What does my hospital offer a group purchasing association?
In the past, group purchasing organizations sought to sign up as many hospitals as possible. The purchasing power of these organizations is often quite impressive. However, unless these groups enhance market share for the manufacturers, they cannot expect significant price breaks. The quality, compliance, of the group is, therefore, as important as the membership numbers. The author details quality assessment criteria for members of group purchasing organizations and recommends their review by both members and non-members alike. This assessment focusing on both internal and external factors will indicate the hospital's value to a purchasing group and, by extension, the material manager's benefit to the hospital.
D006755:Hospital Shared Services / Q000592:standards*; D008421:Materials Management, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011682:Purchasing, Hospital / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States