Adviser Summer 2016 Vol 1 | Page 10

Spotlight Welcome ... (Continued from page 8) Denis works primarily in metro New York/Long Island, Connecticut, New Jersey and Eastern Massachusetts while Sarah serves all of upstate New York and western Massachusetts. Denis and Sarah have the in-office support of Jacqueline who helps in coordinating and responding to the needs of the membership. Not only are cost studies a free service, there are also no membership fees or charges of any kind. Value First is so flexible that members can use it for all of their purchasing, some or just use it for one-time purchasing. The primary role of the new staff is facilitating free cost studies and encouraging members to use Value First contracts but only if there is significant savings. The whole concept is to help members figure out the needs of their organization and then help them cuts costs. In addition to helping members save money, Value First helps give back to the future of non-profit, mission-driven care, services and housing for seniors. Why is LeadingAge New York involved? The answer is simple: to save members money! What if a member wants to purchase through Value First? What do they do? Members typically decide to purchase through Value First contracts in one of the following scenarios: • They have chosen to have a cost study performed and the results show significant savings (Value First contracts have a 90 percent win rate on cost studies); or • The member is planning a large purchase and wants to access Value First contract pricing, for example on new beds. In this case, Value First staff will assist the member by looking up contract pricing on the specific items to be purchased. In order to take advantage of Value First negotiated pricing, Cost studies do not require any subsequent the member simply signs a purchasing; they simply provide “Participation Agreement” enrolling them into the Value information for members to use in making First database, and then signs a purchasing decisions. Letter of Commitment for the specific vendor(s) they choose to work with. Also, Value First is an entirely free service to our members. Not only are cost studies a free service, there are also no membership fees or charges of any kind. Value First is so flexible that members can use it for all of their purchasing, some or just use it for one-time purchasing. (See Welcome on page 10) 9 Adviser a publication of LeadingAge New York | Summer 2016