Imagine you work for an OEM. Imagine you get word that 25 hospitals from around the country are in the market for a new CT this year, they're having a 3 day meeting, and they all want to hear your pitch. Now here's the clincher: one OEM will win all 25 sales contracts.

Q: What do you do?
A: You run - don't walk - to the nearest airport.


The power of GPOs has been known for years. Now Broadlane -- a leading healthcare GPO out of Dallas, Texas -- has taken the group purchasing model to the ultimate level.

In a new kind of 21st century high-stakes, high-tech "bake-off," Broadlane helps its clients get the best deal on high-end imaging equipment by evaluating the OEMs against each other during a live, 3-day group buy. The key word here is "live." These group buy presentations take place in person with the hospitals.

The concept is simple and effective: Broadlane acts as the negotiating agent for a group of healthcare facilities that are all committed to buying a specific imaging modality during a given 12-month period. Broadlane invites a select group of OEMs to compete for its clients' business. Here's the key ground rule: this is a "winner take all" competition. The participating healthcare facilities all agree in advance to buy from the one OEM that offers the best combination of technology, warranty, after-sales support, and lowest overall cost of ownership.

Any OEMs that declines to participate does so at their own peril: with a block of two dozen sales - or more - typically at stake, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

The most recent of these "Live Group Buys" took place few weeks ago from March 26-28 in Dallas. The modality was Computed Tomography (CT). Among the 25 facilities that participated were The Health Alliance, Brim Healthcare, CHRISTUS, Tenet, Tenet's Outpatient Services Division and Muskogee Community Hospital.

About a month before a Live Group Buy, all the participating facilities are polled on what their clinical needs are, and the technology requirements they demand. Technology is the first and most heavily weighted factor in selecting the ultimate winner. Any OEM that does not pass the technology review is eliminated from competition.

This particular three-day event also marked their first Live Group Buy in utilizing the ECRI Institute, an unbiased third-party technology expert. ECRI Institute brought its expertise to the first day of the CT Live Group Buy to assist Broadlane clients with the technical knowledge needed to make the contract award. ECRI Institute discussed the CT marketplace, suppliers' technology differences and future advances in the CT field.

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