January 2012

Contract innovations give members more input, choice and flexibility
Clinicians at the forefront of national contracts
Expanded pharmacy portfolio meets the needs of healthcare providers delivering highly specialized care
Revitalized pharmaceutical contracting strategy makes suppliers more accountable in light of ongoing challenge of drug shortages in Canada

HealthPRO has enhanced its contracts process to address the changing needs of today's members, from independent healthcare facilities to large shared service organizations (SSOs) alike.

As we continue to explore additional changes over the next year with the goal of launching a simpler, more refined process in 2013, the following improvements have been incorporated into our 2012 RFP process to ensure that HealthPRO continues to deliver the right products and services for today's members:

• Scenario-based sourcing. HealthPRO offers customized multi-supplier contracts for certain products that allow members the flexibility of choice while nurturing market competition.
• Exiting suppliers asked to hold prices during transition. Suppliers whose contracts are coming to a close are now being asked to hold their contract pricing for a six-month transition period.
• Clinical Debrief meetings advise members about pre-qualification decisions made at Clinical Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings. A HealthPRO Clinical Director now visits member groups to review the brands and suppliers that were pre-qualified at the recent CAC. This exchange allows members to determine which products may require further review prior to contract commitment and which contracts will be a more straight forward commitment decision. Piloted with Western members, this information-sharing session has been expanded into other provinces and will be provided to members on an ongoing basis.
• Increased response time for member commitment. Members now have 10 weeks – an additional four weeks – to decide on contract commitments.
• Clinical Scorecards selected based on individual contracts. To address the changing needs of members and the complexity of products under consideration, HealthPRO continuously reviews its Clinical Scorecards for relevance and effectiveness to determine the best Scorecard match for each product.
• Following up on feedback provided by advisory committee members. We are thankful for the valuable feedback shared by our advisory committee members. To ensure committee participants are aware of what feedback was incorporated, HealthPRO shares a summary with rationale to Clinical Advisory Committee members.