Coastal Community Health nationally recognized as a model health system for hospital resource management with Healthcare Supply Chain Achievement Award

Coastal Community Health, the health network consisting of Baptist Health and Southeast Georgia Health System, earned a 2020 Healthcare Supply Chain Achievement Award from the ECRI Institute, an independent, nonprofit authority on health care practices and products, for its exceptional supply chain management. Health systems receiving this award have been recognized for a commitment to efficiently managing hospital resources to improve the safety, quality and cost-effectiveness of patient care.

To honor this achievement, Coastal Community Health was also featured in an ECRI Institute digital ad in New York City’s Times Square. Only 12 health care organizations from more than 3,000 U.S. hospitals and health systems that are members of the ECRI Institute’s sourcing and supply chain programs were selected to receive the award.

The Healthcare Supply Chain Achievement Award honors members of the ECRI Institute’s portfolio of supply chain services who demonstrate exceptional spending management, market analytics efforts and supply chain efficiency. Winners were selected following a 12-month analysis that evaluated successful service use across the procurement lifecycle, including budgeting, benchmarking, technology assessment and strategic development.

Coastal Community Health’s recognition was due in part to Baptist Health’s use of ECRI Institute market reports to source new technologies for hospital facilities. Using ECRI Institute insights to make budgeting and implementation decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic, Baptist Health became one of the first hospital systems to implement ultraviolet light (UV) disinfecting robots to clean N95 masks for reuse.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, our Supply Chain team members played a key role in securing access to safe and cost-effective medical products,” said Rick Tresmond, vice president and supply chain officer of Coastal Community Health. “This award highlights the progress we have made employing industry-leading approaches to health care supply chain, protecting our team members, patients and the financial well-being of our organization.”