The nonprofit research and quality analysis institute lauds the winning health systems "for their industry-leading approaches to healthcare supply chain and value analysis."
ECRI Institute on Monday announced the winners of its 2017 Healthcare Supply Chain Achievement Award, which honors healthcare organizations that demonstrate excellence in overall spend management and in adopting best practice solutions in their supply chain processes.
The winners, selected from nearly 3,000 members nationwide, are:
- Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Greenville Health System, Greenville, SC
- Huntington Hospital, Pasadena, CA
- Inova Health System, Falls Church, VA
- Jefferson Health, Philadelphia, PA
- MaineHealth, Portland, ME
- Mercy Medical Center, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids, IA
- UAB Medicine, Birmingham, AL
- UC Health, Oakland, CA
- University of Maryland Medical System, Baltimore, MD
- WellStar Health System, Marietta, GA
The evaluation process is based on an analysis of each organization's purchase order history and supply chain initiatives that included ongoing and consistent spend management and market analytics efforts for all medical devices, including capital medical equipment, supplies, physician preference items, service contracts, reagents, and others, Plymouth Meeting, PA-based ECRI said in a media release.
Hopkins-Allegheny Network Links Quality of Care, Supply Chain
"In our review of potential candidates, we sought hospitals and healthcare systems that had exemplary use of ECRI Institute services and reflected a pattern that does not focus solely on cost, but equally weighs quality and outcomes in each procurement decision," Timothy Browne, director of ECRI Institute's PriceGuide service, said in a media release announcing the winners.
CMS Warns Greenville Memorial
The award could serve as a timely distraction for Greenville Health System. Last week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a public notice that GHS's Greenville Memorial Hospital would lose its Medicare and Medicaid funding by mid-month because of compliance problems in the emergency department.
Scott Sasser, MD, chair of emergency medicine at GHS, offered assurances that the problems cited by CMS would be corrected.
"We have been working diligently on an action plan, and I am proud to say that nearly all action plan items have been initiated as of March 29, 2017," Sasser said in an "open letter to patients" that was posted on the health system's website.
"We feel confident that CMS will find the plan—and its implementation—satisfactory before the April 16, 2017 deadline. Again, we do not anticipate any interruptions in patient care during this time period."
John Commins is the news editor for HealthLeaders.