For Immediate Release
Medline Awarded Multi-Million Dollar Premier Contract
Monday, July 17, 2006 —
Mundelein, Ill - Medline Industries, Inc., the nation's largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of health care supplies, recently signed a three-year national agreement to provide disposable anesthesia products to members of Premier Purchasing Partners, LP., one of the nation's largest health care group purchasing organizations. The agreement will provide disposable anesthesia products at significant savings to Premier's group purchasing membership of nearly 1,500 hospitals nationwide. The multi-source agreement will be fully implemented August 1 and is effective through July 31, 2009. The agreement covers a multitude of disposable anesthesia products including anesthesia breathing circuits, anesthesia masks, breathing bags, and bacterial viral filters. "Medline is very pleased to continue with Premier as a contracted partner of Disposable Anesthesia Supplies. We have several new and exciting products and programs we are looking forward to offering Premier members. As a contracted supplier of anesthesia products for Premier for the past three years, we are confident we will provide Premier and its shareholders the highest quality and value in anesthesia products available," said Jim O'Brien, President of Anesthesia and OR Necessities. Medline's Anesthesia and OR Necessities Division is one of the company's fastest growing divisions and is quickly gaining a strong position in the Anesthesia market.
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.