Becton Dickinson is driving beyond being a supplier of products to becoming a full partner in developing world health care solutions, and then staying the course by helping to implement them. Its mission is similar to that of the World Health Organization. Despite differing in their respective for-profit and nonprofit orientations, both organizations are dedicated to solving fundamental health problems, whether these problems kill infants in Africa, debilitate the lives of people with diabetes in China or limit access to medical care in U.S. inner cities.

Becton Dickinson's one world, one-company vision is another factor shaping the partnership paradigm. What is different today is the shift from a series of partnerships between constituents and Becton Dickinson's individual businesses to a single partnership with the unified company. And, in the ever larger intersection where health care and economics meet ­ for example, when spending increases for the U.S. Medicare system were reduced by $14 million ­ collaborative partnerships are not only essential for profitability, but for quality patient care.

Partnership thinking is paying additional dividends. Becton Dickinson is now involved in more joint ventures, licensing agreements, collaborative efforts and marketing agreements than ever before. Becton Dickinson Technologies invites independent scientists to its Research Triangle Park laboratories and gives them space, resources and a hothouse environment to incubate new ideas. Becton Dickinson associates are more self-reliant than ever, willing to accept individual responsibility, think more creatively and, true to the entrepreneur's nature, take risks when justified by the reward. Self-evaluation is being introduced into the culture, and team effectiveness is being improved through processes such as Customer Integrated Decision Making, which provides a model for accommodating multiple viewpoints and complicated sets of information.

A Commitment to Protection
With our continuing focus on health care worker safety, Becton Dickinson has formed Advanced Protection Technologies (APT) to increase the use of enhanced protection products by caregivers. APT, led by Vice President and General Manager Melanie O'Neill, is unifying and integrating the company's activities on four fronts: research and development; the acquisition of new technologies; public policy; and marketing. Important product developments ­ where the company has always been a leader ­ include: SAFETYGLIDE needle, which was awarded the gold medal for engineering excellence from Product Development and Design magazine; ECLIPSE, a blood collection device featuring an integrated, locking needle shield and QUIKHEEL, a retracting lancet for collecting blood from infants.

One-Company Partnerships in the Marketplace
Becton Dickinson Healthcare Systems (BDHS) provides a single point of BD contact for all integrated health care networks and multi-hospital systems. Following major contract awards in its first year, BDHS has gained further momentum. To ensure contract integrity, BDHS implemented a highly refined compliance reporting system that is proving successful for all its partners. To enhance customer focus, BDHS relocated its account executives to be in close proximity to its customers' headquarters. Single point of contact benefits were also extended to distribution partners. Sales this year are up substantially due to expanding relationships with Columbia/ HCA and Premier, and new contracts with Coram Healthcare, the largest alternate site provider of home infusion therapy services in North America, SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories; and several others.

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