Specific challenges included:
- Relationships with multiple GPOs and distributors caused fragmentation
- Centers operated independently, without product, price or process consistency
- No collective visibility to purchase volume and trends
- Lack of dedicated supply chain resources to manage performance and report outcomes
By partnering with Provista experts, Solis Mammography was able to define a vision of their desired state, identify and analyze options, and ultimately, implement enterprise-wide solutions.
Nearly 100 centers now leverage a fully customized supply chain solution, including a dedicated outsourced procurement team, software to support requisitioning, ordering, receiving and AP, and ongoing best practice-driven processes, including fast and efficient on-boarding of new facilities.
Building Strategic Relationships
Pyle set a course to build an infrastructure enabling greater consolidation, efficiency, scalability and visibility. The first step was to move from multiple GPOs to Provista and with a relationship established, leverage this foundation beyond traditional GPO services and identify solutions that would operationalize Pyle’s vision. Together, Pyle and a cross-functional Provista team began to design, build and implement an infrastructure to support the supply chain needs of the organization.
The Provista team immediately set about a two-part task: initiating a bid for a single source medical supply distributor and evaluating technology solutions that could support enterprise-wide procurement. To identify a national distributor, the team collected Solis’ purchase history data, solicited requests for proposals from multiple distributors, analyzed bids and presented final results that allowed Solis to make an informed decision, selecting a single organization for nationwide distribution.
Simultaneously, the team worked through an evaluation of technology solutions that could support a centralized procurement platform and streamline functionality, while providing visibility into all of Solis’ centers. Following thorough evaluations, Envi® supply chain software was selected, based on its flexible, modular approach, affordable cost structure, ease of use, and scalability that supported both corporate requirements, as well as individual centers’ needs for requisitioning and facility-level management.
Throughout the process, Solis utilized a dedicated, interim supply chain lead from Provista Advisory Services to spearhead enterprise-wide coordination and consolidation initiatives. With the new foundation established, attention shifted to creating the most efficient, ongoing supply chain management function. Options included building and managing an in-house supply chain group or outsourcing the functions to the dedicated Provista Procurement Solutions team. Ultimately, Pyle elected the latter and worked with Provista to implement a full-service procurement solution for Solis. With this approach, Solis could benefit from a scalable team of experts, utilizing Envi software to support the enterprise infrastructure, while continuously improving supply chain best practices.