The Internet brings this waste to a dead halt. In the past, an employee might use funds from the department to shop at a retail store instead of going through procurement. With Aetna's e-procurement system, the employee will be able to go to a company Web page that has all of the products necessary for operations. The department budget will be integrated into the system, as will the appropriate approval mechanism. Procurement will never see it.
Procurement is out of the way.
Direct hospital procurement Carolyn Ayers, administrative director of materials management services for Valley Children's Hospital, sees online purchasing as a way to reduce her staff of buyers. The shift to e-procurement, though just as beneficial, was less painful for Carolyn Ayers. Calif. She echoes Garrison's view that e-procurement presents a vast change in the way companies purchase goods and services. This will revolutionize purchasing. The materials Ayers buys cannot be reduced to commodities.