Rural Health Agreement Aims to Save Money
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Rural Health Association has signed a group purchasing agreement. The deal also involves access to Louisville-based Alliant Purchasing LLC's supply chain management services. August 5, 2013
News Release
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Rising healthcare costs, changes in federal reimbursement, and increasing demand for hospitals to do more with less is impacting the financial health and well-being of Indiana hospitals and healthcare practices in rural Indiana. To help combat these challenges, the Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) and Alliant Purchasing, LLC, announced today a new partnership providing members of the Indiana Statewide Rural Health Network (InSRHN) and their communities, as well as organizational members, access to the group purchasing and supply chain management programs of Alliant Purchasing.
IRHA members joining Alliant Purchasing through this arrangement gain access to a comprehensive national portfolio of supply and service agreements through the Premier Healthcare Alliance and the regional agreements developed by Alliant. Under this agreement and as a member of IRHA, Alliant will support the Association in many ways, including participation in their annual conference and various other IRHA activities.
Don Kelso, President of IRHA, stated: “IRHA is very pleased to bring Alliant Purchasing to our members and their communities. Some of our current members have already been using their services and have enjoyed excellent savings. Finding the best value during these increasingly challenging times is a primary goal of IRHA. Being able to do this and by adding a strong and supportive partner as Alliant Purchasing will be a win-win situation.”
“With Premier being the nation's largest healthcare alliance, our members will have the opportunity to work alongside 2,600 other member hospitals across the country. They represent $43 Billion in group purchasing volume and had an impressive $4.2 Billion in savings in 2011. Our facilities work to improve the health of the communities they provide for each day, and this aligns perfectly with the Premier mission,” noted Kelso.
“We are very excited about the opportunity this arrangement affords both organizations,” said Joe Broyles, President of Alliant Purchasing. “We excel at servicing smaller, primarily rural healthcare facilities and meeting their unique needs. Our company provides exceptional opportunities for maximizing savings by aggregating volume to attain contract pricing tiers otherwise unattainable by the small to medium-sized facilities comprising IRHA.”
About Indiana Rural Health Association
Indiana Rural Health Association was organized in 1997 and is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance the health and well-being of rural populations in Indiana. Its membership is made up of acute care and other healthcare providers located in rural communities in Indiana. IRHA membership is made up of 2,600 diverse individuals and organizations, making it the largest statewide rural health association in the nation, and a nationally recognized leader in rural health care. http://www.indianaruralhealth.org/
About Alliant Purchasing, LLC
Louisville-based Alliant is a purchasing and vendor-service cooperative owned jointly by accounting/advisory firm Blue & Co. LLC and Norton Healthcare Inc., a Louisville-based hospital operator. Alliant serves approximately 7,000 members in 48 states. It provides clients with access to vendor contracts for medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, food programs, and service agreements of Premier, Inc.
About the Premier healthcare alliance, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
Premier is one of the nation's largest performance improvement alliances of approximately 2,900 U.S. community hospitals and 100,000 alternate sites using the power of collaboration and technology to lead the transformation to coordinated, high-quality, cost-effective care. Owned by healthcare providers, Premier operates a leading purchasing network that provided members more than $5 billion in savings in FY2012. Premier also maintains clinical, financial and outcomes databases based on 1 in every 4 patient discharges. A world leader in measurably improving patient care, Premier has one of the largest performance improvement collaboratives in America, including one in partnership with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier also has an office in Washington. https://www.premierinc.com. Stay connected with Premier on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Source: Indiana Rural Health Association