Description
Improving supply chain efficiencies and optimizing the purchasing power of its national network of affiliated physician practices was a recent challenge for Community Health Systems Professional Services Corporation (CHSPSC), the management subsidiary of the second largest acute care hospital chain, Community Health Systems, Inc. (CHS).
The HealthTrust division that provides contract access to non-acute care sites—
AdvantageTrust—teamed up with the management subsidiary of Community
Health Systems to create a one-stop purchasing shop customized for its
afliated practices. The result? Better pricing, higher program utilization and
practice staf that can stay focused on delivering high-quality patient care.
THE CHALLENGE
Improving supply chain efciencies and optimizing the purchasing
power of its national network of afliated physician practices was a
recent challenge for Community Health Systems Professional Services
Corporation (CHSPSC), the management subsidiary of the second
largest acute care hospital chain, Community Health Systems, Inc.
(CHS).
Before 2010, the vast majority of CHS-afliated practices worked
independently to obtain both medical and ofce supplies. Often too
small to have a professional purchasing department or team on site,
the practices tasked their staf—wholly unfamiliar with the complex
world of contracting—with the responsibility of managing what in
many cases amounted to millions of dollars in purchases. As a result,
staf was investing an inordinate amount of time and resources on
supply chain administration and often overpaid for purchases.
THE PROCESS
In 2010, CHSPSC teamed up with AdvantageTrust, a division of HealthTrust,
the healthcare industry’s leading group purchasing organization. Serving as a
one-stop shop for contracted suppliers, AdvantageTrust created a Web portal
branded speci?cally for CHS-afliated practices. Starting out with just 10 entries,
the portal now includes more than 80 feature vendor pages for HealthTrust and
CLIENT
Community Health Systems, Inc.
FACILITY TYPE
Large, publicly traded
hospital company
Owns, operates or leases
135 hospitals in 29 states
through its subsidiaries
Approximately 20,000
licensed beds and more
than 1,300 afliated medical
clinics nationwide
LOCATION
Based in Franklin, Tenn.
SPECIALITIES
Managing hospitals that are
the sole provider of healthcare
services in a market and providing
management and consulting
services to afliated practices
Purchasing Portal Extends Best Pricing
to Afliated Physicians
| Purchasing Power for Healthcare | healthtrustpg.com
CASE STUDY AdvantageTrust | CHS
CHSPSC contracted vendors, several of which ofer a “quick signup” option to
assist practice managers in contacting vendors and establishing contract-level
accounts.
Users can customize their searches by product or vendor and the portal
displays only those products and services relevant to the ambulatory care class
of trade. AdvantageTrust communicates contract information in common-
sense language so staf members can quickly understand agreements,
contract changes, special price oferings and employee discount opportunities
highlighted on the home page.
Ongoing communication and consultation keep the practice staf up to date
on any contract changes. Customized promotions and newsletters encourage
physician/clinic participation and portal usage. Quarterly conference calls
provide an open forum to review program performance, explain new contracts
and discuss other issues.
THE RESULTS
• By joining AdvantageTrust, CHS-afliated practices gained immediate
access to the industry-best pricing achieved by leveraging the purchasing power
of HealthTrust.
• Using a conservative estimate, CHS-afliated physician practices reported
an average 8 percent savings (with some member clinics reporting a
higher percentage). Program utilization continues to grow; since the initial
implementation in 2010, the number of portal users has more than tripled.
• With the AdvantageTrust relationship in place, practice staf can stay focused on
their primary mission: delivering excellence in patient care.
AdvantageTrust’s medical supply and pharmaceutical partners specialize in
serving non-acute market segments, ofering ?xed distributor markups, low units
of measure and timely committed schedules for delivery.
© 2013 HealthTrust. All rights reserved.
The
AdvantageTrust
purchasing point portal has
quickly become a valuable
resource for our physician
practices. Our practice
managers can easily access
the site to connect with
contracted vendors, set up
accounts, view contract
details and more. With the
help of the AdvantageTrust
team, we were able to
customize the site to the
needs of our practices,
featuring those vendors
that would bring them the
most value, while providing
them with assurance that
their purchases would
be compliant with both
corporate and hospital
policies.”
— Barbara Wilson, manager of
Physician Practice Purchasing,
Community Health Systems
Professional Services Corporation
Contact us for details on how
your facilities can become part
of AdvantageTrust:
866.841.2992
memberservices@
advantagetrustpg.com
www.advantagetrustpg.com
CASE STUDY AdvantageTrust | CHS
| Solutions for Total Cost Management | healthtrustpg.com
© 2013 HealthTrust. All rights reserved.
doc_319892086.pdf
Improving supply chain efficiencies and optimizing the purchasing power of its national network of affiliated physician practices was a recent challenge for Community Health Systems Professional Services Corporation (CHSPSC), the management subsidiary of the second largest acute care hospital chain, Community Health Systems, Inc. (CHS).
The HealthTrust division that provides contract access to non-acute care sites—
AdvantageTrust—teamed up with the management subsidiary of Community
Health Systems to create a one-stop purchasing shop customized for its
afliated practices. The result? Better pricing, higher program utilization and
practice staf that can stay focused on delivering high-quality patient care.
THE CHALLENGE
Improving supply chain efciencies and optimizing the purchasing
power of its national network of afliated physician practices was a
recent challenge for Community Health Systems Professional Services
Corporation (CHSPSC), the management subsidiary of the second
largest acute care hospital chain, Community Health Systems, Inc.
(CHS).
Before 2010, the vast majority of CHS-afliated practices worked
independently to obtain both medical and ofce supplies. Often too
small to have a professional purchasing department or team on site,
the practices tasked their staf—wholly unfamiliar with the complex
world of contracting—with the responsibility of managing what in
many cases amounted to millions of dollars in purchases. As a result,
staf was investing an inordinate amount of time and resources on
supply chain administration and often overpaid for purchases.
THE PROCESS
In 2010, CHSPSC teamed up with AdvantageTrust, a division of HealthTrust,
the healthcare industry’s leading group purchasing organization. Serving as a
one-stop shop for contracted suppliers, AdvantageTrust created a Web portal
branded speci?cally for CHS-afliated practices. Starting out with just 10 entries,
the portal now includes more than 80 feature vendor pages for HealthTrust and
CLIENT
Community Health Systems, Inc.
FACILITY TYPE
Large, publicly traded
hospital company
Owns, operates or leases
135 hospitals in 29 states
through its subsidiaries
Approximately 20,000
licensed beds and more
than 1,300 afliated medical
clinics nationwide
LOCATION
Based in Franklin, Tenn.
SPECIALITIES
Managing hospitals that are
the sole provider of healthcare
services in a market and providing
management and consulting
services to afliated practices
Purchasing Portal Extends Best Pricing
to Afliated Physicians
| Purchasing Power for Healthcare | healthtrustpg.com
CASE STUDY AdvantageTrust | CHS
CHSPSC contracted vendors, several of which ofer a “quick signup” option to
assist practice managers in contacting vendors and establishing contract-level
accounts.
Users can customize their searches by product or vendor and the portal
displays only those products and services relevant to the ambulatory care class
of trade. AdvantageTrust communicates contract information in common-
sense language so staf members can quickly understand agreements,
contract changes, special price oferings and employee discount opportunities
highlighted on the home page.
Ongoing communication and consultation keep the practice staf up to date
on any contract changes. Customized promotions and newsletters encourage
physician/clinic participation and portal usage. Quarterly conference calls
provide an open forum to review program performance, explain new contracts
and discuss other issues.
THE RESULTS
• By joining AdvantageTrust, CHS-afliated practices gained immediate
access to the industry-best pricing achieved by leveraging the purchasing power
of HealthTrust.
• Using a conservative estimate, CHS-afliated physician practices reported
an average 8 percent savings (with some member clinics reporting a
higher percentage). Program utilization continues to grow; since the initial
implementation in 2010, the number of portal users has more than tripled.
• With the AdvantageTrust relationship in place, practice staf can stay focused on
their primary mission: delivering excellence in patient care.
AdvantageTrust’s medical supply and pharmaceutical partners specialize in
serving non-acute market segments, ofering ?xed distributor markups, low units
of measure and timely committed schedules for delivery.
© 2013 HealthTrust. All rights reserved.
The
AdvantageTrust
purchasing point portal has
quickly become a valuable
resource for our physician
practices. Our practice
managers can easily access
the site to connect with
contracted vendors, set up
accounts, view contract
details and more. With the
help of the AdvantageTrust
team, we were able to
customize the site to the
needs of our practices,
featuring those vendors
that would bring them the
most value, while providing
them with assurance that
their purchases would
be compliant with both
corporate and hospital
policies.”
— Barbara Wilson, manager of
Physician Practice Purchasing,
Community Health Systems
Professional Services Corporation
Contact us for details on how
your facilities can become part
of AdvantageTrust:
866.841.2992
memberservices@
advantagetrustpg.com
www.advantagetrustpg.com
CASE STUDY AdvantageTrust | CHS
| Solutions for Total Cost Management | healthtrustpg.com
© 2013 HealthTrust. All rights reserved.
doc_319892086.pdf