Appendix A – Glossary of Terms

The following acronyms and terms are used throughout these help topics.

Term	Definition
ASN	Advance Ship Notice An electronic document (EDI 856) a supplier sends to inform the trading partner of a purchase order that is in route. It contains a list of items, shipping method, and carrier information.
Buyers	Entities that create and manage purchase orders for GHX's supplier, provider, and distributor community, which verifies that the correct items are delivered at the correct time for the correct price.
Buyer ID	The value that represents the buyer (a person) who requisitioned and submitted an electronic purchase order that moves through the Exchange.
Channel	GHX software solutions through which transactions are processed. Channels include the Exchange, G-Fax, and WebConnect.
Distributors	Suppliers that contract with a manufacturer to distribute or repackage original inventory for sale to buyers. Distributors may also manufacture and sell their own branded products.
DUNS	Data Universal Number System
EDI	Electronic Data Interchange A standard method for electronically transmitting data between companies that drives automation and increases efficiencies. This standard is based on each transaction and data interchange.
EID	Exchange Identifier Also known as a GHX ID.
eInvoicing	A GHX software solution that helps eliminate paper invoices by allowing you to view invoices, view invoice history, download PDFs of your invoices, and search for specific information.
ERP	Enterprise resource planning A business management system trading partners use to manage all facets of their business, including planning, manufacturing, sales, and marketing.
Exceptions	There are two categories of order exceptions in My Exchange: Item and pricing exceptions include discrepancies between the buyer PO line data and the associated supplier POA, ASN, and INV line data Status alert exceptions include situations that indicate likely delays or supplier-side failures to fulfill a PO line (for example, backorders), lines that are on hold, and failures to explicitly fulfill an order (examples are rejections and deletions)
Exchange, the	The GHX software solution that facilitates the flow of electronic transactions between trading partners.
G-Fax	A GHX software solution that converts manually faxed purchase order data into electronic data and delivers that data to trading partners' ERP systems.
GLN	Global Location Number
IDN	Integrated Delivery Network Identifies a group of hospitals or providers with a common owner. In My Exchange, identifies the top facility level.
Integrated	Refers to trading partners that transact through GHX using EDI.
INV	Invoice An itemized bill for goods and services sold.
ISA	Immediate Sender Address
KPI	Key performance indicator Data that helps organizations define and measure progress toward organizational goals.
MetaTrade	A GHX software solution that lets buyers purchase goods electronically from suppliers who are not yet connected to the Exchange. MetaTrade converts EDI orders into a fax or email format and then automatically routes that fax or email order to the appropriate trading partner.
MMIS	Materials management information system A software application that tracks the movement of supplies and other goods and communicates with accounts payable (AP) functions, such as supply ordering, fulfillment, billing, and payment.
My Exchange	An order management solution that automates the ordering process through systems integration, reduces manual work, and provides real time data to view and validate order information with visibility into all orders being placed.
Perfect order	A purchase order (PO) that contains no exceptions on its corresponding return documents: a Purchase Order Acknowledgement (POA), an Advance Ship Notice (ASN), and an Invoice (INV). A perfect order flows across the GHX Exchange in a touchless and completely automated fashion from purchase through payment.
PO	Purchase order The document a buyer sends to a supplier authorizing a specific transaction and the transaction terms. This document normally defines an item and its corresponding price, unit of measure, shipping details, and payment terms.
POA	Purchase order acknowledgement The document a supplier sends to its trading partner confirming that the supplier will fulfill a PO request or notifying the trading partner that the PO cannot be fulfilled as ordered.
Prior trend equivalent	A term used in exception rate calculations and analytics reports. Trends are determined by comparing data from the selected time period to the previous time period. In these help topics, this is known as a "prior trend equivalent." For example, say you need to determine the trend for your organization's order exceptions. You click Analytics, open Advanced Search, select Last 3 Days from the Time Period options, and click Run Report. My Exchange compares the most recent 3-day period (for example, November 28-30) against the previous 3-day period (for example, November 25-27).
Suppliers	Organizations that provide goods and services to buyers.
Trading partners	Supplier and buyer (provider) organizations that have established a business agreement.
TradingNet	A GHX channel consolidation used to manage order cycle transactions for partners who are not currently on the GHX Exchange.
WebConnect	A GHX software solution that allows small hospitals, laboratories, and other healthcare institutions without an MMIS to shop, submit orders, and check the status of orders from an Internet browser.