2001 GHX Press Releases

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. and WESTMINSTER, Colo.-August 9, 2001-Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is the first Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC (GHX) member to announce plans to integrate to the exchange through GHX Connect™, GHX's adapter strategy. Integration work has begun and is expected to be complete during Q3 2001. The hospital will use GHX Connect™ to connect to Robert Wood Johnson's legacy enterprise resource planning (ERP) system built by Enterprise Systems, Inc. (ESI). By connecting to GHX, Robert Wood Johnson will streamline its procurement process, improving the efficiency of its supply chain practices. Robert Wood Johnson, as one of the original GHX pilot sites, has been using GHX Axiom™, GHX's stand-alone browser interface, since late 2000. The GHX Axiom tool provided Robert Wood Johnson with the ability to access real-time product pricing and availability data from GHX's suppliers, simplifying order placement. Now that GHX Connect is available, Robert Wood Johnson is upgrading to the more direct integration provided by the ESI adapter. "Through GHX Connect, we will have deeper connectivity to the medical suppliers we have been working with for years," said Jeff Welch, director of materials management at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. "The new adapter will allow us to place orders through our existing ERP system and have them routed through GHX’s MemberSource™ Exchange Platform to their broad supplier membership. We will not only save money by streamlining our procurement process, but also because we won't have to retrain our employees to use a new system." Thanks to GHX's comprehensive AllSource™ Catalog and deep connectivity to suppliers, Robert Wood Johnson will receive real-time product availability and pricing data, tracking information, and aggregated reporting information, and will be able to significantly reduce the time spent on invoice reconciliation. GHX is an Internet-based trading exchange that is building a normalized, verified, industry standard catalog from which hospitals can purchase both medical and non-medical products. In addition to connecting through GHX Connect, the customized adapter, GHX healthcare provider members can also integrate with GHX through its channel partner program, GHX Advantage™. Through a channel partner relationship, GHX works together with individual ERP and MMIS system vendors (including Lawson and Omnicell) to create integrated connectivity for hospitals and IDNs, which is mutually maintained and supported by both groups. Alternatively, healthcare facilities with little or no MMIS functionality can connect to GHX using GHX Axiom, GHX’s stand-alone browser interface. Ultimately, GHX's industry standard catalog and flexible connectivity options will make it easier, faster and less expensive for healthcare organizations to conduct business. GHX Connect will enable GHX to connect to virtually any hospital in the world, because it will enable GHX to connect to nearly every ERP or MMIS system currently in use. For Robert Wood Johnson, GHX is building an adapter that can translate files from the ESI ERP into GHX's networking language, GHXml. By using GHX's adapter, Robert Wood Johnson is able to leverage and extend its existing MMIS investment, and avoid significant retraining time because employees are able to use the same interface they are already trained on. "Working with a widely used ERP system like ESI is a great opportunity for us to demonstrate the value of our connectivity strategies and core functionality," said GHX President Mike Mahoney. "We expect Robert Wood Johnson to quickly realize improvements in its procurement process, and we expect that result to be duplicated as we build different versions of GHX Connect to integrate with other ERP systems." About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, one of the nation's leading academic health centers, is the principal hospital for UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Health System & Network. For more information, please call the hospital's main phone number at 732-828-3000, the RWJUH Physician Referral Line at 888-795-8411 or visit www.rwjeh.edu About Global Healthcare Exchange Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC (GHX) is an Internet-based trading exchange from which hospitals can purchase both medical and non-medical products more easily, quickly, and accurately than ever before. GHX is building a normalized, verified industry standard catalog, which will take advantage of deep connectivity between GHX, hospitals, and suppliers to improve efficiencies and add value throughout the healthcare supply chain. The privately held company was founded in March 2000 and its membership now includes more than 100 supplier members and more than 380 hospital members, representing 56 integrated delivery networks (IDNs). Equity members of GHX include Johnson & Johnson; GE Medical Systems; Baxter International, Inc.; Abbott Laboratories; Medtronic, Inc.; Becton, Dickinson & Co.; Boston Scientific Corporation; C.R. Bard, Inc.; Guidant Corporation; Siemens Medical Solutions and Tyco International, Ltd. For more information visit www.ghx.com Contact Cheryl Flury Global Healthcare Exchange Director of Marketing 720.887.7000 For Global Healthcare Exchange Lisa Miller or Jason Rodman BRW LeGrand 303.298.8470 lmiller@brwlegrand.com For Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Jeff Welch Director, Materials Management 732.937.8830 Jeff.Welch@rwjuh.edu
Posted on Thursday, August 09, 2001 Posted by host
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