As one of the largest group purchasing organizations (GPOs) in the country, MedAssets has helped thousands of hospitals and health systems achieve hundreds of millions of dollars in savings on supply costs. As health systems increasingly look to lower costs in a challenging environment and the nation focuses on healthcare reform under a new Administration, learn how your health system can benefit from GPO cost savings opportunities.

• New Study Finds that GPOs Save Healthcare Industry $36 Billion a Year
  HIGPA recently sponsored a study, which was authored by Dr. Eugene S. Schneller, professor, Arizona State University and principal, Health Care Sector Advances, Inc., of 28 U.S. healthcare systems representing 429 hospitals to measure savings associated with GPOs. Results show that GPOs save the U.S. health care industry $36 billion annually and demonstrate how GPOs are a practical solution to counter mounting costs of healthcare in America. To learn more about the study, visit http://www.gpossavemoney.org/.
• Health Industry Group Purchasing Association
   
• GPOs Support GS1 Standards
  MedAssets has long supported GS1 Healthcare US and the adoption of global standards in the healthcare industry. As a company, we believe establishing and driving the adoption of global standards in healthcare is critical to improving the quality of patient care while driving costs out of the supply chain. MedAssets works closely with our contracted vendors to follow GS1 standards, which include the use of Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs), the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) and Global Location Numbers (GLNs). The Company is currently implementing GLNs and will integrate as vendors can provide the updated information.
  
  For more information:
  GS1 Healthcare
  Committee for Healthcare eStandards (CHeS): It Just Takes One
  
  
• HIGPA CHeS well underway with It Just Takes One campaign
  The GPO members of the Committee for Healthcare e-Standards (CHeS), a committee of HIGPA, launched the It Just Takes One campaign in July to help hospitals validate their locations in the GLN Registry – an important step towards transacting within the GS1 standards regime. Just one validated GLN is all a hospital will need to begin issuing purchase orders electronically under the GS1 standard.  The same efficiencies and accuracy achieved by other sectors with the adoption of GS1 standards can be realized in healthcare.
  
  Just-1 is intended to challenge the perception that validating GLNs and transacting with GS1 is too difficult or requires resources hospital procurement offices don’t currently have. 
  
  Each GPO will reach out to its provider members and schedule individualized walks through the GLN Registry, handing-off the editing role at the end of the session, allowing the hospital to validate their GLNs or “declare readiness” on the GLN Readiness Scorecard.  The GPO will also be positioned to review any next steps the hospital will need to take in order to begin transacting.  While the actual number of GLN entries for a hospital will depend on size and sophistication of its hierarchy within the Registry, Just-1 recognizes that hospitals can begin transacting with just one GLN validated. Just-1 is focused first on the key step of GLN validation.  Once done, GPOs will help with the provider towards transacting, either utilizing its own MMIS or through GHX.
  
  When Just-1 was launched in July, 500 individual provider entities out of 5,500 had declared “readiness” on the GLN Readiness Scorecard.  Our goal has been to double this number.  Today, the scorecard shows 796 providers!  In addition to their commitment to reach out to at least 100 hospitals as called for by Just-1, CHeS member GPOs will also offer workshops for their individual member providers and many will be participating in one of as many as six regional workshops being planned for 2012.
  
  It Just Takes One plan and other resource documents may be found on the CHeS website.