GHX CEO Bruce Johnson to Lead Panel on How Healthcare Reform is Changing Hospital Business Practices

LOUISVILLE, Colo., Sept. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With hospital business requirements changing to meet the demands of healthcare reform, the medical technology industry has a stake in understanding how these changes will affect not only their own businesses, but their customers' as well. To address these issues, GHX President and CEO Bruce Johnson will lead a panel discussion entitled "A Hospital's View of the World in an Era of Healthcare Reform" at the AdvaMed 2011 MedTech Conference, September 26-28 in Washington, D.C.

The panel, scheduled for September 26 from 4:30 p.m.–5:45 p.m., will feature executives from hospital groups and associations who will engage in an informative and interactive dialogue on the impact of healthcare reform and other market factors on hospital operations, purchasing, decision making and day-to-day management. Medical device and diagnostic manufacturers and others in the industry can apply this knowledge in their strategic decision-making processes to better serve customers and gain a competitive edge in the new healthcare economy.

Panelists will include:

• Jackson Bain, Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications, National Association of Children's Hospitals
• Karen Fisher, Senior Director, Association of American Medical Colleges
• Don May, Vice President for Policy, American Hospital Association
• Mary Beth Briscoe, CFO, University of Alabama Medical Center
• Paul Higday, Vice President, Program Development, Owens & Minor

"Every organization in healthcare has a stake in how hospitals develop new systems and processes to meet the demands of healthcare reform," said Johnson. "We at GHX are working to ensure that providers, suppliers, group purchasing organizations and distributors alike understand how today's regulatory and market drivers will impact their interactions with one another, and are prepared to help our customers address these changes in the most efficient and economical manner."

About GHX

Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC (GHX) makes healthcare more efficient by delivering software and services that enable both healthcare providers and suppliers to increase efficiency, lower costs and provide better patient care. With the largest footprint in healthcare supply chain management, GHX connects more than 80 percent of licensed hospital beds at U.S. hospitals, as well as providers in Canada and Europe, with the suppliers from which they purchase the majority of their medical-surgical supplies. GHX is transforming today's linear healthcare supply chain into the industry's only Healthcare Supply Cloud(SM), providing 360-degree visibility into areas affecting both clinical and financial performance. Working with GHX, organizations can improve business processes, automate supply chain systems and collaborate to solve the tough challenges facing healthcare today. GHX is owned by members of the healthcare industry, including Abbott Exchange, Inc.; AmerisourceBergen Corp.; Baxter Healthcare Corp.; B. Braun Medical Inc.; BD; Boston Scientific Corp.; Cardinal Health, Inc.; Covidien; C.R. Bard, Inc.; Thermo Fisher Scientific 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. Follow GHX on Twitter @GHX_LLC and on Facebook @GHX.

SOURCE GHX