CDW Healthcare, VHA team to lower supply-center costs

CDW Healthcare is expanding an agreement with VHA to deliver IT products and services to the VHA-supported Mid-America Service Solutions Consolidated Service Center (MSS CSC).

The new three-year agreement augments CDW Healthcare’s existing nationwide VHA contract, according to CDW of Vernon Hills, Ill.

The MSS CSC includes 16 VHA members in Kansas and Missouri that act as one unit and purchase approximately $520 million in products and services annually. The CSC is designed to advance supply chain efficiency, decrease costs and streamline operations.

In addition to immediate savings realized by the participating hospitals, new standards on printers, desktops, thin clients, notebooks and monitors have been created to drive further cost savings and efficiencies. VHA and CDW Healthcare are working to create standards around products such as servers to help drive sustainable cost reduction for the duration of the agreement.

Thirty-two VHA member hospitals from MSS that have already signed the agreement will see immediate cost efficiencies on IT products based on the increased purchasing scale. MSS member hospitals will also have immediate access to:

  • Complex, healthcare-specific solutions including PACS, point-of-care and telemedicine systems;
  • Pre- and post-sales services including assessments, configuration, installation and product lifecycle management;
  • Managed and hosted services;
  • Advanced technology solutions such as unified communications, business continuity and server virtualization; and
  • More than 300 technology specialists.

Around the web

The new technology shows early potential to make a significant impact on imaging workflows and patient care. 

Richard Heller III, MD, RSNA board member and senior VP of policy at Radiology Partners, offers an overview of policies in Congress that are directly impacting imaging.
 

The two companies aim to improve patient access to high-quality MRI scans by combining their artificial intelligence capabilities.