Devices Orthopaedic Neurosurgery

 News Release - May 2, 2006

Premier Launches New Spine Portfolio

New Spine Contracts Provide Members with Access to Quality Products at Substantial Cost Savings

CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--May 2, 2006--Premier Inc. has awarded new 36-month agreements for spinal implants and related products to Medtronic Sofamor Danek, EBI Spine, Aesculap, Inc. and Osteotech, Inc. The contracts become effective July 1, 2006 and will include spinal hardware, stimulation and biologic products for both pediatric and adult patients.

These products are available for minimally invasive procedures, as well as standard open spine procedures and are used to treat symptoms due to degenerative diseases, osteophyte formation, deformities, tumors and herniated discs. Symptoms include vertebral fractures, back pain and weakness or instability of the spine and numbing sensations in the extremities. Surgical treatments to alleviate these symptoms include discectomy with and without fusion, vertebroplasties, corpectomy, kyphoplasty and motion preservation procedures.

Aging baby boomers demanding a more active lifestyle and the rise in obesity are contributing factors in the spinal implant markets predicted growth of 18 percent over the next five years.

"These agreements are the result of a collaborative effort between our member Spine Task Force and Surgical Services and Strategic Advisory Committees who have worked hard to provide the most cost-effective, innovative, and quality-driven spine surgery service line solutions in this complex physician preference area," said Susan DeVore, president, Premier Purchasing Partners.

This expanded portfolio features competitive pricing on a complete range of high quality products, and a breadth of value-added offerings for Premier members. One such value-added offering is the integrated program, SpineAdvisor.

Launching June 1, 2006, SpineAdvisor includes state-of-the-art analytics to measure cost and quality performance, support and resources for product conversion, physician engagement and process improvement. Visit www.premierinc.com/spine to preview the entire list of offerings with this integrated solution.

"SpineAdvisor was designed specifically to assist our members in this challenging physician preference clinical area," DeVore said.

For more information, call the Premier Solution Center at 877.777.1552 or e-mail solutioncenter@premierinc.com.

About Premier Inc.

Premier Inc. helps hospitals accelerate performance on both clinical outcomes and supply chain costs. Premier is a healthcare alliance entirely owned by more than 200 of the nation's leading not-for-profit hospital 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 alliance members with group purchasing and supply chain improvement services. Members purchase more than $25 billion worth of supplies and equipment through Premier's contracts annually. 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, Calif., Premier has offices in Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, and Washington. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com.

Source: Premier Purchasing

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