CoxHealth wins national award

CoxHealth was recently recognized by Irving, Texas-based VHA Inc. for supply chain management improvement.

The hospital is one of eight VHA member hospitals to receive the 2011 VHA Leadership Award for Supply Chain Management Excellence. VHA is a member cooperative serving more than 1,350 nonprofit hospitals and more than 30,000 nonacute health care providers nationwide, according to a news release.

CoxHealth was honored for its work with MidAmerica Service Solutions, a partnership that provides contracting, procurement and distribution services to its owners and members. CoxHealth was one of six health care organizations to form the company, which helps member organizations negotiate prices on supplies and consolidate distribution.

“This validates the work we’ve put into improving our processes of purchasing and distribution associated with MidAmerica Service Solutions,” said Lyndle Dorrell, administrative director of the CoxHealth supply chain, said in the release. “With the pressures (that) declining reimbursements and increasing community need are placing on our system, we have to find every way possible to increase our efficiency.

"Better management of our supplies – which are the second largest expense category for hospitals – affords us with an excellent opportunity to do that."

VHA Inc. is a network of health organizations that works to pursue savings in supply chain management and improve hospital performance and efficiency. VHA helped its member organizations save $1.47 billion in 2009, according to the release.[[In-content Ad]]