The Mid-America Service Solutions (MSS) consolidated service center includes 16 VHA members located in Kansas and Missouri that act as one unit and purchase approximately $520 million of products and services each year. The center is designed to advance supply chain efficiency, decrease costs, streamline operations and help hospitals maximize the value of every dollar spent. 

VHA says it worked closely with MSS to develop a solution based on the needs of each hospital while still maintaining the appeal of an aggregated purchasing entity. In addition to immediate savings recognized 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 also working to create standards around products such as servers to help drive sustainable cost reduction over the term 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 upon the increased purchasing scale. 

Participating members will also have immediate access to:

·        A dedicated account manager

·        Complex, healthcare-specific solutions including PACS, Point of Care and telemedicine

·        Pre- and post-sales services including assessments, configuration, installation and product lifecycle management

·        Managed and hosted services

·        Advanced technology solutions such as unified communications, IT security, business continuity and server virtualization

·        More than 300 technology specialists

·        A broad range of software, hardware and healthcare equipment manufacturers