• Contract Updates
• Industry Trends
• Premier News and Events

 
 
 
 
CONTRACT UPDATES
 
Facilities
Maintenance, Repair and Operations: New agreements have been awarded to incumbents Grainger Industrial Supply, a division of W.W. Grainger Inc. and The Part Works Inc. and to new supplier AirSupply Tools Inc. These five-year agreements are effective beginning May 1, 2017, through April 30, 2022. This category includes suppliers that specialize in the distribution of maintenance, repair and operations (MRO). MRO items include cleaning and office supplies, industrial supplies (compressors, pumps, valves), daily operational supplies (gaskets, lubricants, repair tools), consumables for laboratories and construction materials for plumbing, electrical and information technology (IT). This category previously included MRO suppliers who specialized in electrical and plumbing products and services. Those suppliers are now included in the new Electrical and Plumbing Building Materials category.
 
Imaging
PET Isotopes: New agreements have been awarded to incumbents Cardinal Health 414, Triad Isotopes Inc., Zevacor Pharma Inc. (previously IBA Molecular) and to new supplier PETNET Solutions Inc. These agreements are effective beginning June 1, 2017, through May 31, 2020. This category includes the manufacturing and distribution of PET isotopes, information management systems used to track and analyze dose orders (hardware, software, licenses, etc.), educational resources, PET injectors, consumables, generators and infusion systems.
 
Materials Management
Exam Room Furniture Equipment: New agreements have been awarded to incumbents Midmark Sales Corporation and TransMotion Medical, a division of Winco Mfg and to new suppliers Brewer Company, First Healthcare Products Inc.,  and Medical Technology Industries (MTI) Inc. These agreements are effective beginning April 1, 2017, through March 31, 2020.This category includes furniture designed for exam rooms in physician offices, surgery centers, imaging centers, dialysis centers and acute care settings. Items include exam and procedure tables, stools, chairs, table top sterilizers, carts and mobile desks.
 
 
Nursing
High Level Disinfectants: New agreements have been awarded to the incumbent Johnson & Johnson Health Care System Inc. (J&J) and new suppliers Crosstex International Inc. and Metrex Research Corporation. These agreements are effective beginning May 1, 2017, through April 30, 2020. This category includes chemicals capable of killing bacteria, viruses and bacterial spores when used in sufficient concentration under suitable conditions and are primarily used to disinfect semi-critical items.
 
Intermediate Level Disinfectant Wipes: New agreements for intermediate level disinfectant wipes have been awarded to incumbents Certol International LLC, The Clorox Sales Company, Diversey Inc., Metrex Research LLC and Professional Disposables International Inc. (PDI). These agreements are effective beginning May 1, 2017, through April 30, 2020. This category includes disinfectant wipes used to disinfect patient care areas and equipment between patient use. Some intermediate level disinfectant sprays are also included in this category.
 
Sharps Disposal Containers: New agreements for sharps disposal containers have been awarded to incumbents Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) and Covidien Sales LLC. These agreements are effective beginning May 1, 2017, through April 30, 2020. This category includes canisters designed for the safe containment of sharps medical waste. This includes mixed waste containers such as those used for pharmacy waste, chemotherapy waste and biohazard waste and that are meant to be disposable. Also included in this category are the related accessories, such as wall mountings and brackets.
 
Skin Integrity
The Skin Integrity: Prevention, Healing and Support category has been split into multiple categories for the agreement cycle effective April 1, 2017. These include:
·         Skin Integrity: Skin Cleanser, Barrier and Lotion Products: New agreements have been awarded to incumbents 3M Company, Coloplast Corp., ConvaTec Inc., Crawford Healthcare Inc., Medline Industries Inc., Mölnlycke Health Care US LLC and Smith & Nephew Inc. These agreements are effective beginning April 1, 2017, through March 31, 2020. This category includes products used to improve, maintain, protect and promote healing of a patient’s dermal and epidermal skin (e.g. skin cleansers, moisturizers, protectants, barrier wipes, lotions and sprays, antifungals, perineal washes and body wash).
·         Skin Integrity: Primary/Secondary Wound Care Dressings and Wound Debridement: New agreements have been awarded to incumbents Coloplast Corp., ConvaTec Inc., Crawford Healthcare Inc., Derma Sciences Inc., Hollister Incorporated, KCI USA Inc., Medline Industries Inc., Mölnlycke Health Care US LLC and Smith & Nephew Inc. These agreements are effective beginning April 1, 2017, through March 31, 2020. This category includes primary dressings that are used directly on the wound bed; secondary dressings that are used to cover a primary dressing when it doesn’t protect the wound from contamination; occlusive dressings; and semi-occlusive dressings.
·         Skin Integrity: Compression Wraps: New agreements have been awarded to incumbents 3M Company, BSN Medical Inc., Derma Sciences Inc., Medline Industries Inc., Mölnlycke Health Care US LLC and Smith & Nephew Inc. These agreements are effective beginning April 1, 2017, through March 31, 2020. This category includes products used in the treatment and prevention of edema, venous insufficiencies and lymphatic disorders of extremities (e.g. multi-layer compression, total contact casting and Unna boot).
·         Surgical Irrigation Solutions: This is a new Premier category awarded by the Surgical Services committee. An agreement has been awarded to incumbent Irrimax Corporation. This agreement is effective beginning April 1, 2017, through March 31, 2020. This category includes sterile surgical solutions used to irrigate and cleanse the surgical site during surgical procedures. This process removes bacteria, particles and debris.
 
Electronic Thermometry: New agreements have been awarded to incumbents Covidien Sales LLC and Welch Allyn Inc. These agreements are effective beginning June 1, 2017, through May 31, 2020. This category includes patient thermometers for clinical use that measure temperatures within a minimum range of 95° to 106°F (35° to 41°C), as well as units that provide specialized probes for continuous monitoring.
 
Surgical Services
Pain Management Local Anesthetic: New agreements have been awarded to incumbents Ambu Inc., Halyard Sales LLC and Teleflex Medical Incorporated. These agreements are effective beginning June 1, 2017, through May 31, 2020. This category includes portable delivery systems that are placed at the surgical site to administer local anesthetic to decrease post-operative pain, and allow for earlier rehabilitation and reduced need for narcotics.
 
 
For additional contract information, contact your Premier Sponsor or Premier’s Solution Center at 877-777-1552 or solutioncenter@premiernc.com.
 
 
 
INDUSTRY TRENDS
 
C-Suite Survey: Five Key Focus Areas in Light of the New Administration and Congress
Despite industry uncertainty about the fate of healthcare, health system leaders are preparing for the changes ahead in five key areas, according to a recent Premier Inc. (NASDAQ: PINC) survey.
 
In priority order, health system leaders are focusing on:
•Managing costs, with a focus on drug spending;
•Moving from meaningful use to meaningful insights;
•Engaging and satisfying consumers;
•Shifting toward population health, risk and scale; and
•Continuing differentiation on quality and costs.
 
Click here to read the full press release
 
Rethink: Healthcare in 2017
Blair Childs, senior vice president of public affairs at Premier highlights three focus areas for the Trump Administration that will help capitalize on the progress that has already been made. These include:
·         Creating incentives for delivery system changes;
·         Providing greater access to healthcare data and interoperable technology; and
·         Lowering the cost of pharmaceuticals through competition.
 
Trends and Health Policy Developments
In this time of change, there are still realities of today’s healthcare environment we need to focus on. Throughout this political turmoil, there is certainty in remaining focused on achieving these key strategies:
 
·         Financial alignment and trust within your clinically integrated network as you move to population health payment models;
·         Measurably high reliability, efficient care processes to reduce costs;
·         Identification of new sources of revenue;
·         An integrated data infrastructure that enables accurate identification of improvement opportunities in patient care and clinician performance; and
·         Effective management of your fixed infrastructure costs.
 
Blair Childs offers details and insights in his weekly issue of Trends and Health Policy Developments. For the full newsletter or to access archives of the newsletter, please visit the Government Affairs and Public Policy community on PremierConnect.
 
 
 
PREMIER NEWS AND EVENTS
 
Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition 2017
Join thousands of healthcare through leaders and professionals from across the nation to discover industry-leading insights and solutions. Premier’s annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition will be held June 27-30, 2017 in Washington, DC. To learn more about the event or to register, please visit breakthroughs.premierinc.com/members.