Premier plan for device IDs
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Hospital group purchasing organization Premier sends a 1letter to its 800-plus contracted suppliers, including device firms, endorsing the adoption of GS1 product identification standards by 2012. The GPO had previously announced its intention to require suppliers to implement an across-the-board, unique device identification system (2"The Gray Sheet" July 28, 2008, p. 22). The letter, from Premier's strategic advisory committee, outlines a specific timeline by which all suppliers should adopt, by 2010, GS1 global location numbers to identify manufacturers, hospitals and other parties in contact with each product and, by 2012, global trade item numbers to identify devices at various packaging levels