Hospitals should insist on contracted price even when delivery is after contract expires

The hospital had a written annual contract with a supplier for designated goods at set prices to be shipped upon order of the buyer. These orders were generally made by telephone and later confirmed by a purchase order. Near the end of the year, goods were ordered against the contract by telephone and confirmed by a purchase order. The goods were shipped by the supplier after the contract expiration date and billed by a revised price schedule. In this dialogue, Dr. Decker discusses the legal issues arising from this situation.