Why Spreadsheets Fail in Healthcare Value Analysis (and What to Do Instead)

Imagine trying to run a modern healthcare value analysis and supply chain processes with the same tools you’d use to run a college football pool or track your weight loss goals.

In most cases, that’s where we are.

Hospitals and healthcare systems across the country – multi-million dollar operations responsible for the well-being and health of many lives are still managing their value analysis processes with spreadsheets and email threads. It’s a bit like performing surgery with gardening tools. Technically possible. But you wouldn’t want to be the patient.
Let’s break it down.

The Spreadsheet Fallacy

Spreadsheets are the zombies of administrative tools: lifeless relics that refuse to stay buried, stumbling forward decade after decade while draining the energy of anyone who has to deal with them.
But here’s the truth: they were never designed for complex, collaborative, multi-stakeholder decision-making. And yet they persist. Why?

• • Cost? Sure, they’re “free.” Until they’re not.
  • Familiarity? Everyone knows Excel. But knowing how to use a wrench doesn’t make it the right tool for fixing a jet engine.
  • Inertia? Bingo.

Here’s what spreadsheets actually cost you in a value analysis context:

• • Visibility? Gone. Can’t track what you can’t see.
  • Version control? Ha. “Final_Final_FINAL_v3_UPDATED” is not a governance strategy
  • Collaboration? Laughable. Email threads belong in a museum.
  • Time? Wasted. Entire teams chasing updates rather than acting on them.

The Opportunity Cost of Staying Manual

Now think systemically: every hour spent fiddling with formatting, reconciling conflicting edits, or digging for the latest file is an hour not spent making smarter, faster decisions.

That’s an opportunity cost. And in healthcare, that cost has real financial, operational, and clinical consequences.

Enter VAMS: Value Analysis in the 21st Century

What if your value analysis process actually worked like a system? That’s what VAMS does. It doesn’t just replace spreadsheets. It redefines the entire process.

• • A single source of truth for all supply chain and value analysis work.
  • Dashboards that show you what’s happening—right now, in real time.
  • Custom workflows that match your process, not someone else’s idea of what it should be.
  • Automated reminders, collaboration tools, and documentation standards baked in.

Not to mention: no extra fees for customization. You’re not punished for needing flexibility. You’re rewarded for it.

So What’s the Play?

You can’t lead a modern supply chain using legacy tools. You can’t make sound decisions with outdated systems. And you can’t pretend that the cost of inefficiency is “just part of the job.”

It’s not.

You have a choice: Keep managing chaos. Or start managing with clarity.

The first step? Ditch the spreadsheets. Choose software that respects your time and multiplies your impact.

Discover the power of VAMS®—click the Request a Demo button below to get started.