FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Stacy Rubenstein, (847) 949-2286
srubenstein@medline.com
Managing Supply Chain Costs: Medline Strikes New Group Purchasing Agreement with Blood Centers of America
55 member centers to benefit from negotiated pricing and cost savings on medical-surgical supplies
Mundelein, Ill., Dec. 30, 2015 – In a constant evolving industry, healthcare organizations look to manufacturers and distributors to assist them with efficiency. To help manage supply chain costs amongst its members, Blood Centers of America (BCA), the nation’s largest blood supply network that represents nearly 40 percent of the U.S. blood supply, has inked a group purchasing agreement with Medline, a global manufacturer of medical supplies and clinical solutions.
The three-year deal is expected to provide BCA’s 50-plus member centers nationwide with negotiated pricing and cost savings on a wide range of medical-surgical supplies. Products covered in the agreement include personal protective apparel, exam gloves and medical consumable products.
“Medline is committed to providing high quality supplies to ensure BCA’s member facilities are able to perform at their very best when providing such services as cell therapies, cord blood banking and blood management,” said Joe Waldron, vice president of national accounts, Medline. “As a leading manufacturer of medical-surgical supplies, we are dedicated toward utilizing our supply chain expertise to help enhance BCA’s supply chain efficiencies.”
Furthermore, Medline understands the importance of customers receiving products in a timely manner. With 40 distribution centers strategically located throughout the country, BCA’s member centers are able to receive their crucial supplies where and when they need them.
“BCA is very excited with our new distribution agreement with Medline, as it will complement our existing phlebotomy and donor screening kitting agreement launched earlier this year. Medline’s unique distribution capabilities in conjunction to their manufacturing portfolio offer a vast array of solutions which will enable our centers to achieve their clinical, operational and financial goals,” said Sam Keith, vice president, supply chain and national accounts, Blood Centers of America. “We fully expect our partnership will continue to evolve into much more than the traditional relationship of just shipping supplies to our centers. We are enthusiastic on the long term prospects of what these opportunities will offer our collective organizations in the future.”
The contract is effective through July 31, 2018.
About Medline
Medline is a global manufacturer and distributor serving the healthcare industry with medical supplies and clinical solutions that help customers achieve both clinical and financial success. Headquartered in Mundelein, Ill., the company offers 350,000+ medical devices and support services through more than 1,200 direct sales representatives who are dedicated points of contact for customers across the continuum of care. For more information on Medline, go to www.medline.com or http://www.medline.com/social-media to connect with Medline on its social media channels.
About BCA
BCA is a member-owned organization comprised of more than 50 independent blood centers geographically dispersed throughout the North America, representing nearly 40 percent of the U.S. blood supply. Along with their core business of providing a substantial portion of U.S. blood supply, BCA members provide a variety of other services including, patient blood management, transfusion services, immunohematology testing, therapeutic apheresis and tissue and cord blood banking. In addition, BCA members provide a variety of human blood products, cells and tissues to the therapeutic, diagnostic and cell therapy industries. Learn more at https://bca.coop/.
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