Editor's note: This post is the second in a three-part series about shifts in hospitals' service, product, and IT sourcing processes.

Last week's blog dug into the non-clinical purchased service market. For the second installment of our purchasing Q&A series, I sat down with Raj Tharakan, a director within Optum Advisory Services who helps hospitals improve clinical product sourcing processes. While we haven't seen any dramatic shifts, Raj confirmed a continued movement towards centralization and standardization and explained how those trends impact hospital value-analysis, GPO contracting, and more.