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A Regional Purchasing Coalition (RPC) generally consists of healthcare providers leveraging their collective purchasing power to lower prices on necessary supplies. While some RPCs are affiliated with Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs), many are independent.
Some RPCs offer services in addition to purchasing, such as:
- Data sharing and utilization
- Networking and best-practice communication
- Performance improvement through trend identification
Though these services can benefit member facilities, the primary purpose of an RPC is to influence supply chain costs—sometimes by working with a GPO. Collaborating with a GPO can offer support for RPCs in gathering and analyzing market data, enabling strategic decision-making.
While GPOs and RPCs perform many of the same functions, there are a few differences. The primary distinction is that an RPC is a partnership between hospitals and care facilities to lower supply chain costs. A GPO is an outside organization that secures lowered purchasing prices for members. Additionally, RPCs are limited to a specific geographic region, and GPOs tend to serve care facilities nationwide.
The following list details the top 25 RPCs by the number of member hospitals, including member hospital net patient revenue.
Top 25 Regional Purchasing Coalitions by Number of Member Hospitals
| RPC Name | State | Number of Member Hospitals | Member Net Patient Revenue | |
|
1. |
Capstone Health Alliance |
NC |
227 |
$31,286,211,954 |
|
2. |
Vizient - Captis (AKA Vizient - Upper Midwest Consolidated Services Center) |
MN |
223 |
$35,354,725,530 |
|
3. |
Illinois Health and Hospital Association |
IL |
202 |
$32,949,802,711 |
|
4. |
Childrens Hospital Association |
KS |
180 |
$57,426,419,238 |
|
5. |
Vizient - Mid-America Service Solutions LLC |
KS |
179 |
$17,575,852,911 |
|
6. |
Associated Purchasing Services |
KS |
128 |
$8,249,943,440 |
|
7. |
Acurity |
NY |
114 |
$42,842,618,969 |
|
8. |
Yankee Alliance |
MA |
108 |
$26,235,712,012 |
|
9. |
Quorum Purchasing Advantage |
TN |
107 |
$6,300,471,795 |
|
10. |
Vizient Southern States |
GA |
102 |
$19,146,010,520 |
|
11. |
Vizient - West Coast Purchasing Coalition |
CA |
74 |
$20,577,486,216 |
|
12. |
Vizient - Partners Cooperative Inc |
GA |
70 |
$15,456,269,070 |
|
13. |
Vizient - Southeast Supply Solutions |
FL |
58 |
$9,627,537,222 |
|
14. |
NJHA Healthcare Business Solutions |
NJ |
54 |
$8,001,730,778 |
|
15. |
The Health Collaborative |
OH |
50 |
$9,308,537,909 |
|
16. |
Prairie Health Ventures |
NE |
49 |
$2,211,816,373 |
|
17. |
Carolinas Shared Services |
NC |
49 |
$9,149,007,610 |
|
18. |
AllSpire Health GPO |
PA |
46 |
$12,796,624,323 |
|
19. |
Montana Hospital Association Ventures Inc |
MT |
46 |
$2,656,454,260 |
|
20. |
United Iroquois Shared Services |
NY |
41 |
$4,977,774,481 |
|
21. |
National Capital Area Shared Services Inc |
MD |
38 |
$13,464,745,513 |
|
22. |
VHA Oklahoma/Arkansas |
OK |
38 |
$5,055,180,066 |
|
23. |
Northern Plains Premier Collaborative LLC |
SD |
31 |
$2,388,497,086 |
|
24. |
Avera PACE |
SD |
29 |
$1,978,911,991 |
|
25. |
Rural Hospital Solutions |
MO |
29 |
$1,335,303,217 |
Fig 1. Data from Definitive Healthcare based on annual hospital reporting. Data retrieved February 2, 2019.