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In this week’s edition of Healthcare Leadership, a blog maintained by the Journal of Healthcare Contracting , Dan Nielsen, MHA, Founder of the National Institute for Healthcare Leadership, interviewed HIGPA President Curtis Rooney. The two discussed the value of HIGPA, HIGPA’s past successes, and goals for the future.
In discussing the importance of the GPO Safe Harbor, Mr. Rooney states, “the Safe Harbor was enacted so that GPOs could effectively provide hospitals the best products at the best value – a feat we achieve with flying colors, as evidenced by voluntary hospital participation at over 90 percent.” This participation clearly demonstrates the value provided to hospitals—as does this letter signed by almost 600 hospitals and healthcare facilities, nationwide, indicating that GPOs save their facilities money.
Mr. Rooney went on to discuss the role that GPOs have taken in implementing GS1 standards, and the belief that these standards are “key to reducing costs and improving the efficiency of the health care system in the immediate future.” More on this initiative is available through HIGPA’s Committee for Healthcare eStandards, or CHeS, website .
Finally, Mr. Rooney states that the future of HIGPA involves increased value to members, brought about by “carrying the message of savings and efficiency, demonstrating the importance of the GPO industry in the nation’s efforts to reduce costs to the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and implement bar codes and increase efficiencies in the supply chain for hospitals and other health care providers.”
To read the full interview, click here: http://blog.jhconline.com/health-industry-group-purchasing-association-%e2%80%93-strategies-and-value-delivered.html
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