Higher Education Group Purchasing Organization Recognizes Medline as Key Business Partner

Medline is honored to receive the “2020 Partner of the Year” award from E&I Cooperative Services (E&I) for providing outstanding service, expertise, and solutions to the group purchasing organization’s (GPO) members. Medline and E&I formed their partnership in 2015 to offer E&I’s more than 3,500 members access to Medline’s diverse portfolio of pharmaceutical products and programs with a focus on higher education institutions including medical schools, nursing schools and research laboratories.

“Medline is committed to delivering an extraordinary level of service to our partners and we are proud to receive this award,” says John Ahearn, senior vice-president of Education and Research at Medline. “E&I is an important partner that has had a tremendous impact on education and healthcare, saving its members over $200 million on average annually. Through our partnership with E&I, we have been able to assist E&I members in saving 15% on average annually.”

The annual Business Partner Awards are presented to E&I suppliers that have an extraordinary dedication and commitment to the cooperative’s higher education and K-12 community. Medline received Partner of the Year honors based on contract utilization, member purchases, new member acquisition, programs, level of service and employee satisfaction.

Through its relationship with E&I, Medline is able to provide access to its full range of vaccines, OTC’s and pharmaceuticals; access to vaccine pre-book program with marketing and clinical support; access to vaccines for employees and students; as well as access to Medline’s full line of OTC oral, topical, and ophthalmic products. To-date, Medline has distributed more than 40,000 products through the partnership in a variety of product areas, including:

• • • • Flu Vaccine
      • PPE
      • Capital Medical Equipment
      • Hand Hygiene
      • Gloves

“Medline’s Education & Research division is laser focused on serving the unique needs of our partners and uncovering new ways to make higher education improve their results,” says Stephanie Pasko-Nelson, director of marketing at Medline. “As the nation’s largest privately held distributor and manufacturer of medical devices, we are uniquely positioned to serve the needs of our customers, which span specialties from student wellness and research to dental and veterinary training. Our network of 47 distribution centers and over 1,000 trucks allows us to support our partners varying needs while ensuring they can receive the products they need as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

Founded on August 2, 1934, E&I is a non-profit, member-owned purchasing cooperative that helps higher education and K-12 institutions reduce costs, optimize supply chain efficiencies, and streamline the RFP process. With over 5,000 members and $2.6 billion in member purchases in 2019, E&I is focused on serving expertise, solutions, and services to education related facilities through their diverse portfolio of competitively solicited contracts.

To learn more about Medline Education & Research, please visit our website at: www.medline.com/pages/who-we-serve/education-and-research/