CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Five hospitals and health system members of the Premier healthcare alliance's ASCEND® (Accelerated Supply Chain Endeavor) program have received the 2013 ASCEND Peak Performance Award for exceptional clinical and supply chain performance.
Award winners include:
- Alamance Regional Medical Center, Burlington, N.C.;
- Commonwealth Health Corporation, Bowling Green, Ky.;
- Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Albuquerque, N.M.;
- Tanner Health System, Carrollton, Ga.; and
- TriHealth Inc., Cincinnati
These providers were selected based on their commitment to supply chain efficiency through contract implementation; devotion to sharing best practices during ASCEND educational sessions; and submission of timely, accurate data to properly scale performance improvement opportunities.
“This year’s ASCEND Award winners are a great example of what we’re trying to do in healthcare,” said Premier Chief Operating Officer Mike Alkire. “They’re achieving cost reductions without compromising quality, using data to drive improvements in clinical care through resource utilization and value analysis. We are thrilled to recognize them as organizations that are leading the way to higher quality, cost-effective healthcare.”
The five winners represent a diverse spectrum of facilities that have saved more than $8.5 million as members of ASCEND.
In addition, for the first time, six suppliers received an ASCEND Peak Performance Award for their partnership with Premier and ASCEND members to help them lower costs through active participation in ASCEND agreements, as well as customer service and clinical excellence. These suppliers include:
- Atrium Medical Corporation, Hudson, N.H.;
- Compression Therapy Concepts, Eatontown, N.J.;
- Draeger Medical Inc., Telford, Pa.;
- Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati;
- Medline Industries Inc., Mundelein, Ill.; and
- Standard Textile Company Inc., Cincinnati.
Premier, a provider-owned alliance of 2,800 hospitals and 95,000 other care sites, presented the awards during its annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition, which took place in San Antonio, June 11-14.
ASCEND hospitals reduce costs by identifying and implementing performance improvements using data-driven clinical and supply chain analytics, while sharing best practices with the collaborative. Members use simplified and consistent purchasing processes, appropriate clinical utilization and specially negotiated contracts.
The 400 ASCEND hospitals represent $9.2 billion in supply chain purchasing volume and more than 65,000 hospital beds. Participants benefit from 126 suppliers and 226 contracts. To date, more than $150 million in savings has been identified across the collaborative.
About the Premier healthcare alliance, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
Premier is one of the nation’s largest performance improvement alliances of approximately 2,800 U.S. community hospitals and 95,000 alternate sites using the power of collaboration and technology to lead the transformation to coordinated, high-quality, cost-effective care. Owned by healthcare providers, Premier operates a leading purchasing network that provided members more than $5 billion in savings in FY2012. Premier also maintains clinical, financial and outcomes databases based on 1 in every 4 patient discharges. A world leader in measurably improving patient care, Premier has one of the largest performance improvement collaboratives in America, including one in partnership with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier also has an office in Washington. https://www.premierinc.com. Stay connected with Premier on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
