Partners
Strategic Partners
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Wal-Mart
"At Wal-Mart's core is a commitment to take what we do best and share it so our customers and communities can benefit," said Linda Dillman, the company's executive vice president of risk management, benefits, and sustainability. "By partnering with the University of Arkansas, we intend to share expertise in technology and turn the theoretical discussion of health information technology into real applications so consumers can benefit through greater access to information, higher safety rates, and enhanced quality."
BlueCross BlueShield
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois joined the center in March of 2007. “Blue Cross Blue Shield is proud to join Wal-Mart and the University of Arkansas in this worthy venture. We look forward to contributing to the advancement of healthcare technology through the creation of this research center.”
Bob Shoptaw, CEO BlueCross BlueShield Arkansas
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VHA
VHA, Inc. is a cooperative that helps hospitals nationwide improve supply chain performance. "More than a decade ago, an industry study indicated that there is as much as $13 billion in waste in the U.S. healthcare supply chain, and even with the efficiencies we implemented since then, we've barely scratched the surface," said Scott Downing, group senior vice president of supply chain services at VHA. "Supplies make up the second largest expense category for any hospital, so maximizing savings opportunities and strategies to enhance efficiency are essential steps to creating a healthier healthcare system in the U.S. We want to use individual VHA member organization and our supply chain network as test laboratories for the ideas and innovations that come out of the center."
Affiliate Partners
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Procter & Gamble is a global consumer products manufacturer and distributor. Jeff Schomburger, president of Procter & Gamble's Global Wal-Mart business stated: "We believe that applying the best in information technology to our healthcare delivery system will be at the center of improving healthcare for our consumers. This work is critical, and we are proud to be part of what the University of Arkansas and Wal-Mart are creating through the Center for Innovation in Healthcare Logistics."
Equipment, Software, and Other Collaborating Partners
The Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM) is the leading national association for executives in the healthcare resource and materials management profession. A professional membership group of the American Hospital Association, AHRMM serves more than 4,000 active members. CIHL received $50,000 for its initiative "Identifying Opportunities for Cost and Quality Improvements in Healthcare Logistics".
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SMI
The Strategic Marketplace Initiative (SMI) is collaborating with CIHL to foster benefits for the healthcare supply chain industry. SMI is a consortium of executives representing healthcare providers; medical products, pharmaceuticals and supply chain distribution companies; and service businesses united to reengineer and advance the future of the healthcare supply chain for the purpose of improving the overall healthcare marketplace in the United States. Through SMI, members have discovered an open, non-competitive forum for innovative idea-exchange and the development of collaborative process improvement initiatives.