A new organization dedicated to procurement for post-acute care providers is being officially unveiled today.
Leaders of the Society for Healthcare Organization Procurement Professionals (SHOPP) say they aim to improve collaboration between clinical and financial post-acute care leaders.
SHOPP currently represents more than 1,500 post-acute facilities and supports “data-driven, ethical evaluation of products and solutions,” according to an announcement scheduled for this morning.
“SHOPP will achieve this by empowering procurement professionals to institute and advocate for value-based principles that improve patient care, maintain the integrity of the healthcare continuum and achieve efficient and cost-effective goals,” the SHOPP press release states.
Josh Silverberg, who lists director of purchasing for Brooklyn, NY-based Highbridge Healthcare among his experiences, is one of the founders.
“New technologies, product and pricing strategies don’t always align with the initiatives of healthcare reform or ultimately benefit the patient,” he said. “Purchasing agents must evolve into ‘Procurement Professionals’ in order to meet these challenges.”
The organization is a response to the move toward value-based care, which requires collaboration between upstream and downstream stakeholders, said Michael Torgan, former vice president of operations for Prestige Healthcare and prior chief strategy officer for First Quality Products, Healthcare Division.
“Purchasing decisions must be made with an eye not only towards cost of the product, but total cost/benefit on achieving a superior outcome,” Torgan said.
According to its website, the group promotes “Unbiased, not-for-profit, agenda-free education and networking” and welcomes “vendors, GPOs and all operators involved in the procurement process.”
The group will hold quarterly educational webinars and has planned its first symposium for May 5-7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
