HealthTrust Purchasing Group generally comes out looking pretty good in this in-depth Modern Healthcare piece on group purchasing organizations. The Brentwood-based company is mentioned as saving a university hospital $6.5 million in its first contract year and another health system more than 8 percent of its annual spend while President and CEO Jim Fitzgerald says his team's pipeline looks great. But the story also raises a question about HealthTrust's model, which requires clients to spend 80 percent or more with the company. That may be asking too much of some operators in these tougher times, says one consultant.

“When health systems become challenged operationally, that opens up the evaluation of lots of services and things that they do, which can often include the GPO,” says Sean Angert, a managing director at Huron Consulting. “As some health systems have grown in size and volume and spend, many of them are looking for additional flexibility."