Mohawk Valley Health System Strengthens Supply Chain with Premier's Support

Key takeaways:

• Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) was experiencing persistent service issues with its existing pharmacy wholesaler, including delivery failures and a lack of prioritization, prompting a search for a new partner.
• Partnering with Premier, MVHS leveraged in-depth spend analytics, formulary mapping and financial modeling to clearly compare vendor proposals, assess savings opportunities and guide the contracting and implementation process.
• As a result, MVHS secured a new pharmacy wholesaler relationship that aligned with expectations, strengthened its supply chain position and increased confidence in future decision-making.

For Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) in New York, reliable wholesaler service is essential to ensuring clinicians and patients get the medications they need on time. But over time, the healthcare organization began facing repeated service issues, including missed deliveries and inconsistent communication.

“We weren’t getting the services we wanted,” said Courtney Kolwaite, Pharmacy Purchasing Manager at MVHS. “It felt like we weren’t a main priority.”

Recognizing the need for a more dependable partner, MVHS began exploring new pharmacy wholesaler options.

A Structured Evaluation Process

Working initially with a third-party consultant, MVHS launched a Request for Proposal (RFP) to leading wholesalers, detailing service expectations, contractual terms and performance metrics. As they reviewed proposals, conversations with Premier, MVHS’s primary group purchasing organization (GPO), opened the door to deeper support.

Given Premier’s strong data analytics capabilities, expertise in pharmacy wholesaler distribution agreements and existing relationship with MVHS, the health system saw an opportunity to enhance the evaluation process with a collaborative partner.

Turning Complex Data into Clear Decisions

Premier’s involvement transformed the wholesaler comparison from a manual exercise into a highly informed decision-making process. Using detailed spend analytics, formulary mapping and financial modeling, Premier provided a clear, apples-to-apples view of each vendor’s offering.

“They gave us a detailed financial impact analysis, showing net savings, rebates and program benefits in a way that was easy to follow,” said Christopher Houle, Director of Pharmacy at MVHS. “It gave our finance team the confidence to move forward.”

The analysis included:

• Cost-of-goods comparisons across vendors, broken down by facility and service line.
• Top drug impact reports highlighting both cost increases and savings.
• Multiple iterations of the comparison based on MVHS’s feedback, often turned around in short order[1].

“The turnaround time was impressive,” said Matthew Archer, 340B Business Manager at MVHS. “Whenever we brought back new information from prospective wholesalers, Premier quickly updated the analysis so we could keep the process moving.”

Support Through Contracting and Implementation

Premier’s role extended beyond analytics. The team guided MVHS through contracting, roster updates and administrative cutovers, tasks that can easily become stumbling blocks without careful oversight.

“It’s all the nuance, the paperwork, the contract cutovers, that can come back to bite you,” said Houle. “That’s where Premier really shined.”

In addition to project management support, Premier also provided deep expertise in pharmacy wholesaler distribution agreements. Having team members with decades of direct wholesaler experience, Premier advised MVHS on how these contracts are structured, where wholesalers typically make or lose money and how to negotiate for stronger incentives. This insider perspective gave MVHS confidence in knowing not just which deal looked best on paper, but how to secure terms that deliver the greatest long-term value.

MVHS also credited specific Premier pharmacy team members for their responsiveness to both group and one-off questions, which kept the project on track from start to finish.

Results and Lasting Impact

Since making the switch, MVHS has seen the new pharmacy wholesaler relationship deliver on expectations. The health system is confident in the outcome and better equipped for any future reviews.

“We ended up in a much stronger position than before,” said Houle. “If we had to do this again, we would be ready and even more informed.”

By combining MVHS’s operational expertise with Premier’s analytical insight and project management support, the partnership delivered not just a successful transition but a stronger foundation for supply chain stability moving forward.

For more:

• Discover how Premier’s pharmacy team can help your healthcare organization make data-driven supply chain decisions, strengthen vendor partnerships and deliver sustainable value. Connect with us today to start your journey.

Footnotes:

[1] Methodology and results may vary based on member profile.