For Immediate Release
Medline Awarded Premier Contract for OR Safety Products
The Contract Corresponds with New Joint Commission Patient Safety Standards
Monday, August 21, 2006 —
Mundelein, Ill. - Medline Industries, Inc., the nation's largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of health care supplies, recently signed a national agreement to provide operating room safety products to members of Premier Purchasing Partners, LP., one of the nation's largest health care group purchasing organizations. The contract was developed in direct response to the Joint Commission's new national Patient Safety Goals. "This is an extremely important contract for us because Medline is committed to doing everything we can to help our customers comply with national patient safety initiatives from not only the Joint Commission, but also, the Surgical Care Improvement Project and IHI's 100,000 Lives campaign," said Jim O'Brien, President of Anesthesia and OR Necessities. The multi-source agreement, to be fully implemented September 1 and effective through July 31, 2009, will provide significant savings to the nearly 1,500 hospital members of Premier's group purchasing arm. The agreement covers numerous OR safety products including sterile standard and blank label sheets, skin markers (with rulers and labels), transfer trays, tube/cord holders and scalpel holders - important products to help hospitals with sharps safety, correct site incision and drug identification.
About Premier
Premier, Inc., the leader in helping hospitals accelerate performance on both clinical outcomes and supply chain costs, is a healthcare alliance entirely owned by more than 200 of the nation's leading not-for-profit hospitals and healthcare systems. These organizations operate or are affiliated with nearly 1,500 hospitals and more than 41,000 other healthcare sites. Premier Purchasing Partners provides an array of services supporting health services delivery including group purchasing totaling more than $25 billion annually in supplies and equipment purchasing, as well as supply chain and clinical performance improvement services. Premier Healthcare Informatics offers performance measurement, benchmarking, and reporting products and advisory services supporting quality improvement. Premier Insurance Management Services helps hospitals manage insurance costs and improve risk management and claims capabilities. Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has offices in Charlotte, NC, and Washington, DC. For more information, visit http://www.premierinc.com.
About Medline
Medline, the nation's largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of healthcare products, manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 products to hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, home care dealers and agencies and other markets. Headquartered in Mundelein, IL, Medline has more than 800 dedicated sales representatives nationwide to support its broad product line and cost management services.
Over the past five years, Medline has been the fastest growing distributor of medical and surgical supplies in the U.S., serving as the primary distributor to over 250 major hospitals and health care systems. As a leading distributor, Medline offers a comprehensive array of consulting and management services encompassing the supply chain and logistics, utilization and standardization, business tools and enhanced reporting capabilities, and on-staff clinicians.
Medline has a growing network of 34 distribution centers around the country, as well as an expanding, dedicated transportation fleet with over 160 vehicles in a variety of sizes to fit customers' specific delivery needs. The fleet is equipped with the latest navigation devices for enhanced order tracking and communication.