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GPOs tout win | HIGPA chief calls purchasing ruling vindication

August 30, 2010 | Print Magazine Print Magazine Subscription Details
Group purchasing organizations were provided an indirect legal victory this month when a federal appeals court ruled against a plaintiff hospital and in favor of a catheter supplier that had sole-source and bundled-product-discount contracts with several GPOs.
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Future is present | With health reform, GPOs face many challenges and changes, but step one might be pinning down a definition

By Shawn Rhea | August 30, 2010 | Print Magazine Print Magazine Subscription Details
Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has always been regarded as a bit of a prophet. But no one could have guessed in 1964 when he wrote “you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone/for the times they are a-changin' ” that 45 years later those lyrics would become a sage warning for U.S. healthcare businesses.
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Making adjustments | Hospitals are seeing higher supply-chain costs related to larger numbers of obese patients, with much of that expense not being reimbursed

By Shawn Rhea | August 02, 2010 | Print Magazine Print Magazine Subscription Details
Health system executive Deborah Templeton remembers a time not so long ago when the maximum-weight capacity labeled on traditional-size patient beds, gurneys and wheelchairs topped out at about 350 pounds. These days, however, it's not unusual for such equipment to accommodate patients weighing up to 500 pounds.
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Transparent reaction | Suppliers oppose FDA move to disclose more data

By Shawn Rhea | July 26, 2010 | Print Magazine Print Magazine Subscription Details
Clinicians, consumer-advocacy groups and medical-product manufacturers are expressing a divergent mix of support and criticism for the Food and Drug Administration's proposed plans for creating a more transparent regulatory process.
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Standards struggle | Suppliers question push for lone device ID system

By Shawn Rhea | July 12, 2010 | Print Magazine Print Magazine Subscription Details
Some supply-chain experts are questioning why a coalition of healthcare organizations sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration urging the agency to publish a universal device identification, or UDI, system rule that specifically supports the use of standards created by GS1—a not-for-profit organization that develops supply-chain tracking systems.
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Green hospitals | Healthcare heavyweights back use of initiative

By Shawn Rhea | May 17, 2010 | Print Magazine Print Magazine Subscription Details
Six large healthcare systems are backing an initiative to significantly advance the use of green business practices by hospitals.
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Food for thought | Franchises are still a popular choice for hospital food service, but more organizations are opting to contract with local eateries. Health and wellness issues also need to be weighed

By Shawn Rhea | March 08, 2010 | Print Magazine Print Magazine Subscription Details
Three-and-a-half years ago, 254-bed Providence Hospital in Washington had a self-managed, on-site delicatessen that, while it served good sandwiches, was a money pit for the provider. “We were having problems with portion control,” says Beth Yesford, Providence's director of food and nutrition.
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Stryker’s new tack | Equipment maker moves into device-reuse business

By Melanie Evans | December 07, 2009 | Print Magazine Print Magazine Subscription Details
Medical equipment manufacturer Stryker Corp. said last week it would spend $525 million to get into the healthcare device-reuse business.
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A heavy footprint | Strong stance on environment, healthcare urged

By Shawn Rhea | November 16, 2009 | Print Magazine Print Magazine Subscription Details
Environmental mandates may follow healthcare reform as the next big revolution that providers face, with some healthcare providers working to have a say in the matter.
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A fresh approach | Wisconsin hospital gives a big boost to local farm co-op as facilities nationwide look to nearby sources in search of a higher-quality food supply

By Gregg Blesch | November 02, 2009 | Basic Web Basic Web Subscription Details
Darrel Lorch is a good-natured grouser, and that's how he starts when he recounts how it has been to help out with a new cooperative set up to allow small local farms to sell food to Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, Wis.—and eventually other hospitals, nursing homes and schools.
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