Advantage was founded in 1969 under the name CAP-NO-DAK (Commodity Association Purchasing of North Dakota). One of the original pioneers of group purchasing for both long-term care and hospitals, we now serve over 500 facilities in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Eastern Montana and NE Wyoming. In the late 1970’s, clinic contracts were added where products and services were also used by hospitals, such as Laboratory and limited medical surgical devices and supplies. Advantage launched one of the first manufacturer contracts for XRAY. We began to address pharmacy items like Flu Vaccine, Chemotherapy drugs and adult and children’s vaccines throughout the 1980’s. Distribution agreements have been designed to work closely with regional suppliers who provide on-site representation and/or local warehousing.
In 1980, we joined forces with other Midwestern groups to establish a regional alliance, sharing negotiations time and consolidating volume to deliver more competitive pricing and services. As our membership grew more diverse, Advantage continually sought to free up time to work on-site with client facilities. We sought a new alliance with greater resources to provide a more sophisticated contracting system, harnessing greater expertise and leverage.
In 1986 Advantage joined several regional organizations to affiliate with several larger groups who were founding Amerinet. In August of 1990 a restructuring necessitated Advantage fulfill a contractual obligation to a founder group. After fulfilling that obligation, Advantage embarked on an exhaustive review of all major GPO’s compatible with the types and sizes of facilities in the Advantage Healthcare “family” of members. In May, 1997, Advantage re-affiliated with Amerinet and introduced our members to outsourced contracting through Amerinet’s group purchasing program.
In 2006, Amerinet restructured to align its “shareholders” and corporate office into a single Amerinet entity. Advantage employs a staff of five. Two more field support personnel are deployed by Amerinet in the Twin Cities area to enhance member service capability. Amerinet adds a staff of professionals who refine communications regarding contract changes, documentation of problems and tracking both compliance and suggestions for improvements, and a clinical support team to add expertise to field services.
Advantage members often have on-site visits and regional meetings that address specific issues that require member input or education. A staff specialist is retained for regional agreements and capital equipment research and is available through a 1-800# hotline. Annually, we hold an educational networking conference called UPDATE, including a huge vendor fair, which complements professional and personal development speakers. Twice a year, Advantage holds regional meetings at multiple locations.
The Amerinet system has delivered exceptional success in negotiating with top market leaders in major product categories. Multiple distributor selections insure that delivery of strong contract pricing occurs without sacrificing value-added services from vendors. This results in both higher utilization and end-user satisfaction. Combining input from non-acute and acute member’s results in the nations’ broadest, most flexible group contracts and distribution. Being member driven, Advantage also maintains a select number of agreements with vendors for products of regional importance.