IRVING, Texas, Dec. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- aptitude LLC, the healthcare industry's first online direct contracting market, today announced an agreement with the Northeast Purchasing Coalition (NPC) that will enable more than 100 hospitals in the New England area to execute and manage contracts for medical supplies, devices, and products via the online market.

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While consolidation is a trend in the industry, consensus on how to source supplies for hospitals can be complex.  As a contracting market, aptitude facilitates agreements between hospitals and suppliers, empowering both parties with this direct approach. Cost savings through online contracting as well as the ability to source, bid, execute and monitor contracts more efficiently is compelling to the NPC and are the primary reasons to begin contracting through aptitude. 

"When you look at the pressures on the healthcare industry and the challenges of the future, we felt compelled to be an early adopter of the aptitude platform," said Leanne Todisco, Vice President of Supply Chain Operations for the NPC.  "Through its unique approach, our group stands to benefit from the fact that aptitude can help us contract more efficiently, while also giving us the flexibility to align resources by integrating evidence-based practice with strategic sourcing to deliver the best overall value to the NPC members."    

"We've designed an approach that supports the complex needs of healthcare contracting," said Troy Kirchenbauer, General Manager of aptitude. "Whether it's a hospital, an IDN, or a group of healthcare organizations that come together to source supplies, the common desire is to be able to make informed decisions faster."

The NPC deal gives the 7-month old aptitude its biggest growth spurt to date. There are now more than 500 hospitals representing a combined purchasing power of more than $8 billion that are contracting via aptitude.

"We believe the aptitude platform will deliver a value proposition to both the NPC members and the suppliers," says Pam Scagliarini, Vice President of Supply Chain Management at Yale New Haven Health Services, a member and service provider of the NPC.   "This value proposition is primarily based on automation of the contracting cycle and transparency between the trading partners."

Since aptitude launched in April, the company emphasized its ability to drive innovation in the healthcare supply chain environment by bridging the relationship between hospitals and suppliers. Based on current market conditions, hospitals and suppliers are agreeing to contracts in an average of 38 days with an average savings of 10 to 15 percent.   

Self-contracting represents about 40 percent of healthcare purchasing, a $55 billion spend nationwide. Before online contracting, these agreements often took between six and nine months from proposal to contract.

"As we continue to expand and innovate the healthcare purchasing industry, we think more buyers and sellers will find us to be a viable alternative" Mr. Kirchenbauer said.

About aptitude:
As healthcare's direct contracting market, aptitude LLC is meeting the evolving demands of today's healthcare organizations. Hospitals and suppliers are intrigued by how aptitude re-imagines the contracting model and provides the driving force for a more logical market in which both parties can achieve mutually beneficial, committed purchasing relationships for a better value proposition for both. 

About the NPC:
There are 22 health care systems comprised of more than 100 hospitals that participate in the Northeast Purchasing Coalition, plus an additional 148 physician and clinician offices. Hospitals and healthcare systems include:

SOURCE aptitude LLC