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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carolyn Hickey
Phone: 703-243-9262

Arlington, VA (September 13, 2004) - Every health care manufacturer now has the ability to promote their "new and innovative" products by accessing the top U.S. based group purchasing organizations (GPOs) through the Health Industry Group Purchasing Association’s (HIGPA) web-based Vendor Information Exchange. This Internet platform offers manufacturers the ability to provide information to HIGPA’s purchasing organization member executives regarding their new products.

"In accordance with the Association’s Code of Conduct Principles, HIGPA created this exchange to enable any manufacturer to submit information about their product to the key players in the health care supply chain—the purchasing organizations," said HIGPA President and CEO Robert Betz, Ph.D. "Group purchasing organizations are tasked daily with the difficult job of selecting medical products for their health care provider members. In turn, HIGPA has created this information exchange to further HIGPA’s Industry Members’ commitments in providing the best products at the best price to the patients they ultimately serve."

The exchange (http://www.higpa.org/vendorinformationexchange/) is an open forum for any manufacturer, whether currently contracting with a purchasing organization or not, to provide detailed information about their new product to HIGPA’s members. Upon accessing the submission form, manufacturers are asked to provide contact information for the representative marketing the new technology, product name and a detailed description, with the ability to upload marketing documents.

HIGPA’s new Code of Conduct web page (http://www.higpa.org/about/code/) offers information about HIGPA’s Code of Conduct Principles, the Association’s Compliance Officers and the vendor information exchange. To be in compliance with the HIGPA Code of Conduct, each purchasing organization must designate a Compliance Officer to assure that their respective purchasing organization is abiding by the provisions set forth in the Code. Any manufacturer who has questions regarding a specific GPO’s compliance can contact that purchasing organization’s Compliance Officer through HIGPA’s web site at (http://www.higpa.org/complianceofficers/).

HIGPA will request many national associations, organizations and coalitions to help in the Association’s commitment to optimize the new web-based exchange to provide the best health care products to hospitals and other providers. In the letter, Betz states, "Complimenting our shared commitments to providing the most innovative health care technology to America’s patients, I request that you inform your membership about HIGPA’s new information exchange and encourage them, if applicable, to submit product information."

HIGPA is a chartered trade association of over 150 health care purchasing and supply chain organizations. HIGPA's Industry Members include purchasing groups, associations, and health care provider alliances. HIGPA's Trading Partner members include many of the world's leading health care product manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and related suppliers. According to a recent study conducted by a former principal analyst at the Congressional Budget Office, hospitals save patients over $30 billion each year by purchasing products through group contracts.

To learn more about HIGPA or the group purchasing industry, visit www.higpa.org or call 703-243-9262.

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