The CEO of a publicly traded healthcare improvement alliance of 3,400 U.S. hospitals said providers need to integrate their supply chain information technology to improve upon today's fragmented and inefficient procurement process. "Let's say a hospital wants to start buying a new line of surgical mesh. They go to one system to figure out which vendors even sell this mesh. They use another system to figure out their pricing. And yet another system to actually purchase the items. Later, they need to access a separate system to track where this mesh was actually used. And they have to complete this same process for each of the thousands of items they order. It's an antiquated and inefficient process that's ripe for a radical overhaul," wrote Premier CEO Susan Devore in an op-ed. The costs of such a system include difficulty tracking spending and the outcomes produced by all of those medical devices, she said, adding, "What's truly needed in healthcare are integrated, supply-chain-technology solutions that look to better manage every work stream, from planning to payment, all on a common system. With an integrated platform where all these disparate applications can work together, we can drive more efficient care and better clinical outcomes across the continuum." Editorial