Cost containment pressures make suppliers partners in productivity.

As demands for cost containment, productivity, and efficiency continue to be made of health care providers, more and more questions are being asked about the cost benefits and appropriateness of health care products and supplies. And, as hospitals continue to make their purchasing decisions in a regulated economy, it is likely that their decisions will alter the sales, marketing, and service responsibilities of hospital suppliers. In an effort to educate hospital suppliers to what lies ahead, Hospitals and Trustee magazines recently held the first National Symposium on the Hospital Market, the details of which are presented here.