What is Community Health Ventures?
• CHV is the business development affiliate of the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). Founded in 2000, CHV was created under the direction of health center leadership and tasked with creating workable solutions to the tremendous economic pressures facing today’s health centers. By negotiating group-purchasing agreements that achieve better pricing, service, and contractual terms for the products and services health centers use on a daily basis, CHV helps health centers reduce costs and remain competitive.
Why would health centers need the products developed by CHV?•Today, health centers manage a variety of economic pressures brought about through a combination of events, including the phasing-out of cost-based reimbursement, growth in managed care, and an ever-increasing number of uninsured patients seeking care at health centers. As a result, these health centers are challenged to stretch their funding and faced with the reality of “doing more with less.” In support of health center efforts to reduce their costs and stay competitive, CHV provides alternatives (like ViP) that help drive better pricing, service, and contractual terms for products and services that health centers use every day. Through CHV’s group-purchasing agreements, health centers not only reduce their operating costs, but are also able to explore new models for the business of health care.
How does CHV develop group-purchasing agreements? • To achieve competitive pricing and contract terms, CHV leverages the collective buying power of America’s health centers to negotiate purchasing solutions with a select group of strategic affiliates. These affiliates have decades of experience and success in their respective industries and have shown an eagerness to help create programs that further the mission of our nation’s health centers. As a result, health centers have the tools to realize significant savings--savings that can be reinvested in patient care or innovative technologies to help strengthen management and clinical systems
Are you interested in becoming a VIP Vender?
Business affiliates undergo a vigorous due diligence process to ensure that products/services meet the needs and priorities of NACHC and Community Health Centers. In order to make the best use of time and resources, and to help triage and handle partnership requests, a written proposal is required from referrals from PCAs, centers, consultants, staff, etc.
Proposals must include, minimally:
1. Corporate Background and Purpose
2. Executive Summary
3. List of Officers, Directors and Sr. Management Team
4. Product/Service Description
5. CHV Role
6. Benefit to Centers (cost savings, efficiencies, etc.)
7. Benefit to CHV
Please also note:
• Resource Plan: All too often resource requirements are significantly underestimated for both product development and product implementation.
• Development Costs: Product development costs can be steep with legal analysis and reviews, contract negotiations, travel, marketing, etc. and seeking partners who help offset those costs and make an investment in health centers and our mission is critical to the success of a product.
• Implementation Costs: Special consideration should be made for staff requirements, space, and development of marketing/educational materials and promotional campaigns. To maximize product/service exposure, marketing is both internal and external.
