Healthcare providers juggle many competing priorities, including credentialing, scheduling, purchasing, and most importantly, caring for their patients. Protecting patients against vaccine-preventable diseases is an integral part of today’s healthcare and a critical part of keeping patients healthy. To support their immunization programs, medical practices must acquire vaccines from either a manufacturer or distributor.
While time and costs are associated with securing vaccines, there are ways to streamline the administrative process and save money. Becoming a member of a physician buying group (PBG) is an efficient and economical way for practices and providers to obtain vaccines to support their immunization programs.
Already an Atlantic Health Partners member? Learn more about how to maximize your benefits.
What is a Physician Buying Group?
A PBG, also known as a physician buying group, gives providers the buying power to order vaccines at more favorable prices. PBGs are not distributors and do not purchase vaccines, but rather work directly with vaccine manufacturers to provide their members with the best vaccine prices and terms. PBGs are an attractive option for various clinical care settings, including primary care medical practices, hospital-owned and -managed primary care offices, multi-specialty groups, urgent care and walk-in clinics, worksite healthcare organizations, and federally qualified health centers.
How Do Physician Buying Groups Work?
The goal of a PBG is to convene multiple providers and use a strength-in-numbers approach to achieve favorable pricing on vaccines and adjacent medical supplies. Almost any type of physician practice, clinic, or urgent care center can become a member of a PBG. Unlike medical suppliers or distributors, who purchase vaccines from manufacturers and sell them to providers, PBGs establish a contract with vaccine manufacturers, allowing members to order directly from manufacturers and participating distributors at a reduced member rate.
What are the Benefits of a Physician Buying Group?
The benefits of joining a PBG are unique to each medical practice, but overall, the membership provides access to lower pricing, better payment terms, and in exceptional cases, comprehensive support for all immunization-related issues.
While PBGs are most beneficial for practices and providers, vaccine manufacturers also benefit from these relationships. A PBG can help manufacturers penetrate and connect with the physician community, remain competitive, improve the market share performance of certain immunizations, and reinforce critical information about their products. This approach helps increase vaccine confidence, assures providers that they are getting the best price and support, and ultimately, improves manufacturer brand loyalty.
What Makes Atlantic Health Partners a Great PBG?
With multiple PBGs in the healthcare market, it can be difficult to choose the right partner. While most PBGs can guarantee a low vaccine price, an exceptional partner provides their members with much more than a discount. As the nation’s leading PBG, Atlantic Health Partners offers multiple member benefits including:
Strategic Business Partnership: Atlantic cultivates true partnerships with medical practices and consistently advocates on their members’ behalf to ensure they can successfully provide recommended vaccines.
Resource Library: Atlantic offers a library of educational resources to help support their members’ immunization programs.
Access to Leading Manufacturers: While most PBGs work with a few select manufacturers, Atlantic is unique—we partner with all the nation’s leading vaccine manufacturers including Merck, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Pfizer, Sequiris, Dynavax, and AstraZeneca.
Purchasing Options: In addition to obtaining vaccines from the manufacturers, Atlantic’s relationship with McKesson offers members unique advantages for immunization and supply purchases.
Meningitis B Vaccine Program: Through our established contracts with GSK and Pfizer, Atlantic members have the option of using either Bexsero or Trumenba.
Vaxelis by Merck and Sanofi Pasteur: Atlantic offers Vaxelis, a pediatric combination vaccine that includes DTAP, Polio, HIB, and Hepatitis B.
Business Products and Medical Surgical Services: Atlantic members have access to savings through our Member Support Program, with a wide range of vendors and products including office furniture, uniform sales, and shipping.
Vaccine Refrigeration: Atlantic offers reduced pricing on a variety of vaccine refrigeration products that meet CDC and VFC guidelines for vaccine storage through our partnership with Global Industrial.
Emerging Immunizations: Atlantic tracks immunizations that are expected to come to market to insure members have access upon regulatory approval to these vaccines.
Whether facing challenges with vaccine procurement, inventory management or reimbursement, Atlantic delivers value to more than 30,000 providers nationwide by offering prompt and proactive support, with no cost to join or participate. When you join Atlantic, we tailor our program to best meet your unique immunization needs.
Learn more about physician buying groups and find additional vaccine resources on our website.