Category Archives: Supply Chains
Novation’s Aptitude Launches Today –One Approach to Solving the Local Contracting Problem
Roughly ten days ago, we reported on Novation’s formation of a new company, called Aptitude, that will offer hospitals and other providers an online platform to negotiate custom contracts for medical supplies and services. Aptitude will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Novation and its services will be available to all comers, not just existing members of its GPO network –surely an enlightened decision that directly addresses a well-known gap in terms of the current contracting solutions coverage provided by most GPOs.Indeed, I’ll soon be posting information about a alternative approach and solution that will be offered by MedAssets. [...]
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Healthcare Reform and an Epidemic of Hospital Closings in Poor Communities –An Intended Consequence?
I ran across the following story in a Brooklyn, NY newspaper, posted by the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. It’s an interesting read as it points out a reality in New York that is being mirrored all across the United States. In economically depressed communities in most every major city, hospitals are closing at an ever-increasing and alarming rate. In fact, and for what many regard as an unintended consequence of the Affordable Care Act, the promise of millions of newly insured entering the system is accelerating this closing trend, instead of reversing it. Jim Anderson, a correspondent [...]
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New OEM Surgical Imaging Platform Promises To Revolutionize Endoscopic Device Market
Sanovas Inc., a life science technology company specializing in the development and commercialization of micro-invasive diagnostics, devices and drug delivery technologies, announced today the launch of MicroCam™, a new OEM “Plug & Play” micro imaging platform for endoscopic device applications. The technology features proprietary software, electronics, sensors and optics that can provide autonomous imaging capability to most any surgical instrument. Sanovas will offer its imaging technology for integration with medical device makers’ existing portfolios; enabling them to improve their products clinical capabilities, enhance their product offerings and increase their competitive advantage. The system was developed to evolve and, eventually displace large, cumbersome [...]
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Premier & Phytel Partner to Provide More Comprehensive Ambulatory Care Solutions
Premier has partnered with Phytel to more fully automate population health services. The partnership enables a more comprehensive population health suite allowing providers to manage patient care more efficiently, with better understanding of outcomes and total cost. The solution uses predictive analytics to profile an entire population, not just those who have been treated. The intelligence garnered can more effectively support emerging care delivery and risk management models as providers participating in accountable care organizations (ACOs) are reimbursed based on quality and cost overall. Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO participant Thomas Auer, MD, CEO of Bon Secours Virginia Medical Group, [...]
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Can Unique Device Identification Improve the Patient Experience?
Healthcare Matters would like to welcome the following guest post from Rob Leibrandt. Rob is the Senior Market Manager at Camcode, makers of UDI Labels for Medical Equipment. Unique Device Identification (UDI) is critically important in the healthcare system. In July 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule (http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=FDA-2011-N-0090-0001) that would phase in, by device classes, requirements for medical devices to carry a unique device identifier. The benefits to implementing such a requirement include more accurate reporting and tracking of adverse events, more rapid identification of problems with specific products, better control over product recalls and improved patient [...]
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The GPO Business Model Continues to Evolve –SCM Applications Taking the Lead
Novation has formed a new company that will offer hospitals and other providers an online platform to negotiate custom contracts for medical supplies. The new company, called Aptitude, will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary –and its services will be available to all comers, not just members of its GPO network. Such enlightened reasoning is becoming increasingly pervasive among the largest GPOs who are all starting to recognize that growth (in terms of market share) is difficult to achieve with an “all or nothing” mindset. According to an article that just appeared in Modern Healthcare yesterday, “Aptitude executives say the [...]
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MedAssets Partners with SAP/Ariba –The eCommerce Competitive Landscape Just Changed
MedAssets, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDAS) today announced a multi-year strategic partnership with Ariba (recently purchased by SAP) that significantly expands MedAssets’ industry-leading supply chain management and outsourced procurement capabilities. The goal of the partnership is to offer healthcare providers and suppliers the industry’s most comprehensive electronic commerce platform, including requisition to purchase order (PO) transmission, shipment notification, invoice transmission and reconciliation workflow automation, expense posting, supplier payment and early-pay discount solutions. More from the Press Release: Through this partnership, healthcare providers will be able to conduct fully automated e-commerce with the nearly one million companies connected to the Ariba® Network through [...]
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GHX Surpasses $3 Billion Savings Milestone –Just in Time to Celebrate at This Year’s Supply Chain Summit
GHX is back in the news, celebrating its recent achievement –eclipsing the $3 billion mark on a well-publicized savings goal of $5 billion. It’s known as its 5 in 5 program ($5 billion in cost elimination –not cost shifting– over 5 years) and the company has every reason to be proud of this latest milestone. GHX is a high profile advocate for supply chain collaboration and transparency. As the second largest and fastest growing expense for healthcare organizations, the supply chain is both a challenge and major opportunity for healthcare firms. That is why a large focus of the company’s [...]
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Breaking: Intermountain Settles Stark Statute and False Claims Case for $25.5 Million
Intermountain Health Care Inc. has agreed to pay the United States $25.5 million to settle claims that it violated the Stark Statute and the False Claims Act by engaging in improper financial relationships with referring physicians, the Justice Department announced today. Intermountain operates the largest health system in the state of Utah. The Stark Statute restricts the financial relationships that hospitals may have with doctors who refer patients to them. The relationships at issue in this matter that the United States alleged were prohibited by the Stark Statute included employment agreements under which the physicians received bonuses that improperly [...]
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Baylor Selects Prodigo Solutions’ eMarketplace
Baylor Health Care System announced today that it has selected Prodigo Solutions to be its e-commerce solution provider. Prodigo’s suite of e-commerce products is competitive with solutions provided by Ariba, BravoSolution, GHX, SciQuest, and the other usual suspects, but unlike most (with GHX being the obvious exception), it does have an exchange offering in the wings. ProdigoExchange competes directly with GHX. The company is banking on its acceptance to propel it to the next level –a level where Prodigo envisions its community of users fully aggregated from a demand perspective, competitively bidding that demand and frankly, operating not unlike a [...]
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Banner Health Announces SCM Savings of $226 million
$226 million in realized savings. That’s a big number. Over the last 5 years, Phoenix-based Banner Health and Premier have “gone for it” together and generated the kind of game changing result that frankly, provider CEOs who still don’t get it find hard to believe. So it shouldn’t be much of a wonder that Banner recently re-confirmed its 12-year relationship with Premier. “In our years as an owner of Premier, we’ve been collaborating closely with other alliance members to develop innovative solutions to the challenges being faced in healthcare,” said Peter S. Fine, FACHE, president and CEO of Banner Health. [...]
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Michigan Blues get Governor’s Reprieve
The U.S. DOJ and the state of Michigan have asked the U.S. District Court in Detroit to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit filed against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) over its use of “most-favored nation” clauses in some of its hospital contracts. The lawsuit alleged that BCBSM pushed some hospitals into signing contracts with clauses that required them to charge higher prices to competing health insurers. If you aren’t yet properly nauseated, read on. In a motion filed jointly with BCBSM, the parties agreed that injunctive relief is no longer necessary, however, because legislation signed into law this month [...]
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Catholic Health Partners Joins Premier’s Population Health Collaborative (PACT)
Catholic Health Partners (CHP) has joined the Premier healthcare alliance’s population health collaborative. Premier’s PACT™ Population Health Collaborative unites providers engaging in accountable care organizations (ACOs) to share knowledge and best practices, while measuring and benchmarking care with integrated patient data. Current membership includes 79 health systems across 40 states that represent 25 active ACOs. According to the press announcement, “to provide coordinated, accountable care, health systems need a better understanding of patient outcomes and total cost, including care delivered beyond the four walls of the care setting. Providers demonstrating these capabilities today are well on their way to adapting in [...]
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UPMC Puts On a Clinic on How to Handle Tax Exempt Challenge
If Pittsburgh’s mayor, Luke Ravenstahl, and the other involved elected officials from Western Pennsylvania want UPMC to cough up some if its cash, they would be better served to develop a more enlightened approach. Challenging the healthcare giant’s tax-exempt status by recycling tired arguments about excessive executive compensation and UPMC’s focus on profits isn’t going to get it done. The mayor wants UPMC to pay property and payroll taxes because the city needs the cash –it’s that simple. But instead of making a deal, the city’s elected officials have taken a well-worn low road, choosing to ignore the fact that [...]
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Premier Launches Healthcare Innovators Collaborative
To help life sciences organizations better understand ever-evolving healthcare delivery, measurement, financing and risk, the Premier healthcare alliance has launched the Healthcare Innovators Collaborative. The collaborative shares knowledge from health systems nationwide that are implementing accountable care organizations (ACOs), as well as Premier research on care coordination, new payment models, resource utilization and more. Five pioneering organizations specializing in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, laboratory and more have already joined the collaborative, including: ARUP Laboratories Inc., Salt Lake City; Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Baxter, Deerfield, Ill.; Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis; Integrated Healing Technologies LLC; and Johnson & Johnson Health Care [...]
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California –Just 1 of 36 U.S. States to Earn a D or F in Pricing Transparency
According to two studies conducted independently by Catalysts For Payment Reform and Healthcare Incentives Improvement Institute, 36 U.S. states are getting a failing grade when it comes to healthcare consumer pricing transparency. But for just a moment, forget about how many U.S. states are stinking up the joint. Wouldn’t we all be better off if the government officials responsible for “improving” this situation were being graded for their performance? Obviously, their efforts are failing so miserably that it begs us to consider if their ineptitude is intentional. Indeed, there are so many ironies related to the system’s persistent ability to [...]
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- Healthcare in the Cloud: Forecast Still Hazy : HIMSS 2013: Top Takeaways Gathering Clouds said: [...] to David McCament’s mind, the future of healthcare cloud is not so clear. In a gue... more
- Time Definite Logistics –MNX Expands Global Network and Adds Track & Trace : Daniel said: Everything is very open with a precise description of the issues. It was definitely inform... more
- Varian Runs a “Clinic” in Effective Lobbying –Harry Reid Rides Shotgun : Thomas Finn said: Thanks for your comment Bo. I do not fully comprehend the differences between the two opti... more
- Varian Runs a “Clinic” in Effective Lobbying –Harry Reid Rides Shotgun : Barton 'Bo' Cooke said: Tom, you nailed it. This rider, put in at the last minute and was rushed into the Congres... more
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