GS1, NEHTA host seminars on healthcare supply chain initiatives

GS1 Australia and the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) will host supply chain seminars in Melbourne and Sydney in May, to introduce healthcare supply chain professionals to the latest initiatives in national health supply chain reform and use of GS1 standards.

Purchasers, suppliers and distributors of medicines, medical equipment and consumables are invited to attend the free seminars, which will be held on Wednesday 23 May in Melbourne and on Thursday 24 May in Sydney, from 7.30am to 9.30am at the GS1 Australia offices.

The seminars will focus on the implementation of medical supply chain management innovations in both public and private healthcare including the National Product Catalogue (NPC), hosted on GS1 Australia's GS1net, and eProcurement Solution, which leverages GS1 XML. There will be opportunities to put questions to the speakers and share best practice with other companies.

In addition to experts from GS1 Australia and NEHTA, speakers will include Richard Bowen, director information from health purchasing Victoria, and Valentino Bulaon, manager procurement information, HealthShare NSW, representing public health jurisdictions. A supplier organisation will also present in each location.

"Australia's health sector is embracing supply chain reform and making significant progress towards an interoperable system that delivers substantial quality, safety and efficiency benefits for suppliers and buyers," Mark Brommeyer, NEHTA's supply chain manager said.

"The National Product Catalogue (NPC), for example, is increasingly recognised and utilised as the primary source of reliable product data for all healthcare related purchasing in Australia.

"We have seen the number of users grow by more than 30 per cent in the past nine months alone."

The seminars will explore how companies within the healthcare industry are utilising the NPC not only to reduce the costs associated with incorrect data but to significantly cut the time and resources taken for suppliers to manage and communicate their product data to trading partners.

Tania Snioch, GS1 Australia Industry Manager Healthcare, said there is no better forum to learn more about the latest developments in healthcare supply chain initiatives.

"Our healthcare supply chain seminars ensure up-to-date advice and information is readily available to businesses free of charge," Snioch said.

"We look forward to welcoming as many companies as possible to the events which offer a brilliant opportunity to network and learn from others."

The seminars follow on from a successful webinar week hosted by GS1 Australia and NEHTA in April, where companies learned about the benefits of the NPC from the experts.

The seminars are free of charge. Registration is open now – visit www.gs1au.org/events.