Hospital purchasing groups
Einkaufsgemeinschaften (German term)
Alliances of German hospitals that pool procurement — the central gatekeepers for any medical device in the inpatient market.
Hospital purchasing groups (in German: Einkaufsgemeinschaften) such as Sana, Helios, Asklepios, Agaplesion, P.E.G. and Prospitalia pool the procurement of dozens to hundreds of hospitals and negotiate framework agreements with manufacturers. In function they resemble a US group purchasing organisation (GPO). Without a listing in one of the large purchasing groups, nationwide hospital supply is practically impossible to scale.
In practice in the German hospital market
Listing decisions in purchasing groups presuppose complete MDR documentation, established KOL references and a demonstrable vigilance pipeline — a single distributor rarely achieves that within an acceptable time frame.
Two forms: cooperative and chain procurement
The term covers two models that feel different from a manufacturer’s perspective:
- Purchasing cooperatives bring together legally independent hospitals. They negotiate terms for their members; how strictly members are bound by them varies from group to group.
- Chain procurement by private, municipal or church-run hospital operators buys centrally for the operator’s own hospitals. Decisions here are often more binding — but access is narrower.
For sales planning, this means: a listing with a cooperative opens the door to many hospitals, but it does not replace the work of convincing each one of them.
How a listing works
The details differ, but most processes follow the same pattern:
- Request or tender — triggered by clinical demand, a product category review or a tender.
- Document review — MDR conformity evidence, registration in Eudamed, UDI master data, German-language instructions for use and labelling, information on vigilance and post-market surveillance.
- Clinical assessment — users from member hospitals evaluate the clinical benefit, often based on product trials and references.
- Price and terms negotiation — including the economic case within the DRG system.
- Framework agreement and master data — inclusion in the hospitals’ item master, in the formats their materials management systems require.
A listing is permission, not sales
The most common planning error made by foreign manufacturers: treating the listing as the finish line. In reality it only allows hospitals to order on agreed terms. Whether they actually order is still decided on the ward and in the operating theatre — through user training, on-site presence and reliable supply.
How MEX supports you
In our Hospital Sales & Listings module we prepare the listing documents, connect you with purchasing groups and hospital networks, and support the roll-out in the hospitals. This takes place in your own German entity, which we run under interim management.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I sell to an individual hospital without a listing?
- In principle, yes — especially for specialist devices, hospitals also buy outside framework agreements. For broad, scalable supply, however, a listing with the relevant purchasing groups is a de facto precondition.
- Who decides on a listing?
- Usually an interplay between commercial purchasing and clinical users who sit on the specialist or product committees of the purchasing group. A device therefore needs both: clinical advocates and a robust economic case.
- What does listing readiness mean?
- Listing readiness describes the point at which regulatory documents, master data, references and the pricing case are complete. Only then is it worth approaching a purchasing group.