Amerinet Member Conference – The Journal of Healthcare Contracting

Amerinet unveils its blueprint for healthcare excellence at member conference.

More than 1,400 people convened this spring for the 2011 Amerinet Member Conference in Orlando, Fla.

“The purpose of this year’s meeting was to supply Amerinet members and suppliers with a blueprint for building a culture of healthcare excellence in 2011,” Todd Ebert, Amerinet president and CEO, was quoted as saying.

Presentations included “Listen Louder™ – The Power and Promise of Social Media in Healthcare,” by author and business relationship pioneer David Nour; and an examination of change as a concept by professional development leaders from the Disney Institute. In addition, more than 20 sessions were provided by experts in clinical services, supply chain management, administrative operations, foodservice and leadership, according to Amerinet.

Several tradeshows were held for suppliers to exhibit products and services. Included once again was the “Healthcare Niche and Emerging Technology” showcase, an opportunity for potential suppliers to introduce unique and diverse offerings. “Amerinet is committed to providing our members access to new technologies not currently available through group purchasing organization contracts,” Dale Wright, president of Amerinet Choice and senior vice president of contracting, was quoted as saying. “We firmly believe that small business enterprises – including minority-, veteran- and women-owned companies – are the cornerstone of our country’s economic development.” The firms that participated are now being evaluated for inclusion in Amerinet contracts.

Initiatives
To help Amerinet members understand accountable care organizations, Amerinet announced that it engaged The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, which the GPO described as “a preeminent research and educational institution dedicated to improving healthcare through education, research, policy reform, leadership improvement and communication with patients and the public.” Amerinet members can access The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care for a listing of literature and key issues on accountable care organizations.

Amerinet also unveiled its recently announced initiative, Amerinet Choice Energy Solutions, designed to help members comply with rules, guidelines, and legislation requiring reductions in energy consumption; bring new energy-related technology to the healthcare market; and support members in defining strategies, policies, and goals in energy management and conservation.

Amerinet Choice Achievement Awards
Amerinet gave a number of awards at the conference, including those for contract utilization. Top members for contract utilization – recognizing those who used the most Amerinet Choice private-label contracts – were:

Fairfield Medical Center, Lancaster, Ohio.
Flagstaff (Ariz.) Medical Center.
Good Samaritan Hospital, Corvallis, Ore.
Lakes Region General Hospital, Laconia, N.H.
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Peoria, Ill.
St. Alexius Medical Center, Bismarck, N.D.
St. Barnabas Hospital, Bronx, N.Y.
Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Wash.Yavapai Community Hospital, Prescott, Ariz.

Four Million Dollar Club winners (based on purchase volume) were:

OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Peoria, Ill.
St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, Syracuse, N.Y.

Three Million Dollar Club winners:

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
The Toledo (Ohio) Hospital.

Two Million Dollar Club winners:

Community Hospital, Munster, Ind.
Flagstaff (Ariz.) Medical Center.
Harrison Medical Center, Bremerton, Wash.
LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Loma Linda (Calif.) University Medical Center.

Million Dollar Club winners:

Dixie Regional Medical Center, St. George, Utah.
Earl K. Long Medical Center, Baton Rouge, La.
Fairfield Medical Center, Lancaster, Ohio.
Flower Hospital, Sylvania, Ohio.
Interim LSU Public Hospital, New Orleans, La.
Intermountain Medical Center, Murray, Utah.
McKay-Dee Hospital Center, Ogden, Utah.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, N.Y.
Nyack (N.Y.) Hospital.
OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center, Rockford, Ill.
Primary Children’s Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah.
St. Barnabas Hospital, Bronx, N.Y.
St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Utica, N.Y.
St. Mary Medical Center, Hobart, Ind.
The William W. Backus Hospital, Norwich, Conn.
Washington Hospital, Fremont, Calif.
Yavapai Community Hospital, Prescott, Ariz.

Healthcare Achievement Awards
The Healthcare Achievement Award recognizes hospitals and hospital systems in four categories.

Community impact and/or innovation (recognizing outstanding humanitarian achievement within their communities or innovative excellence in their organizations). Winners were:

Coshochton (Ohio) County Memorial Hospital (Project Title: “Diagnostic Imaging Upgrade.”)
Lewistown (Pa.) Hospital (Project Title: “State-of-the-Art Cancer Treatment Center.”)
New Lexington Clinic PSC, Lexington, Ky. (Project Title: “90 Hours/90 Days Volunteer Challenge.”)
Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital & Clinics, Prairie du Sac, Wis. (Project Title: “Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital & Clinics Buy Local Eat Healthy Plan.”)
Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Wash. (Project Title: “Reducing Our Carbon Footprint Even Further.”)

Financial and operational improvement (enhancing the bottom line, improving cash flow, maximizing net patient revenue and implementing strategic operational improvements). Winners were:

Canonsburg (Pa.) General Hospital. (Project Title: “Canonsburg General Hospital Reducing the Average Length of Stay to Achieve Financial and Operational Improvement.”)
Lasata Senior Campus, Cedarburg, Wis. (Project Title: “Lasata Senior Campus Kitchen Renovation 2010.”)
Shriners Hospitals for Children, Tampa, Fla. (Project Title: “Shriners Hospitals for Children & MEMdata Generate 3,000% ROI in Equipment Procurement.”)
Southern Mono Healthcare District, dba Mammoth Hospital, Mammoth Lakes, Calif. (Project Title: “Improving Financial Performance at Mammoth Hospital.”)

Quality/patient care delivery and/or patient satisfaction. Winners were:

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Mass. (Project Title: “Bringing Central Sterile to Best-in-Class Service Levels.”)
Hawaii Medical Center West, Honolulu. (Project Title: “Improving Inpatient Pneumococcal and Influenza Vaccination Rates Through an Interdisciplinary Approach and a Collaborative Practice Agreement Vaccination Protocol.”)
Kittitas Valley Community Hospital, Ellensburg, Wash. (Project Title: “Kittitas County STEMI Program.”)
Milford (Mass.) Regional Medical Center. (Project Title: “Improving Access to IV Therapy for Outpatients with Cellulitis.”)

Supply chain/data management or supply cost efficiencies. Winners were:

Affiliated Community Medical Centers, Willmar, Minn. (Project Title: “ACMC Online Supply Ordering System.”)
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston (Project Title: “Procurement Transformation – From Tactical to Strategic.”)
ProMedica-St. Luke’s Hospital, Maumee Ohio (Project Title: “Supply Room & Replenishment Improvement Project.”)

Supplier awards
The following Amerinet suppliers were recognized for outstanding performance in 2010:

Manufacturer Over $25 Million: Olympus America Inc.
Manufacturer Under $25 Million: B. Braun Medical.
Services Over $25 Million: Verizon Wireless.
Services Under $25 Million: Vendormate Inc.
Distributor Over $25 Million: Professional Hospital Supply.
Distributor Under $25 Million: Suture Express.
Amerinet Choice Supplier: Smith & Nephew.
Amerinet Choice Pharmaceutical Supplier: Pfizer Inc.
Supplier Diversity: SourceMark.
Small Business Enterprise: Helmer Inc.

In addition, 50 suppliers were recognized in the “20 Percent Club,” that is, they showed 20 percent growth of posted sales in 2010; 20 suppliers were recognized in the “50 Percent Club,” and 12 suppliers were recognized in the “100 Percent Club.”

Corporate social responsibility was highlighted during the Amerinet “Peanut Butter and Jelly Challenge,” an event benefiting the Second Harvest Food Bank.
Next year’s conference will be held May 14-17 in Las Vegas.