New Distribution Agreement Between Medline and Avamere Health Services Focuses on Readmissions Prevention and Clinical Education

Avamere’s entities will have access to programs like abaqis and
Medline University to help enhance clinical outcomes

MUNDELEIN, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Avamere
Health Services, which provides a range of services to seniors in
over 40 independent living, assisted living, transitional care and
skilled nursing facilities throughout four states, has awarded a
three-year, $12 million prime vendor agreement to Medline,
a global medical supplier that services the continuum of care.

The exclusive distribution partnership is expected to provide Avamere’s
entities with an extensive portfolio of essential medical supplies that
will better position the system to streamline supply chain operations.
Beyond product savings and efficiencies in supply chain, Medline will
also help enhance Avamere’s readmission prevention strategies and
provide continuing education courses to help clinicians perform at their
very best.

Recent data
from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) suggests that
nearly 2,700 hospitals will be penalized for hospitals readmissions in
fiscal 2016. Through this prime vendor deal, Avamere will receive
negotiated pricing on Medline’s abaqis
readmission tracking tool. The web-based quality assurance tool helps
nursing homes identify the root cause for readmissions by analyzing
patterns of readmissions within a facility, such as identifying the
hospital a resident was admitted from; the day, time and shift when the
readmission occurred, physician coverage during the time of patient
transfer, and the reason for the transfer. Throughout the country, more
than 3,000 facilities are using abaqis.

“With more than 100 years of supply chain experience, Medline is
in a unique position to offer customers like Avamere leading-edge
solutions to help them achieve their clinical and financial goals,” said
Matt Van Zelst, vice president of national accounts for post-acute care,
Medline. “Our partnership is about more than just shipping boxes of
supplies. It’s about working one-on-one with Avamere to provide clinical
solutions for the issues that matter most to the growth of their
company.”

Furthermore, as ongoing education is a clear priority for healthcare
workers, Medline will provide Avamere staff with ongoing education
opportunities to help ensure caregivers are providing the highest
quality of care to patients. Avamere’s clinicians will take online
courses through Medline
University. Approaching its 10 year anniversary in 2016, Medline
University offers over 250 courses used by more than 700,000 registered
users from nurses, healthcare assistants, dieticians, nursing home
administrators, and leadership, to patients and families. In all,
healthcare professionals take some 40,000 online courses monthly through
Medline University.

“The educational tools Medline brings to the table to help our staff
stay informed on industry trends and sharpen their skills is
invaluable,” said Kelsey Selander, purchasing manager at Avamere. “The
partnership will offer our facilities the opportunity to benefit from
Medline’s strong purchasing power, allowing us to enhance the quality of
care we provide to the communities we serve.”

The contract is effective through December 31, 2018.

Learn more about Medline’s prime vendor program at https://www.medline.com/supply-solutions/hospital-idn/prime-vendor-program-review/.

About Medline

Medline
is a global manufacturer and distributor serving the healthcare industry
with medical supplies and clinical solutions that help customers achieve
both clinical and financial success. Headquartered in Mundelein, Ill.,
the company offers 350,000+ medical devices and support services through
more than 1,200 direct sales representatives who are dedicated points of
contact for customers across the continuum of care. For more information
on Medline, go to www.medline.com
or http://www.medline.com/social-media
to connect with Medline on its social media channels.

Contacts

Medline
Stacy Rubenstein, (847) 949-2286
srubenstein@medline.com