Stephan Sonderegger, CEO of Swisslog, a leading supplier of solutions for medication and supply chain management in healthcare, shares his predictions for how the trend of consolidation will impact hospitals and health systems in 2017.
He outlines three key areas where consolidation will continue to be a key strategy for addressing the challenges faced by health systems, such as growing patient access demands, rising drug costs, and amplified demands for improved outcomes and quality. These areas are:
- Continued pursuit of affiliations, acquisitions and mergers and drive toward “systemness”
- Supply chain management programs and consolidated service centers (CSCs) to drive operating efficiencies and cost savings
- Pharmacy program consolidation and centralization to transform distribution and enhance system integration
“The changing payer mix is leading to shrinking reimbursement per patient, negatively impacting profitability. As hospitals and health systems struggle with these challenges, one strategy that continues to attract interest is the concept of consolidation and centralization, whether it be organization or service line driven,” explains Sonderegger. The full article reviews current trends in consolidation and expectations for the future.
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