Guest guest Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 it's a great idea; i proposed this long ago.previously, there has been little traction for such a move.i spoke with gary seto and gordon moore a few times about more formally organizing this group, and neither was positive nor encouraging at that time.there were a couple of telephone conferences with several involved, but nothing came of them.since that time, IMP camp has been suggested, #1 has come and gone, now we are on to #2 in june.be sure to note there are different objectives in this group; some want a place to shoot the breeze, give/take practice/business/IT suggestions, have a pool of available practices for academic research, give/get advice on specific patient care, to feel less isolated, to sell whatever, and any combination thereof.gordon started this group, we all appreciate that; now with more members (numbers), it may be time to decide whether to expand or focus on more clear-cut objectives, and how to do it.i'm all for it, we can talk about it now, with further discussion in person at IMP camp #2.LL wrote: What do you think of this? We as a group negotiate low prices or discounts w our commonly used suppliers- from what a new doc needs to set up office to day to day disposibles, vaccines, meds, etc that we all use. We would post these companies links onto the IMP web site as there recommended place to shop, with low prices, quality, tou know like costco. To get insurance as a group although that might not be necessary as people are going thru AMA and AAFP. Not sure but to become "group" we could pay and annual due of $25. If people think this is something that might work, we could start by asking the suppliers we all use most. Hey it never hurts to ask for a discount. -- M.D.www.elainemd.com Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 I would be thrilled to be able to split orders for things like rapid strep tests and flu tests. I don’t use enough to use them up before they expire, and I haven’t been able to find a retailer who will sell me fewer than 25 at a time. Annie From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 10:18 AM To: practiceimprovement1 Subject: IMP buying group What do you think of this? We as a group negotiate low prices or discounts w our commonly used suppliers- from what a new doc needs to set up office to day to day disposibles, vaccines, meds, etc that we all use. We would post these companies links onto the IMP web site as there recommended place to shop, with low prices, quality, tou know like costco. To get insurance as a group although that might not be necessary as people are going thru AMA and AAFP. Not sure but to become " group " we could pay and annual due of $25. If people think this is something that might work, we could start by asking the suppliers we all use most. Hey it never hurts to ask for a discount. -- M.D. www.elainemd.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 I just joined my local food co-op, and was struck as I read through the bylaws and such by how similar are the values of the co-op movement and the IMP movement. Maybe a “Vermont corporation” could be organized without too much cost. The history of the food co-op made it sound like it wasn’t really that much work until it grew big enough to need its own store…. I’d be willing to help with this sort of project. Annie From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of lawrence lyon Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 11:00 AM To: Subject: Re: IMP buying group it's a great idea; i proposed this long ago. previously, there has been little traction for such a move. i spoke with gary seto and gordon moore a few times about more formally organizing this group, and neither was positive nor encouraging at that time. there were a couple of telephone conferences with several involved, but nothing came of them. since that time, IMP camp has been suggested, #1 has come and gone, now we are on to #2 in june. be sure to note there are different objectives in this group; some want a place to shoot the breeze, give/take practice/business/IT suggestions, have a pool of available practices for academic research, give/get advice on specific patient care, to feel less isolated, to sell whatever, and any combination thereof. gordon started this group, we all appreciate that; now with more members (numbers), it may be time to decide whether to expand or focus on more clear-cut objectives, and how to do it. i'm all for it, we can talk about it now, with further discussion in person at IMP camp #2. LL wrote: What do you think of this? We as a group negotiate low prices or discounts w our commonly used suppliers- from what a new doc needs to set up office to day to day disposibles, vaccines, meds, etc that we all use. We would post these companies links onto the IMP web site as there recommended place to shop, with low prices, quality, tou know like costco. To get insurance as a group although that might not be necessary as people are going thru AMA and AAFP. Not sure but to become " group " we could pay and annual due of $25. If people think this is something that might work, we could start by asking the suppliers we all use most. Hey it never hurts to ask for a discount. -- M.D. www.elainemd.com Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I've just had discussions with a couple of people who have tried the buying group for networks of physicians. First the negatives: It is a daunting task. There are two huge players in this field: VHA Inc Premier Inc They get their purchasing power by serving thousands of hospitals. The power of a 2000 practice network proved negligible and the distribution costs of small volumes to multiple locations ate up all the savings, and the cost of administering the group infrastructure ended up falling to the practices. Next - the positives: Prior experiences might have been organized in " the old way " with a corporate infrastructure and processes. Given the modern collective power of the web and innovations in distribution we might be able to pull this off. The work: This will take some work. Who's game? Contact me off list and we'll organize a mini task force. Thanks Gordon At 12:46 PM 3/3/2008, you wrote: I just joined my local food co-op, and was struck as I read through the bylaws and such by how similar are the values of the co-op movement and the IMP movement. Maybe a “Vermont corporation” could be organized without too much cost. The history of the food co-op made it sound like it wasn’t really that much work until it grew big enough to need its own store…. I’d be willing to help with this sort of project. Annie From: [ mailto: ] On Behalf Of lawrence lyon Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 11:00 AM To: Subject: Re: IMP buying group it's a great idea; i proposed this long ago. previously, there has been little traction for such a move. i spoke with gary seto and gordon moore a few times about more formally organizing this group, and neither was positive nor encouraging at that time. there were a couple of telephone conferences with several involved, but nothing came of them. since that time, IMP camp has been suggested, #1 has come and gone, now we are on to #2 in june. be sure to note there are different objectives in this group; some want a place to shoot the breeze, give/take practice/business/IT suggestions, have a pool of available practices for academic research, give/get advice on specific patient care, to feel less isolated, to sell whatever, and any combination thereof. gordon started this group, we all appreciate that; now with more members (numbers), it may be time to decide whether to expand or focus on more clear-cut objectives, and how to do it. i'm all for it, we can talk about it now, with further discussion in person at IMP camp #2. LL wrote: What do you think of this? We as a group negotiate low prices or discounts w our commonly used suppliers- from what a new doc needs to set up office to day to day disposibles, vaccines, meds, etc that we all use. We would post these companies links onto the IMP web site as there recommended place to shop, with low prices, quality, tou know like costco. To get insurance as a group although that might not be necessary as people are going thru AMA and AAFP. Not sure but to become " group " we could pay and annual due of $25. If people think this is something that might work, we could start by asking the suppliers we all use most. Hey it never hurts to ask for a discount. -- M.D. www.elainemd.com Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I don't know if small items are worth going for. I am thinking of our little organic food ordering coop on distribution day and what a big hassle it is to get everyone to the parking lot once a month when the truck backs up to drop off (at least ONE person HAS to show up on time and THAT is difficult). I think multiplied nationally the headaches would multiply on a similar scale. It's sort of worrisome that a big organization like AAFP could not pull this off with office computers for its members. That said, maybe EMR and software package discounts would be a reasonable place to start - no physical product (maybe except CDs which are easy to ship) and there are probably some sympathetic vendors. Annie- eBay is really cheap for strep tests!Lynn Need to know the score, the latest news, or you need your Hotmail®-get your "fix". Check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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