What role do the GPOs, distributors and manufactures play in global supply chain identification?
A. The goal is to have everyone use the same number. If Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) tell the manufacturers that healthcare providers are members by using their Global Location Numbers (GLNs), the manufacturer is more likely to associate its entities with the right GPO contract price. Next, if distributors use healthcare providers GLNs with manufacturers to learn the price that the manufacturer assigned, you are much more likely to get the right price when you order products from the distributors. Finally, if healthcare providers use their GLNs to order products from the distributor or manufacturer, all of the ambiguity is removed from the supply chain.
