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GS1 Healthcare US Formed to Help Healthcare Industry Meet Changing Needs, New Challenges

Posted on: Thursday, 10 January 2008, 18:00 CST

GS1 US™ announced today that it has formed GS1 Healthcare US, a new industry-led group designed to help the U.S. healthcare industry improve patient safety and increase supply chain efficiency through the adoption and wide-scale implementation of GS1® global standards.

GS1 US, a Member Organization of GS1, is a neutral, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the use of open, global standards and the implementation of standards-based solutions to help companies improve the accuracy, speed, and efficiency of business processes in supply and demand chains. GS1 standards are used by more than a million member companies worldwide and the use of GS1 standards in the healthcare industry has been growing significantly.

"GS1 Healthcare US is formalizing and leveraging our long-standing involvement in the healthcare industry and has two primary goals," Charles Lloyd, COO of GS1 US said. "The first is to help improve patient safety through the use of GS1 standards and, second, providing standards-based solutions that allow the healthcare industry to meet their need for both accurate data and the ability to efficiently share that data internally and externally. In addition to helping improve patient safety, we believe these efforts can help the industry as a whole better manage supply chains that provide patients with everything from bandages to life-saving drugs and medical devices."

"We believe that standards are critical in helping the healthcare industry achieve these goals," Mr. Lloyd continued. "GS1 is one of the most globally recognized standards organizations by the healthcare industry and GS1 Healthcare US will play a key and vital role in leading this effort."

As an industry-led and industry-focused group, GS1 Healthcare US is bringing together the full range of healthcare stakeholders including healthcare providers, pharmacies, industry associations, group purchasing organizations or GPOs, manufacturers, distributors, and technology solution providers. The group will develop a variety of tools and resources for use by the healthcare industry including standards implementation guidelines, standards-based solutions for healthcare's specific needs, case studies of successful applications, as well as training and education. In addition to helping with the adoption and implementation of current standards, the group will ensure that the standards needs of the U.S. healthcare community are met by the global standards development initiatives of GS1.

GS1 Healthcare US is one of 12 national and regional groups around the world formed to support adoption and implementation of global standards developed by GS1.

Participation in GS1 Healthcare US is open to companies, organizations, institutions and associations serving the U.S. healthcare industry including healthcare providers, pharmacies, industry associations, GPOs, manufacturers, distributors, as well as technology solution providers. For more information about participating in GS1 Healthcare US, contact John Roberts at jroberts@gs1us.org or visit www.gs1us.org/healthcare.

About GS1 US™

GS1 US, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the adoption and implementation of standards-based, global supply chain solutions. GS1 US operates subsidiaries EPCglobal North America™, RosettaNet, and 1SYNC™. GS1 US manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC®) for the UN Development Programme. GS1 US-based solutions, including business processes, XML standards, EDI transaction sets and the bar code identification standards of the GS1 System are currently used by more than one million companies worldwide. For more information, visit www.gs1us.org

About GS1®

GS1 is a leading global organization dedicated to the design and implementation of global standards and solutions to improve the efficiency & visibility of the supply and demand chains globally and across sectors. The GS1 system of standards is the most widely used supply chain standards system in the world. For more information, visit www.gs1.org.

Source: Business Wire

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