2001 GHX Press Releases

ST. LOUIS, Mo. and WESTMINSTER, Colo.—November 15, 2001—Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC (GHX) and AmeriNet, Inc., the nation’s largest membership-based healthcare group purchasing organization (GPO), have formed a strategic working alliance to provide an efficient electronic environment for healthcare e-commerce. The agreement will offer AmeriNet’s 1,900 hospital members and 12,000 non-acute healthcare site members access to GHX’s supplier network through GHX’s independent, open and neutral Internet-based trading exchange. GHX President Mike Mahoney comments, “We are excited to form this strategic alliance with AmeriNet, a highly respected healthcare leader. This alliance moves GHX closer to our vision of delivering an open and neutral healthcare utility, which creates supply chain savings and furthers the adoption of standards across the industry. This alliance will enable operational efficiencies for AmeriNet, its members, and for manufacturers and distributors. Members of GHX will benefit from more accurate and timely product, pricing, and reporting information, all of which result from GHX’s proven provider connectivity tools and services, the AllSource™ industry catalog, and deep supplier integration.” AmeriNet President Robert Bowen explains AmeriNet’s commitment: “AmeriNet is very pleased and excited to include GHX as a major component of its recommended e-business solutions for its members. The fundamental approach of GHX to consolidate multiple health product manufacturers and distributors into a single exchange is a true model of the efficiencies that can be gained through electronic commerce. AmeriNet has established removing cost from the supply chain as its most important guiding principle in the development of e-business solutions for its members. We believe that encouraging AmeriNet members to consider direct integration with GHX represents the most efficient approach to adopting e-commerce as a fundamental business process. We look forward to working closely with GHX to ensure accurate product price and reporting information exchange between buyers and suppliers, and to dramatically reduce supply chain errors and omissions.” A number of AmeriNet members have already initiated activities with GHX, including Intermountain Health Care (IHC), Salt Lake City. Bruce Clark, assistant vice president of Shared Services for IHC, says, “AmeriNet’s alliance with GHX will ensure that IHC hospitals and other AmeriNet healthcare facilities have enhanced supply chain connectivity and will begin seeing new process efficiencies. Ultimately, this integration between AmeriNet, its members, and distributors and manufacturers will result in better aggregation of data, improved reporting and pricing validation.” The alliance will also integrate buyer and supplier information systems to promote more efficient and accurate data exchange. As a recommended solution for AmeriNet members, GHX will provide access to the industry standard AllSource electronic catalog and all other GHX products and services. These services will include connectivity options that integrate GHX to AmeriNet members’ existing materials management systems. All GHX connectivity solutions provide access to real-time product pricing and availability data, tracking information and aggregated reporting, thereby simplifying the procurement process. About Global Healthcare Exchange GHX is a neutral 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 500 hospital members, representing 62 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. About AmeriNet Founded in 1986, AmeriNet is the largest membership based group purchasing organization (GPO) in the country and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. AmeriNet operates through its three shareholder health care organizations: AmeriNet Central, Intermountain Health Care, Inc. and Vector. It represents 14,315 member facilities in all 50 states, including hospitals, medical group practices, nursing homes, surgery centers, managed care organizations, pharmacies and integrated delivery networks. AmeriNet is an active leader and advocate on issues of cost containment for health care providers on a national level.
Posted on Thursday, November 15, 2001 Posted by host
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