Three Top Healthcare Supply Chain Executives to Present Winning Strategies

LOUISVILLE, Colo., March 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Senior executives from the top three healthcare organizations on Gartner's "The Healthcare Supply Chain Top 25 for 2010"* will reveal the strategies their companies leveraged to become industry supply chain leaders, along with the benefits to their organizations in this time of healthcare reform, during a keynote panel discussion at the GHX Healthcare Supply Chain Summit.

Craig Smith, president and CEO, Owens & Minor; Michelle DeJonge, vice president, Global Supply Chain, Medical Device and Diagnostics, Johnson & Johnson; and Vance Moore, president and CEO, Resource Optimization & Integration (ROi), will discuss how their organizations prioritized supply chain as a key business initiative and some of the work required to transform their supply chains.  Hussain Mooraj, managing vice president, Gartner, will moderate the panel.

Owens & Minor placed first among the Gartner "Top 25," which each year recognizes healthcare organizations that focused on the healthcare value chain's pursuit of high-quality care at optimal cost, while Johnson & Johnson was second and Sisters of Mercy Health System, of which ROi is a division, third.

"As we consider the pressing need to make fundamental changes in healthcare, Healthcare Top 25 organizations are leading the way toward developing core competencies across the value chain such as collaboration with trading partners, network visibility, aligned objectives, patient-driven, outside-in focus and segmented product supply capabilities," said Mooraj. "During what promises to be a lively interactive discussion, we will focus on the business drivers that made supply chain a priority for these companies, some of the changes required and the lessons learned as new processes were implemented."

Other topics expected to be addressed include:

• Why healthcare has been slow to recognize the potential of the supply chain compared to other industries
• Key factors needed to drive organizational success through supply chain improvements from an operational, data management, financial and clinical perspective
• The role of business and trading partners in the success of supply chain initiatives
• Who needs to be on board and involved in driving supply chain improvements within an organization
• The value of working with organizations like GHX or other business partners beyond an organization's suppliers or customers
• The biggest challenges in achieving supply chain objectives 
• The role or impact of healthcare reform in driving supply chain transformation

To view the complete agenda for the Summit, to be held April 18-20 in Dallas, or to register, visit: www.ghx.com/supplychainsummit.

*Gartner, Inc. The Healthcare Supply Chain Top 25 for 2010, Wayne McDonnell et al, November 17, 2010.

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 deliver 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.

SOURCE GHX