Topeka hospitals are looking for savings on the supplies they use every day through broader partnerships. Jan Ferdon, director of supply chain management at Stormont-Vail, said in a statement that the health system was one of the six first members of Mid-American Service Solutions, a purchasing group under Texas-based health company VHA that now includes about 120 Midwestern hospitals and health systems. MSS allows for contracts with larger groups, making it easier for hospitals to negotiate lower bulk rates and to consolidate services like distribution, reducing costs, Ferndon said.
