A growing number of healthcare providers, manufacturers, distributors and group purchasing organizations (GPOs) have chosen the GHX Health ConneXion™ data pool, certified by GS1’s Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN), to synchronize medical-surgical product data. Data synchronization is a critical element of the healthcare industry’s move toward the adoption of standards as a way to help improve patient care, while making the supply chain more efficient and cost-effective.
The only GDSN-certified data pool focused exclusively on healthcare, the GHX Health ConneXion data pool enables suppliers to publish industry-standard product data to the GDSN and share that data with authorized subscribers. This helps assure that any changes to product information made by manufacturers are automatically and immediately available to other authorized organizations.
Among early adopters of the Health ConneXion data pool is Resource Optimization and Innovation (ROi), an operating division of Sisters of Mercy Health System, which serves a seven state area including Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
“Obtaining accurate product information is paramount to executing clean, error-free transactions and ensuring timely deliveries,” said Alex Zimmerman, director of Supply Chain Information at ROi. “Right now we may get information about a product’s packaging contents, unit of measure or catalog number from a supplier’s customer service representative and that information is different from the company Web site or from a distributor. Product recall notification is also a continuing problem. GHX is a key enabler for us, and we are both confident and excited that data synchronization made possible through the Health ConneXion data pool will help resolve these issues and streamline a process we all recognize needs work.”
Distributors also are joining the GHX Health ConneXion. They include Owens & Minor, a leading distributor of national name-brand medical and surgical supplies and a healthcare supply-chain management company.
“The Health ConneXion data pool offers Owens & Minor a cost-effective way to ensure that all our trading partners have access to the most accurate information about our products,” said Rick Mears, senior vice president and chief information officer at Owens & Minor, Inc. “Implementation costs were not significant because we were able to leverage our existing connectivity to the GHX exchange. As more members of the healthcare industry join and actively work to synchronize data and adopt standards, we will begin to see benefits across the entire supply chain.”
The GHX exchange connects a significant percentage of hospitals in North America and in Europe. In the U.S. alone, GHX connects hospitals representing more than 82 percent of the licensed beds with the suppliers from whom they purchase more than 90 percent of their medical-surgical supplies. Healthcare organizations not integrated to GHX can also participate in the Health ConneXion data pool as a standalone service.
Early adopters of the GHX Health ConneXion include:
“GHX believes that expanded use of industry standards will enable greater visibility and collaboration in the healthcare supply chain,” said MJ Wylie, director, Global Data Standardization. “That, in turn, will help build trust among stakeholders, improve efficiencies, and lead to better quality patient care and improved financial performance.”
About GHX As the business hub for healthcare, Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC (GHX) enables healthcare providers and suppliers in North America and Europe to reduce costs and improve margins by automating processes, reducing operating expenses and increasing knowledge-based decision making. Products and services include trading partner connectivity, order and contract management and validation, data synchronization, sales force automation and business intelligence. Equity owners of GHX are Abbott Exchange, Inc.; AmerisourceBergen Corp.; Baxter Healthcare Corp.; B. Braun Medical Inc.; Becton, Dickinson & Co.; Boston Scientific Corp.; Cardinal Health, Inc.; Covidien; C.R. Bard, Inc.; Fisher Scientific International, Inc.; GE Healthcare; HCA; Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc.; McKesson Corp.; Medtronic USA, Inc.; Owens & Minor; Premier, Inc.; Siemens; University HealthSystem Consortium; and VHA Inc. For more information, visit www.ghx.com.