Three pitch sessions for French Healthcare Association’s members, meeting France’s leading cooperative purchasing network for French Public hospitals: UniHA

French Healthcare Association recently held three new pitch sessions, for three healthcare sectors, with UniHA (Union des Hôpitaux pour les Achats). Over 35 members met buyers from the leading cooperative purchasing network for French public hospitals, also one of Europe’s leading purchasers.

The Union des Hôpitaux pour les Achats (the Cooperative of hospital purchasers, UniHA ) was originally set up by hospital stakeholders to centralize purchasing for French public hospitals. It is a French public-sector cooperative under the aegis of the French Ministry of Health and Prevention, and more specifically of the Direction Générale de l’Offre de Soins (General Directorate for Healthcare Services). It maintains close links with over 1,000 suppliers, mainly in Europe. Adopting an innovative approach to procurement, the cooperative now has over 3800 active contracts. Purchases made through the cooperative are worth in excess of €6 billion, generating estimated savings of €180,000.

UniHA is one of Europe’s leading purchasers in the healthcare sector, and ranks among the top national purchasers across all sectors.

The essential challenges of this operation are to ensure that patients have access to the best available treatment, to provide a high-quality hospital service and to maintain equal access to care. UniHA works with over 1,360 healthcare establishments, having decided to welcome smaller French hospitals and other health-related public structures. The cooperative is divided into fifteen purchasing channels, grouped into three distinct divisions: the division dedicated to medical equipment and biology, the division dedicated to Biomed engineering, and the division for healthcare products and general purchasing (including services, transport, catering, waste management, human resources, etc.). Purchasers are responsible for issuing invitations to tender, to meet the specific needs of French public hospitals, and are involved in the entire process from drawing up specifications to notification, and even in monitoring the contract with key accounts guidance.

Three pitch sessions with UniHa to enable members to meet buyers dedicated to their sector

« We’re extremely pleased to have had the opportunity to take part in these 3 pitch sessions with members of French Healthcare Association. It’s a simple and effective way for UniHA buyers to keep abreast of new offerings from young companies. Knowing which French healthcare players offer medical innovations is essential to facilitating access to these innovations for healthcare establishments. These meetings were a valuable opportunity to discover new developments that could form the basis of new partnerships. We look forward to continuing our exchanges with French Healthcare Association and its members, so that we can meet together the challenges facing the French healthcare system. »

Walid Ben Brahim, UniHA’s General Manager

Session #1 – Training, transport, cold chain

A session for the following fields :

• Training: content creators, platforms, training centers for medical and paramedical staff…
• Cold chain: transport and packaging

Member companies who pitched :

• E3 CORTEX : Design and manufacture of approved packaging for the transport of regulated or sensitive products.
• PROMEDEO : Innovative logistics solutions that generate organizational and economic gains in the management of healthcare products.
• SOFRIGAM : Design and qualification of innovative isothermal and refrigerated packaging to secure the cold chain.
• SAFE TEAM ACADEMY : E-learning through video-simulations based on cinema, work analysis, human factor engineering and healthcare simulation.
• CATALYSE : Individual or group training and coaching to help healthcare professionals develop their organizational and human skills.
• MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS : Training in medical imaging, with a comprehensive range of services dedicated to training teams and developing and optimizing their equipment and structures.
• INVIVOX : E-learning to facilitate the sharing of knowledge between healthcare professionals and the centralization and distribution of content produced by healthcare manufacturers.
• REVINAX : Comprehensive demonstration and training tools, immersive learning solution for complex procedures combining virtual reality and high-fidelity first-person 3D videos.
• COHESSIO : Medical and soft skills training to improve patient care.
• ECHOFIRST : Certified clinical ultrasound training for general practices using virtual reality simulators.

Session #2 – Digital health

Opportunities to pitch in the following areas:

• Cybersafety
• Tools to help diagnosis
• Data management and hosting
• IT Infrastructure
• Interopérability
• Business software
• Digital patient pathway and hospital management system
• Teleconsultation, telehealth, remote monitoring and surveillance

Member companies who pitched :

• DIADEEP : Technology for generating precise molecular data from histology slides, for improved diagnosis and targeted treatment of cancers.
• AMA : Publishing and integration of secure applications designed for telemedicine and connected field workers.
• WIIS :  Interoperable software for healthcare establishments, to optimize organization and patient care, manage patient flows, digitize the patient pathway, communicate via digital signage, etc.
• E-BIODY : State-of-the-art body composition analysis techniques in e-health, such as bio-impedancemetry technologies.
• THALES : Design of innovative and disruptive technological building blocks for the medical and radiology sectors.
• AXELIFE : Innovative, clinically-validated medical devices and algorithms to predict cardiac rhythms.
• IMP360 : Hardware, software and service solutions to meet the challenges posed by the proliferation of connected objects, artificial intelligence, telemedicine and shared medical records.
• MESVACCINS.NET : Digital booklet with decision-support tools, continuously updated by experts, with personalized advice on vaccines and travel.
• HOJO SOLUTIONS : Leasing service consisting of a case of medical devices connected to a tablet application to record a comprehensive first-aid check-up, with a webapplication to give access to the data to a remote medical authority.
• DEUXIÈME AVIS : Service for obtaining specialized advice, delivered via a secure telemedicine space and based on a medical file specific to each pathology.
• TECH2HEAL : Digital solutions to reshape the healthcare system, thanks to a patient-centric, data-driven approach.

Session #3 – Medical devices, equipment and biology

This session targeted the following sub-sectors:

• Surgical instruments
• Perfusion, transfusion and blood circuits
• Medical imaging
• Room furniture
• Oxygen therapy and suction: devices
• Thanatopraxy, autopsy and funeral services
• Disinfection and treatment of surfaces and decontamination of medical devices
• Air treatment
• Biological diagnostics
• Laboratory equipment
• Laboratory quality

Member companies who pitched :

• INCEPTO : Portfolio of Artificial Intelligence applications to help interpret medical images, via a unified platform.
• ASPIDA : Innovative solutions for air contamination control, with a deployable controlled environment approach.
• STEPHANIX : Radiology tables, with solutions for women’s imaging and digital radiology: remote-controlled tables, mobile radiology units, bone-lung rooms, surgical arches, etc.
• TECHNOLOGIE MEDICALE : Medical equipment for oxygen therapy and suction, for regulating the flow of a gas administered via the respiratory tract and measuring the vacuum level in surgical suction, equipment suspension devices…
• AIRINSPACE : Mobile air decontamination units, modular protective environments and airborne surface disinfection equipment.
• MILVUE : Artificial Intelligence solutions for medical imaging to optimize patient management workflows in emergency and imaging departments.
• OXY’PHARM : Biodegradable machines and products for automated surface disinfection and eco-responsible steam cleaning and disinfection equipment for the medical and pharmaceutical sectors.
• ANIOS : High-level biocidal chemicals for disinfection and hygiene in hospitals, endoscopy and surgical equipment.
• SCALEO : Wide range of products for occupational therapy, patient safety and transfer, hygiene and oxygen therapy.
• AZ MED : Diagnostic tools based on artificial intelligence to detect all types of fracture in standard radiography.
• NATÉOSANTÉ : Professional purification solutions to prevent the transmission of airborne infections and cross-contamination in hospitals, clinics and medical practices.
• GPF : Management of medical gas networks from production plants (oxygen, air, vacuum) to medical outlets in departments: audit, installation, maintenance, emergency repairs, remote monitoring, on-call duty, medical equipment sales, training, etc.
• BODET TIME : Time synchronization and security systems for all equipment present: Scanner, X-ray machine, respiratory equipment, computerized patient records, etc.
• INTRASENSE : Unique medical devices combined in software platforms to facilitate diagnosis, decision-making and patient follow-up, advanced radiology visualization solutions.
• SATISFORM : Medical devices and physiotherapy equipment from medical research applied to rehabilitation, prevention and physical performance, to treat back, gait and decubitus disorders.