Savannah, GA, August 7, 2025 – In today’s rapidly changing health care landscape, collaboration is key to balancing patient care with financial sustainability. UNC Health Rex Hospital, located at 4420 Lake Boone Trail, Raleigh, NC, exemplified this principle through its recent collaboration with Avery Reale, Surgical Sales Specialist, NC & SC, Brasseler Surgical. Together, they identified and converted a suite of orthopedic cutting accessories* to Brasseler Surgical products, achieving a significant system-wide cost savings.
Strategic Partnership
The joint effort between UNC Health Rex Hospital and Brasseler Surgical demonstrates the power of strategic partnerships in health care. By carefully evaluating the hospital’s supply chain and leveraging the expertise of Brasseler Surgical, the team identified cost-effective solutions that maintained uncompromising quality.
These savings were realized by converting to Brasseler Surgical’s orthopedic cutting accessories, which met the high standards of quality and performance required for orthopedic procedures while reducing costs. Also, a significant portion of Brasseler Surgical’s products are manufactured in Savannah which reinforces UNC Health Rex’s commitment to supporting local businesses and communities. This outcome underscored the importance of aligning clinical and operational goals to drive value for patients and health care systems alike.
Recognizing Excellence
The success of this initiative was celebrated with the presentation of UNC Health Rex’s 2024 Cost Savings Award to Dr. David McNabb, Orthopedic Surgeon, and Kelsie Ammons, BSN, RN, CNOR, Orthopedic and Anesthesia Service Coordinator. Their leadership and commitment to innovation played a pivotal role in realizing these substantial savings.
Kelsie Ammons emphasized the hospital’s commitment to cost efficiency, stating, “Rex wanted to show surgeons they care about cost savings and to bring ideas forward.” Her words highlight the broader vision of UNC Health Rex Hospital: fostering a culture where surgeons and staff feel empowered to contribute ideas that enhance efficiency and sustainability.
Financial Impact of the UNC Rex-Brasseler Surgical Initiative
This cooperation reinforced how health care organizations can achieve significant financial benefits through thoughtful collaboration with suppliers. By working closely with Brasseler Surgical, UNC Health Rex Hospital demonstrated its ability to innovate while maintaining clinical excellence.
These savings help bolster the financial health of the UNC Health System, enabling reinvestment in patient care, staff development, and advanced medical technologies.
Model for Future Initiatives
The UNC Rex-Brasseler Initiative sets a benchmark for other health care organizations aiming to navigate the challenges of rising costs. The approach emphasizes:
- Engaging frontline staff and clinicians in cost-saving discussions.
- Partnering with suppliers to identify value-driven solutions.
- Recognizing and celebrating achievements to inspire further innovation.
“The collaboration between UNC Health Rex Hospital and Brasseler Surgical is a testament to the power of collaboration in health care,” said Andrew Gibbons, Executive Director and General Manager of Brasseler Surgical. “By aligning shared goals and leveraging expertise, together we achieved a win-win outcome that benefits both patients and the organization. As health care systems continue to face financial pressures, initiatives like this serve as a reminder that innovation, teamwork, and a commitment to excellence can drive meaningful change.”
Please contact your local Brasseler Surgical representative to learn more about this and additional cost-saving opportunities. In the Carolinas, please contact Avery Reale, [email protected]. To use Brasseler Surgical’s Rep Finder, please visit: https://brasselerusamedical.com/contact-us/.
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About Brasseler:
Brasseler USA Surgical manufactures and distributes a comprehensive line of proprietary and replacement orthopedic surgical products. For more than 45 years, Brasseler USA has been an industry leader in medical instrumentation providing solutions that meet the high performance and high-quality criteria surgeons demand at competitive prices.
*Brasseler’s product portfolio features large and small bone blades, telescoping burs, K-wires, Steinmann pins, guide wires, twist drills, sterilization trays, orthopedic pin and drill packs, and a growing range of surgical revision products. Driving cost savings for UNC Health were Brasseler’s flagship large bone blades.