Amerinet Partners with SCMetrix™ to Further Supply Chain Efforts

Business Wire,  June 24, 2008  

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

ST. LOUIS -- Amerinet Inc. announced today a strategic partnership with SCMetrix[TM], a joint benchmarking initiative of one of the nation's largest business schools recognized internationally for its leadership in supply chain management and the pre-eminent healthcare resource and materials management organization.

The partnership will enable Amerinet to expand its operational performance improvement solutions through use of SCMetrix[TM], the benchmarking and performance measurement tool debuted in 2007 by the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University (ASU) in partnership with the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM) of the American Hospital Association.

"The benchmarking methodology and capabilities of SCMetrix will allow Amerinet member hospitals to more accurately gauge the effectiveness of their supply chain," said Todd C. Ebert, president and CEO of Amerinet. "The rigor ASU applies to data submission will ensure peer benchmarking integrity. SCMetrix will complement the supply chain programs and services already offered by Amerinet."

The SCMetrix online tool allows hospitals to benchmark their supply chain performance against other facilities of similar size, scope of service, patient acuity and geographic location.

"Our new partnership with Amerinet will enable us to further refine and strengthen the SCMetrix benchmarks by increasing facility participation," said Vicki Smith-Daniels, W.P. Carey School of Business professor and project leader.

In this partnership, Amerinet will serve as a group administrator, helping its member hospitals report data to SCMetrix for inclusion in aggregate benchmarks. Participating hospitals are offered a "no charge subscription" through 2008. The Web-based tool also does not require the user to install hardware or additional software.

This agreement also extends the working relationship between Amerinet and the W.P. Carey School of Business. Amerinet was a founding partner of the school's Health Sector Supply Chain Research Consortium, which conducts and disseminates action research in tactical and strategic supply chain management that is responsive to industrywide needs and opportunities.

"We support SCMetrix's vision of moving the healthcare industry beyond results-oriented financial metric benchmarking to a more comprehensive performance measurement and industry standard that recognizes the importance of measuring value drivers and implementation of best practices in supply chain operations," said Mary Beth Lang, Amerinet's senior vice president of business intelligence and spend analytics. "We look forward to helping Amerinet member hospitals improve their supply chain through the use of SCMetrix."

The benchmarking program available through SCMetrix will be complementary to Amerinet's existing offerings. These include Savings Roadmap, the next generation of spend analytic tools that is designed to increase supply chain efficiencies and identify contract savings opportunities, along with Amerinet Diagnostix, a performance trending tool.

About Amerinet

As a leading national group purchasing organization, Amerinet strategically partners with healthcare providers to reduce costs and improve quality. Through its Total Spend Management solutions and operational performance improvement programs, tools and services, Amerinet assists members in their efforts to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and create new revenue streams. Supported by a team of clinical, data and supply chain experts, Amerinet offers a comprehensive portfolio of product and service contracts to address members' specific needs. Based in St. Louis, with offices in Salt Lake City, Providence, R.I., and Warrendale, Pa., Amerinet serves acute and non-acute healthcare providers nationwide. To learn more, visit www.amerinet-gpo.com.

About W. P. Carey School of Business at ASU

W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is one of the largest business schools in the United States, with more than 190 faculty members, 1,400 graduate students and 2,700 upper-division undergraduate students. The school is internationally recognized for its leadership in supply chain management and services marketing and is highly regarded for its faculty's research productivity. The school's seven research centers serve as a link between business communities and the areas of marketing, entrepreneurship, information technology and supply chain management. For more information, visit wpcarey.asu.edu. To learn about SCMetrix, visit www.scmetrix.org.

About AHRMM

The Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management is the leading national association for executives in healthcare resource and materials management. A personal membership group of the American Hospital Association, AHRMM serves more than 3,900 active members. Founded in 1962, AHRMM advances and supports the healthcare supply chain profession by providing leadership, education, resources and networking. For more information, visit www.ahrmm.org.

COPYRIGHT 2008 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning