GHX was formed in March 2000 and was built on the premise of providing an open and neutral electronic trading exchange, along with complementary products and services, to improve efficiencies and reduce costs for the healthcare supply chain. A privately held company, GHX is the only electronic trading exchange owned and governed by representatives from both buyers and suppliers of healthcare products and services. While initially founded by some of the largest manufacturers in healthcare, owners of GHX now include manufacturers, distributors, providers (hospitals) and group purchasing organizations (GPO’s), with additional Board representation from independent directors.

GHX in Canada
GHX has achieved the critical mass of participation which industry studies cite as key to driving real efficiencies in the healthcare supply chain.

In Canada, GHX:

• Supports more than 2,500 unique trading partner (healthcare provider-to-supplier) connections
• Has more than 800 provider/hospital sites
• Has over 90 suppliers currently trading through the GHX Exchange

This represents approximately 45% of all hospital beds in Canada. These suppliers provide approximately 70-80% of the medical/surgical items purchased by Canadian hospitals on a regular basis.

Business Model
GHX’s ability to reduce supply chain costs is based on its revenue-neutral business model. GHX’s guiding principles dictate that the company only generates revenues to the level necessary to cover operating expenses and capital for technology improvements. This business model, combined with GHX’s low operating costs, makes it possible for GHX to maintain an intensive focus on quality, while offering services at the lowest cost.

Industry Involvement
GHX is helping to advance healthcare eCommerce by supporting industry standards. As an open and neutral exchange, GHX is well-positioned to work with supply chain constituents utilizing standards that will enable the efficiencies and cost savings promised by eCommerce.  GHX is a founding member and participates on the Board of the Healthcare Supply Chain Network (HSCN) as past Co-Chair and Board member and also participates on the GS1 standards council and eCommerce task force.  

GHX has also created Health ConneXionSM, a GDSN certified data pool. This data pool foundation will help facilitate the adoption of GS1 standards that is being adopted by the Canadian healthcare community.

GHX’s neutral position has facilitated its ability to successfully integrate with various information systems used in healthcare. This integration experience will reduce project risk, speed up implementation and provide your organization with a greater opportunity to maximize the benefits of an invoice automation solution.  Furthermore, GHX has been successful in developing other industry third-party relationships to accommodate adoption and individual customer needs.