As hospitals and providers work to adopt GS1 global supply chain standards into their operations, Ascent is now ready to work with customers using Global Location Numbers (GLNs). These are standardized identification numbers that give medical locations unique numbers, and will improve the safety and efficiency of healthcare with more effective traceability and improved order, invoice and inventory management capabilities. As the leading re-manufacturer of single use devices (SUDs) and one of the first suppliers to announce GS1 readiness – well before 2010 GLN Sunrise date of December 31 – Ascent demonstrates its leadership and commitment to improving and evolving the healthcare industry.

“Industry-wide adoption of the GS1 standards and GLNs will improve patient safety and supply chain efficiency,” said Will Probst, Senior Director, Supply Chain Services, Ascent. “At Ascent, we are proud to be one of the first companies in compliance with the standards, and look forward to supporting customers who are also working toward that goal.”

With this announcement, Ascent joins a handful of leading health providers such as The Mayo Clinic, Banner Health and Geisinger as first-adopters of GLNs and GS1 standards. The GS1 system is the most widely used supply chain standards system in the world, and is implemented globally across industries to improve the efficiency and visibility of supply and demand chains.

In addition to GLNs, Ascent is also working toward the adoption of product identification numbers known as Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) by the 2012 GTIN Sunrise date. Overall, the adoption of GLNs, GTINs and other GS1 standards will improve the safety and efficiency of healthcare, with more effective traceability and reduced errors through verification. The standards will also reduce waste and cost within the entire supply chain, ensuring that the right product gets to the right place at the right time. Specifically, synchronized product and location standards will provide increased order and invoice efficiencies, as well as improved inventory management capabilities. Finally, there will be regulatory benefits from medical device identification and efficient traceability.