Novation, one of the largest group purchasing organizations in the U.S., formed a new company that will offer hospitals and other healthcare providers an online platform to negotiate tailored contracts for medical supplies.
Over the past year, several traditional GPOs as well as other companies have launched online or social media-based platforms that aim to streamline hospital purchasing practices as well as provide easier access to price information and clinical data.
Novation's new company, called Aptitude, will be available to hospitals and suppliers regardless of membership in Novation's network. It will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Irving, Texas-based Novation.
Aptitude executives say the platform can increase efficiency in negotiations for so-called local contracts, which are individualized contracts between suppliers and hospitals. Standard contracts are established by GPOs for their members.
“It was really born out of an effort to think differently and in a much more innovative way around the healthcare supply chain,” Novation President and CEO Jody Hatcher said. “How do we radically define the way buyers and sellers come together in the marketplace?”