Officer, Baptist Health

One of the most significant attributions to in-person conferences is the inherent value of face-to-face interactions. In-person meetings offer a level of engagement, immediacy, and personal connection that virtual platforms cannot fully replicate. Networking opportunities, spontaneous conversations, and the serendipity of chance encounters are all enhanced in physical settings.

– Terri Couts, SVP and Chief Digital Officer, The Guthrie Clinic

I want vendors to be very clear in their minds about the problem they are trying to solve for, and that problem better not be, ‘we’re trying to make healthcare better.’ No one vendor (or health system or insurer, etc.) can create standalone solutions that make healthcare better. Rather, a great vendor knows the healthcare ecosystem they’re part of and how their set of solutions can better enable that ecosystem to deliver quality care.

– Tarun Kapoor, MD, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, Virtua Health

It’s crucial to understand the specific purpose and capabilities of the leader you’re interacting with. Leaders are often bombarded with information, so clarity and conciseness are key. Highlight how your message or offering can add value to the leader.

– Zafar Chaudry, MD, SVP and Chief Digital Officer and Chief Information Officer, Seattle Children’s