New venture provides member hospitals 'significant' savings on stents

SharedClarity, a new joint venture designed to reduce costs of the most expensive medical devices, has announced that roughly 135 US hospitals have joined the health care network. The hospitals will receive “significant double-digit savings” on bare-metal and drug-eluting stents during a 3-year period in exchange for shifting the majority of hospital spending on these stents to Abbott and Medtronic.

Members of SharedClarity awarded the first contracts to Abbott and Medtronic after a rigorous clinical review process, according to Mark West, president of SharedClarity, who added that the review process drove the strategic sourcing strategies and ensured patient-centered sourcing decisions.

“All SharedClarity studies are independent and funded by SharedClarity,” West told Cardiology Today’s Intervention. “Our process starts with the formation of a clinical review team that is led by a member-physician working closely with numerous member-physicians across the membership to determine if clinical consensus exists about a particular device. This is accomplished via physician surveys and a literature review.

“When there is not clear consensus due to insufficient literature, SharedClarity partners with Optum to conduct an extensive literature review based on feedback from the member-physicians,” West continued. “If there is insufficient clinical literature available, SharedClarity conducts a physician-led comparative effectiveness study targeted to address the concerns the physicians have raised during the process.”

The bare-metal and drug-eluting stent contracts were the first awarded by SharedClarity, which, in addition to conducting independent studies, negotiates purchasing agreements with the device manufacturers. The contracts are for a 3-year term, starting February 2014 and ending February 2017.

SharedClarity members will receive preferred pricing for stents, generating significant double-digit savings for all members during the 3-year contract period, according to West, although he declined to provide specifics on the exact savings.

“The contracts will be available to SharedClarity health system members and targeted strategic UnitedHealthcare Network providers,” West said. “The contract awards include the newest generation of bare-metal and drug-eluting stents approved by the FDA.”

As the interventional cardiology field evolves with new data and devices, SharedClarity will continuously update the clinical reviews and studies, West said.

SharedClarity plans to add up to six health system members in the coming year. – by Brian Ellis