SourceMedical, the leading provider of outpatient information solutions collectively serving 6,000 ambulatory surgery centers, surgical hospitals, physician practices, rehabilitation clinics, and diagnostic imaging centers, announced today a partnership with Inventory Optimization Solutions (IOS) to provide the SourcePlus PurchaseConnection, an advanced eProcurement portal, and to become a distributor of IOS's supply chain management solutions. The alliance provides SourceMedical customers and any surgery center that elects to participate in the portal, with a web-based supply chain solution that will improve product availability, improve inventory levels, reduce labor, and reduce costs.

Inventory Optimization Solutions (IOS) builds and markets web based healthcare supply chain solutions. IOS's applications help maximize efficient supply chain management from manufacturer - to distributor - to healthcare provider, by utilizing the Internet as a communications and procurement medium and providing access to collaborative online inventory management tools.

According to Business Wire, SourceMedical is integrating the IOS application into its Vision, AdvantX and SurgiSource product portfolio and will offer the IOS solution to its customers as a monthly subscription service. "Our ambulatory surgery center and surgical hospital customers are looking for continued improvement with supply chain management. We found our customer base required more advanced supply chain management capabilities and we are confident that IOS's healthcare focused solution is a perfect fit. IOS's barcode technology, their connectivity with distributor's and manufacturers, and the accounts payable three-way match capabilities are tools our customers can use to more efficiently manage their supply resources and processes," said Scott Palmer, President & COO of SourceMedical's Surgery Division.

Palmer adds, "The SourcePlus PurchaseConnection allows any surgical facility using either a SourceMedical application or the IOS solution to connect to their distributors, manufacturers and group purchasing organizations that participate in the SourcePlus PurchaseConnection portal. Customers will be able to submit orders, receive order confirmations and updates, as well as receive supply and pricing updates automatically. We are currently working with many of the leading organizations to connect to their order management systems."

"We quickly realized our IOS offering was a perfect fit when integrated to the SourceMedical offering. We already share some of the same customers and the formation of our relationship was driven by customer input about how they wanted to use both solutions," said Steve Britt, President of IOS. "We see this as a key point in the evolution of inventory management for surgery centers, which will allow facilities that have not automated their inventory management to finally achieve that objective."

IOS and SourceMedical anticipate the release of the SourcePlus PurchaseConnection in the 2nd quarter.