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A JOINT MEMORIAL
REQUESTING THE NEW MEXICO HEALTH POLICY COMMISSION TO CONVENE
A TASK FORCE TO IDENTIFY STATE DEPARTMENTS AND PUBLICLY
FUNDED HEALTH CARE AGENCIES TO PARTICIPATE IN BULK PURCHASING
OF DURABLE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, HEALTH CARE SUPPLIES AND
PHARMACEUTICALS.
WHEREAS, state departments and publicly funded health
care agencies can increase their market clout when purchasing
durable medical equipment, health care supplies and
pharmaceuticals by acting as a single bulk-purchasing unit
because manufacturers and distributors are more likely to
negotiate favorable pricing with larger-volume purchasing
units; and
WHEREAS, administrative costs, and thus administrative
fees, will decrease as economies of scale favor the bulk
purchase of durable medical equipment, health care supplies
and pharmaceuticals by state departments and publicly funded
health care agencies acting as a single bulk-purchasing unit;
and
WHEREAS, when purchasing durable medical equipment,
health care supplies and pharmaceuticals in bulk, state
departments and publicly funded health care agencies could
utilize a single purchasing-management system that uses the
industry's best practices, such as using preferred equipment,
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supply and pharmaceutical lists and formularies for reference
and review, and thus could realize savings while protecting
patient choices; and
WHEREAS, state departments and publicly funded health
care agencies could avoid duplication and share expensive
resources by keeping a single bulk-purchasing and
inventory-management system and thus realize savings; and
WHEREAS, many states, including New Mexico, Alaska,
Georgia, Delaware, Hawaii, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New
Hampshire, Ohio, Vermont and West Virginia, have realized
savings by consolidating pharmaceutical purchases for
employees and medicaid pools; and
WHEREAS, cost should not be the only consideration in
purchasing durable medical equipment, health care supplies
and pharmaceuticals in bulk, and, therefore, quality should
be considered when making bulk purchases of these products;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the New Mexico health policy
commission be requested to convene a task force to identify
state departments and publicly funded health care agencies
that could participate in bulk purchasing of durable medical
equipment, health care supplies and pharmaceuticals and plan
a management system, timetable and quality control mechanisms
for bulk purchasing; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force report its
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findings to the interim legislative health and human services
committee no later than August 31, 2009; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be
transmitted to the director of the New Mexico health policy
commission.