Three group purchasing organizations served as the primary GPOs for more than 80% of U.S. hospitals in 2024, according to a study published Sept. 11 in JAMA Health Forum.
Here are five things to know:
- Vizient, HealthTrust and Premier collectively served 4,001 hospitals (84.1%) in 2024, up from 3,094 hospitals (61.7%) in 2014.
- Vizient’s share nearly doubled, from 1,152 hospitals (23%) in 2014 to 2,066 hospitals (43.4%) in 2024. Researchers said the increase was driven largely by its acquisition of MedAssets and other smaller GPOs.
- Premier’s share increased from 1,109 hospitals (22.1%) in 2014 to 1,128 hospitals (23.7%) in 2024. HealthTrust’s share increased from 833 hospitals (16.7%) to 807 hospitals (17%).
- Small GPOs’ share declined from 616 hospitals (12.3%) in 2014 to 493 hospitals (10.4%) in 2024. In both years, 5.6% of hospitals had no GPO affiliation.
- The study included 5,008 hospitals in 2014 and 4,760 in 2024. Researchers said the growing dominance of three GPOs is relevant to ongoing scrutiny of healthcare supply chain intermediaries.
