Key to re-engineering the purchasing process is the formation of a:
University of Iowa/UI Hospitals and Clinics Strategic Procurement Partnership
Nine Guiding Principles will form the basis of this partnership:
- The University of Iowa Purchasing Department and UI Hospitals and
Clinics Purchasing Services Department have collaborated to form a
Strategic Procurement Partnership, which is fostered through the use of
shared resources, shared contracts and group purchasing efforts to
achieve synergy in the procurement process.
- The procurement and supply chain management functions for UI
Hospitals and Clinics are centralized in a single hospital department
focused on enhancing patient care and optimizing the use of
institutional resources.
- All products and services are obtained through Novation, UHC, or
hospital/university contracts when possible and in our best interest.
- The procurement and distribution processes ensure the required items are available at the point-of-care when they are needed.
- The purchasing function is supported by a state-of-the-art
purchasing and inventory control information system, which provides
immediate access to data related to utilization and pricing to support
high quality clinical and business decisions.
- Automation of the procurement cycle from order to payment is maximized through the use of electronic interfaces such as Marketplace@Novation.
- The use of electronic technologies (Omnicell, barcoding, etc.) for
the acquisition of commodity items is maximized so that the need for
human intervention is minimized.
- Interactions between hospital staff and vendors are appropriate and support the mission of the organization.
- Understand "total cost" as a balance of: activity, product price,
and space, striving to have the right item available at the right time,
for the right price.