GPO
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | U.S. Government Publishing Office |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Government & Politics, Technology & Computing, Medical |
GPO has three meanings. The most common are U.S. Government Publishing Office (US federal agency) and Group Policy Object (computer); it can also stand for Group purchasing organization.
Meanings of GPO at a glance
| # | GPO stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | U.S. Government Publishing Office | Government & Politics › US Federal Agency |
| 2 | Group Policy Object | Technology & Computing › Computer |
| 3 | Group purchasing organization | Medical › Pharmacy |
1. U.S. Government Publishing Office
Government & Politics · US Federal Agency Abbreviations
Legislative-branch agency that produces and distributes official publications of the federal government, including the Congressional Record, the Federal Register and US passports. Its govinfo website provides free authenticated versions of federal documents.
Example: The official text of the law is available on GPO's govinfo site.
Opened in 1861 as the Government Printing Office, on the day Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated, it changed its name to Government Publishing Office in 2014 to reflect digital publishing. Blank passport books are manufactured at GPO facilities. It is led by a Director appointed by the President.
2. Group Policy Object
Technology & Computing · Computer Abbreviations
Collection of Windows settings, such as password rules, mapped drives, desktop restrictions and software installs, that administrators apply to users and computers through Active Directory. Clients refresh policy in the background roughly every 90 minutes.
Example: We pushed the new Wi-Fi profile to every laptop with a GPO.
GPOs can be linked to sites, domains or organizational units, and the processing order (local, site, domain, OU) decides which setting wins a conflict. The command gpupdate /force applies changes immediately, and gpresult shows which policies are in effect. On standalone PCs, the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) ships with Pro and Enterprise editions but not Home.
3. Group purchasing organization
Medical · Pharmacy Abbreviations
Organization that negotiates contracts for drugs, supplies and devices on behalf of many hospitals and health systems, using combined buying power to obtain lower prices. Vizient, Premier and HealthTrust are among the largest.
Example: The GPO contract switched our enoxaparin supplier, so the ADC labels changed.
GPOs are paid administrative fees by suppliers, an arrangement protected by a federal anti-kickback safe harbor since 1987 that critics argue distorts competition and contributes to drug shortages. Supporters say they save hospitals billions of dollars. Most US hospitals belong to at least one GPO.
Related abbreviations
More US federal agency abbreviations
- FTA – Federal Transit Administration
- FTC – Federal Trade Commission
- GAO – U.S. Government Accountability Office
- GNMA – Government National Mortgage Association
- GSA – U.S. General Services Administration
- HHS – United States Department of Health and Human Services
- HRSA – Health Resources and Services Administration
- HSI – Homeland Security Investigations
See all 152 US federal agency abbreviations →
More computer abbreviations
- FAT – File Allocation Table
- FAT32 – File Allocation Table, 32-bit
- Fn – Function key (modifier)
- GIGO – Garbage in, garbage out
- GPT – GUID Partition Table
- GUI – Graphical user interface
- HCI – Human-computer interaction
- HFS+ – Hierarchical File System Plus
See all 92 computer abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.