VHA Supply Chain Education Series highlights FDA's final rule on unique device identification

IRVING, Texas, Dec. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- VHA Inc., the national health care network, is sponsoring a free webcast on Wednesday, Dec. 11 highlighting the Food and Drug Administration's final rule on unique device identification and its implications for hospitals.  "The final UDI rule – the clock is ticking!" will be presented from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. ET as a part of VHA's Supply Chain Education Series. The webcast is available to all health care organizations across the country.

Natalia Wilson, MD, MPH, co-director of the Health Care Supply Chain Research Consortium (HSRC-ASU) at Arizona State University and Dennis Byer, global health standards leader for Novation, will discuss the potential benefits the rule offers to health care organizations. These experts will review the history and objectives for the UDI rule, specific components of the rule and the differences between the previously proposed rule and the final rule.  They will also examine the final rule's impact on supply chain management, clinical care and post-procedure tracking.

According to Mike Duke, senior director of supply chain management networks for VHA, the industry has been anxiously awaiting this final ruling from the FDA.  "Now is the time for health care organizations to fully understand the final ruling and begin taking steps to maximize the value of UDI data."  

During the webcast, the panelists will focus on areas of relevant policy and steps a health care organization can take to prepare for UDI use. Types of data within the Global UDI database will be identified along with ways the data can be used to benefit daily operations. A review of the research and ongoing work at the national level will be presented to help attendees identify both clinical and business-use cases for UDI which can be applied to individual organizations. The panelists will also share best practices based on the experience of early adopters and provide links to additional online resources.

Registration for the December 11 webcast is now open at vha.com/events or 800.842.5145. 

VHA Inc. is a national network of non-for-profit health care organizations working together to improve performance and efficiency in clinical, financial and operational management. Since 1977, when VHA established the first hospital membership organization, the company has applied its knowledge in analytics, contracting, consulting and network development to help members can customers achieve their strategic objectives. In 2012, VHA delivered $1.9 billion in savings and additional value to members. Serving 5,100 health system members and affiliates, VHA represents more than a quarter of the nation's hospitals. VHA also serves more than 118,000 non-acute health care customers enterprise-wide. VHA is based in Irving, Texas, and has 13 regional offices across the U.S. VHA, together with UHC, owns Novation, a supply chain company, and its subsidiary aptitude™, the health care industry's first online direct market for contracting. VHA also owns Provista, a supply chain company serving the non-acute market as well as hospitality, education and corporate markets. For more information, visit www.vha.com and follow us on Twitter (@VHAInc).

SOURCE VHA Inc.