Supplying faith; GPOs seeking even stronger ties to Catholic hospitals, health systems.(group purchasing organizations)

Modern Healthcare, March, 2007

Byline: Melanie Evans

Catholic healthcare may soon emerge as the latest battleground for the industry's heavy-hitting group purchasing organizations.

Two giant companies that negotiate billions of dollars in contracts on behalf of hospitals-Charlotte, N.C.-based Premier and Schaumburg, Ill.-based Consorta-already tout existing deals with Roman Catholic hospitals and health systems as a competitive advantage for prospective faith-based recruits. Officials with both GPOs say they're well-positioned and eager to expand the ranks of their Catholic buyers, even as deals unveiled in recent months upended alliances between GPOs and health systems.

Consorta, which spent $5.2 billion on behalf of its largely Catholic members last year, shook...

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