West-Com Nurse Call Systems Profile
West-Com Nurse Call Systems, Inc. began in 1983 as a one-man operation in
a spare bedroom in founder Larry Peters’ rental house. The business
gradually expanded its operations into a barn, then to a small office, and
eventually to a large manufacturing business park. Today, West-Com is widely
recognized in the field of developing and installing nurse call systems for
hospitals, bringing technological advancements to hospitals across the
nation. According to Mrs. Denise Peters, West-Com’s General Manager, the
company owes this success to Premier Inc., a group purchasing organization
(GPO) that has helped it grow.
Initially, it was difficult for West-Com to compete with the established major suppliers in the healthcare supply market. Several major players dominated the field, Mrs. Peters says, but to both West-Com and industry leaders, “it became apparent that other manufacturers were either not keeping up with available technology or not paying close enough attention to the needs of the healthcare market.”
From the start, West-Com has had a strong commitment to quality technology, which enabled the company to build a reputation as a superior manufacturer among a small network of hospitals. Its business reach and respected reputation, however, were not enough to get the company the national network and name recognition they ultimately needed to succeed.
In 2001, the Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI) released the first official evaluation of technologically enhanced nurse call systems. West-Com received the only “preferred” rating among dozens of other organizations. With this outstanding rating, industry leaders, including Premier, took notice of West-Com and its accomplishments.
Soon after the ECRI rankings, Premier reassessed the quality of the nurse-call systems on contract for its members. As a result of this process, Premier signed West-Com to a group purchasing contract to provide member hospitals with its call systems. Through the contract with Premier, West-Com was able to grow its profile in the marketplace by showcasing its quality to a wider range of hospital customers.
Thanks in part to the business generated by the Premier relationship, West-Com has been able to consistently improve its products at various educational and industry workshops, acquire additional contracts with Premier’s member facilities, enhance its distribution network and increase the size of its workforce by adding more regional sales managers and factory distributors.
The partnership between West-Com and Premier has proven beneficial to both organizations. Premier’s member hospitals have another option for quality products and West-Com has been able to reinvest in itself, improve efficiency, and – above all – grow. “Premier was the first GPO to give West-Com a chance to sell our products to their member facilities,” said Mrs. Peters. “Each year since signing our Premier contract, West-Com has grown and expanded our Premier business opportunities.”
For more information about Premier or to apply for a Premier contract please visit http://www.premierinc.com/about/suppliers/index.jsp.