ORLANDO, FLA., (June 22, 2006) - Premier Purchasing Partners, L.P., announced the first-ever winners of its new Pinnacle Award at the 2006 Premier Annual Breakthroughs Conference & Exhibition. The nine contracted suppliers embody supplier performance that meets or exceeds the expectations of Premier and its members.

Pinnacle Award winners are Aesculap, Inc.; Dade Behring; Fisher HealthCare; Kinetic Concepts, Inc.; Medline Industries, Inc.; Nurture by Steelcase; Sarstedt, Inc.; Sysmex America, Inc.; and Xerox Corporation. In addition, 69 contracted suppliers were recognized for their efforts with Premier's Performance Award. (These companies are listed at the end of the release.)

"Premier's Pinnacle Award honors those elite suppliers who understand the importance of collaboration and strive for performance excellence. These companies set the standard for all of Premier's contracted suppliers," said Susan DeVore, president of Premier Purchasing Partners, L.P. "We are proud to honor these suppliers as we work together to improve the healthcare of our communities."


Based on performance data collected during the year and shared with contracted suppliers through Premier's supplier quality and business line review process, the annual awards are designed to align contracted supplier performance to meet or exceed Premier's and its members' expectations on a consistent basis. Of Premier's 800 contracted suppliers, 400 med/surg and capital contracted suppliers were reviewed in FY06.

Premier Pinnacle Award winners consistently achieved data scorecard ratings of 95 percent or higher during four successive quarters, and they passed an on-site evaluation by Premier staff. Performance Award winners consistently achieved data scorecard ratings of 80 percent or higher during four successive quarters.

Pinnacle Award objectives are to support and enhance relationships with contracted suppliers, improve communication, support attainment of mutual goals, drive contract utilization, improve both members' and suppliers' financial performance and to provide unsurpassed clinical and financial value for members.

About Premier Inc.
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 38,500 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 www.premierinc.com.

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