WESTMINSTER, Colo. — December 3, 2003 — Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC (GHX) is expanding the technological capabilities of its electronic trading exchange and healthcare industry product content repository to facilitate broader adoption and use of industry standards, while still providing choice for both buyers and sellers. GHX has announced that it will support the two most widely accepted formats for both universal product numbers (UPNs) and customer identifiers managed by either the Healthcare Industry Business Communication Council (HIBCC) or EAN International and the Uniform Code Council (EAN.UCC). With this commitment, healthcare buyers and sellers can be assured that they can select and use their preferred formats for both UPNs and customer identifiers, knowing that GHX will handle any necessary translations (or mapping) between the different formats to facilitate their ability to conduct e-commerce with one another. “Up until now, many members of the healthcare supply chain have delayed adoption of industry standards in their own organizations, waiting instead for the industry as a whole to decide which specific formats to adopt,” says GHX’s Chief Operating Officer Kevin Ruffe. “With support from GHX, buyers and sellers can make decisions now and start using both of these standards in their preferred format in order to drive efficiencies within their own supply chain operations and those of their trading partners.”
“The healthcare industry has been talking about the value of adopting and using industry standards for years, without substantial movement. GHX’s commitment and capabilities provide what we have needed to see real momentum, by eliminating what has been a major barrier for many organizations,” says Nancy LeMaster, vice president, material services, BJC HealthCare. Numerous studies have identified the use of industry standards as key to creating the common language required to drive real efficiencies through e-commerce.
GHX will support both HIBCC’s format for the UPN, known as the Supplier Labeling Standard, and the EAN.UCC System format, which is called the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). Although the two formats use different data structures (HIBCC codes are alphanumeric; EAN.UCC codes are numeric), they are mutually exclusive, enabling products to be uniquely identified. Adoption and use of a single, standard format number for the same product by manufacturers, distributors, and providers improves buyer-seller data synchronization and reduces rework caused by purchase order errors.
A number of healthcare manufacturers participating in GHX have already begun using UPNs to identify their products. Jerry Teichman, e-commerce manager for Guidant Corp., says “GHX is helping facilitate industry-wide usage of UPNs through the creation of the GHX AllSource™ product content repository. With this tool, manufacturers like Guidant have a single location where they can publish and maintain product data in an industry standard format.”
GHX will also support both the HIBCC and EAN.UCC System formats for the customer identification number, referred to as the Health Industry Number (HIN) and the Global Location Number (GLN), respectively. Like the UPNs, these numbers are also unique, but in this case they are used in e-commerce to identify particular locations, departments, and/or legal entities within or associated with specific healthcare providers.
“By being able to select our own unique identifiers for each of our “ship to” locations and facilities, healthcare providers can eliminate the administrative burden of managing literally thousands of customer id numbers assigned to us collectively by our suppliers,” says Tom Stenger, manager, MMIS, BJC HealthCare. “GHX’s commitment to standards, and in particular the customer id, will also help us secure the right product price and credits on our GPO contracts.”
About Global Healthcare Exchange
Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC (GHX) provides an open and neutral electronic trading exchange, along with complementary products and services, through which buyers and sellers can collaborate to improve efficiencies in the healthcare supply chain. GHX’s catalog and content services improve the accuracy of purchasing transactions, reducing many of the most common and costly problems in healthcare procurement, while the privately held company’s revenue neutral business model is designed to lower costs for all involved. GHX’s owners, strategic partners, and trading exchange participants are representative of the entire healthcare supply chain, including manufacturer and distributors; integrated delivery networks (IDNs), hospitals and ancillary healthcare facilities; group purchasing organizations and their proprietary healthcare trading exchanges; and supply chain technology companies. Equity owners of GHX include Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc.; GE Medical Systems; Baxter Healthcare Corp.; Medtronic USA, Inc.; Abbott Exchange, Inc.; Siemens; Becton, Dickinson & Co.; Boston Scientific Corp.; Tyco Healthcare Group, LP; Guidant Corp.; C.R. Bard, Inc.; AmerisourceBergen Corp.; Cardinal Health, Inc.; Fisher Scientific International, Inc.; McKesson Corp.; B Braun Medical Inc.; Premier, Inc. and HCA. For more information visit www.ghx.com.