With roots that date back to 1916, the history of WellLink Group Purchasing is rich. Previously known as CHAMPS GPO, we've spent the last 25+ years, leveraging the purchasing power of 26,000+ U.S. member locations.
As the supply chain specialists, we offer significant savings in product categories including medical / surgical supplies, foodservice, IT, wireless, office supplies and facility maintenance. Together with our national GPO partner Premier, we support member supply chain initiatives through expertise in contract management, aggregation savings, supply chain technology, spend analytics and customized service. Scroll through our timeline of important milestones below to learn more about WellLink GPO.
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Group Purchasing
Health Alliance
Group Purchasing
THE CENTER IS ESTABLISHED
The Center for Health Affairs, CHAMPS Group Purchasing’s non-profit parent organization originally known as the Cleveland Hospital Council, became the first regional hospital association in the country and a model for similar organizations.
Group Purchasing
CLARK BECOMES PURCHASING AGENT
Complementing The Center for Health Affairs’ purpose, “to promote the efficiency of, and cooperation among the various interested hospitals to the end of better meeting the health needs of the community," Guy J. Clark developed The Center’s Cooperative Purchasing Service, one of the first such services in the nation, by building relationships between hospitals and vendors. His innovative approach to group purchasing set the stage for CHAMPS GPO, and led to state and national recognition.
Group Purchasing
METROPOLITAN ASSOCIATION PURCHASING SERVICES IS ESTABLISHED
The Center for Health Affairs established MAPS to provide a mechanism for group purchasing directors to work cooperatively.
Group Purchasing
CHAMPS ESTABLISHES RELATIONSHIP WITH PREMIER INC.
CHAMPS’ relationship with Premier Inc. began 25+ years ago when CHAMPS became one of Premier’s leading healthcare group purchasing affiliate programs. Now, as an owner of Premier, CHAMPS continues to sponsor members from both health and non-health industries, allowing them access to more than 2,500 GPO contracts, $60+ billion in purchasing volume, GPO contract management and unparalleled customer service.
Group Purchasing
US FOODS & PREMIER SIGN FIRST AGREEMENT
The sole-source distribution partnership between Premier and US Foods is more than 20 years old. What it means for CHAMPS members is access to more than 350,000 national brand products; foodservice discounts of more than 15%; and reliable, on-time deliveries across the country. We work with you to implement the program, reducing and controlling foodservice costs, while maintaining and even improving the quality of your foodservice program.
Group Purchasing
PREMIER GOES PUBLIC, CHAMPS BECOMES OWNER
In the mid-2000s, CHAMPS began providing more than healthcare group purchasing by partnering with members in non-acute classes of trade. Today, WellLink serves 26,000+ member locations across the United States who represent healthcare, education, recreation, hospitality, business, industry and more.
Group Purchasing
CHAMPS ADDS CAPSTONE AS AGGREGATION PARTNER
The aggregation of 500+ national agreements leverages the purchasing power of CHAMPS with national suppliers and manufacturers to negotiate better pricing tiers for members. In 2014, CHAMPS Group Purchasing and Capstone Health Alliance combined their strength in customer service and $6+ billion in GPO volume to maximize each members’ bottom line and drive supply-chain efficiencies. This unique collaboration incorporated Capstone’s acute-care expertise and contract aggregation initiatives, as well as CHAMPS’ continuum of care knowledge, non-acute volume and client service model to advance the power of supply chain for the thousands of Premier member locations they serve nationwide.
Group Purchasing
CHAMPS NAMED PREMIER CERTIFIED SPONSOR
In June 2016, CHAMPS was recognized by Premier as one of their 26 Certified Sponsor Programs. This recognition denoted CHAMPS' commitment to affiliate and supplier engagement, as well as adherence to established best practices for running a successful affiliate program.
Group Purchasing
CHAMPS surpasses 20,000 member locations milestone as it continues to establish itself as one of the top group purchasing organizations in the United States.
Group Purchasing
CHAMPS becomes Channel Partner of OMNIA Partners. Through this agreement, CHAMPS is designated OMNIA’s exclusive channel partner in a six-state region that encompasses Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
