News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Henry Bostic
Premier Inc.
704.733.5695
Carteret General Hospital expects first-year savings to top $1 million by joining Premier hospital alliance
In first month, Morehead City, N.C. facility saves more than $500,000
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (December 4, 2007) – Carteret General Hospital (CGH) expects supply savings to exceed more than $1 million in its first year after joining the Premier alliance. Savings have already topped $500,000 in just its first month as a new member, allowing the hospital to better serve its community.
On October 1, CGH joined nearly 200 of the nation's leading hospitals and healthcare systems as an owner of Premier Inc. The hospital previously had been associated with MedAssets.
CGH also joined the WNC Health Network (WNCHN) as a purchasing affiliate, becoming one of more than 45 Premier members in North and South Carolina and Virginia working to safely reduce hospital costs by voluntarily aggregating volume and standardizing use of medical and surgical products and supplies.
CGH President Fred A. Odell, III, said, “We are excited to become part of a quality group purchasing organization and work with quality people. We appreciate Premier’s allowing us to become an equity owner. This demonstrates the high commitment from both parties. We are committed to a long-term relationship – one that not only serves us well today but also 20 years from now.”
Premier Purchasing Partners President Mike Alkire said, “We welcome Carteret General Hospital as a truly engaged member of the Premier healthcare alliance. CGH shares our commitment to improving the health of our communities. Working together we can safely lower the cost of quality products and services to better position CGH to deliver excellent quality of care to patients it serves.”
CGH Director of Materials Management Steve Broughton said, “A hospital the size of Carteret General doesn’t have a lot of leverage. WNCHN has 170 best-tier contracts through Premier. That saves me an awful lot of work. Instead of spending all day blocking and tackling for three yards as a cloud of dust, it’s a new playing field. I can spend my time scoring touchdowns.”
CGH’s goal was to move swiftly, Broughton said. “Since we went live October 1, it’s been boom, boom, boom. Premier is delivering as promised. I know the people at Premier and feel comfortable with them. I know people in my position at hospitals throughout the region. They are comfortable with Premier and WNCHN. This is a good win for us. We’re tickled to be with Premier. Quite frankly, I’m astounded at the savings we’re seeing.”
Broughton cited a just-signed contract for radiology contrast media. The hospital had been spending more than $520,000. The new price will be $229,000 – 55 percent less because CGH can now purchase at a contract tier level it could never have attained without the committed, aggregated buying power of both Premier and WNCHN.
About Carteret General Hospital
Carteret General Hospital is a not-for-profit, 135-bed hospital in Morehead
City, N.C. Since its opening in 1967, it has grown into a full-service
hospital offering a range of acute care, diagnostic and outpatient services
including a comprehensive Cancer Treatment Center, CGH Imaging Center, CGH
Specialty Clinic, Hospice of Carteret County, Carteret Home Health, Cardiac
Rehabilitation, Birthing Center, and Taylor Extended Care Facility.
About the WNC Health Network (WNCHN)
The WNC Health Network is a collaboration of hospitals, county health
departments and other healthcare providers to support the delivery of
cost-effective, quality health services. WNCHN maintains a visionary
community focus supported by collaboration, integrity and respect among its
healthcare providers. Based in Asheville, N.C., it began in 1995 to
identify, explore and implement cost-effective, collaborative opportunities
among the hospitals and healthcare systems in western North Carolina and now
includes 46 hospitals, 13 health departments and Mountain AHEC. WNCHN, a
not-for-profit corporation with oversight from a 16 member board of
directors, is an Independent Regional Network, helping members meet the
challenges of a changing healthcare environment through activities including
shared services, patient quality of care, and group purchasing.
About Premier Inc., 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
recipient
Serving 1,700 hospitals and more than 49,000 other healthcare sites, Premier
is the largest healthcare alliance in the United States dedicated to
improving patient outcomes while safely reducing the cost of care. Owned by
not-for-profit hospitals, Premier operates one of the nation's largest
healthcare purchasing networks and the most comprehensive repository of
hospital clinical and financial information. Premier Insurance Management
Services, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, operates one of the largest
policy-holder owned, hospital professional liability risk-retention groups
in healthcare. Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has offices in Charlotte,
N.C., Philadelphia, and Washington. For more information, visit
www.premierinc.com.