Credential the Company, Not Just the Rep
April 7, 2009
Ruth Damron, Clinical Resource Manager, recently spoke with us about the vendor management process at Sisters of Mercy Health System (Mercy). Beyond the typical healthcare provider concerns about Joint Commission audits and reps in the halls, she’s looking at the vendor company. Her on-boarding process includes:
“Background checks for the financial health, conflicts of interest, leins, liability, bankruptcies, etc., and any FDA recall. That’s what you want to know. You want to know if there’s anyone out there who you shouldn’t really partner with in the vendor community. So, that’s what our GPO is looking at as part of their pre screening.”
Business due diligence like this is common in manufacturing supply chains, but not so much in healthcare. But for Mercy, this is a logical extension of its unique centralized supply chain model.
Mercy’s goal is to build vendor partnerships where both the buyer and the seller have clear expectations of service, price and volume.
Partnerships are built on trust and experience, and due diligence can jumpstart trust.
Entry Filed under: Know Your Vendor, risk management, vendor credentials, vendor management. Tags: healthcare supply chain, Mercy, vendor credentials, vendor management.
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