CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 14, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Rural Health Association (NRHA), a national organization working to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans, has chosen Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC), a leading healthcare improvement company, to be its exclusive group purchasing partner.
A nonprofit organization headquartered in Leawood, Kansas, the NRHA unites more than 2,200 rural hospitals, including 1,200 critical access hospitals, as well as 4,000 rural health clinics. Beginning October 1, these organizations will have exclusive access to Premier's group purchasing organization (GPO) to drive cost reductions through the aggregation of data, purchasing and best practices. This is the first time the NRHA has engaged in an exclusive GPO partnership.
"The NRHA has worked with Premier for several years to provide leadership on rural health issues," said Alan Morgan, CEO, NRHA. "We are pleased to bring the strength of the Premier alliance to our rural health facilities. Marrying our networks, we can offer better pricing on high-quality products and services, while continuing to advocate on behalf of rural providers – a powerful combination supporting the health of rural communities nationwide."
The five-year supply chain partnership provides NRHA's rural health facilities access to Premier's GPO contract portfolio for better pricing on quality products and spend analytics to more strategically aggregate and measure supply chain costs. "Premier leverages the most comprehensive portfolio in the industry and unique solutions to maximize operational savings and efficiencies," said Brock Slabach, senior vice president, member services, NRHA.
Approximately 75 percent of NRHA's rural hospital members, or more than 1,650 rural hospitals, including approximately 900 critical access hospitals, do not currently have a supply chain relationship with Premier.
"We're thrilled to welcome NRHA to the alliance," said Michael J. Alkire, chief operating officer, Premier. "Serving as their partner in simplifying supply chain decisions and practices, we can help them focus on providing excellent care."
Larry Bedell, executive director, NRHA Service Corporation, said "This partnership furthers our work to improve rural healthcare delivery. We are excited to engage Premier's expertise and purchasing power to offer the cost-effective care our nation's rural communities deserve."
The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
About the National Rural Health Association
NRHA is a nonprofit organization working to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans and providing leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communications, education and research. NRHA membership is made up of 21,000 diverse individuals and organizations, all of whom share the common bond of an interest in rural health. www.ruralhealthweb.org
About Premier, Inc.
Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ:PINC) is a leading healthcare improvement company, uniting an alliance of approximately 3,600 U.S. hospitals and 120,000 other providers to transform healthcare. With integrated data and analytics, collaboratives, supply chain solutions, and advisory and other services, Premier enables better care and outcomes at a lower cost. Premier, a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient, plays a critical role in the rapidly evolving healthcare industry, collaborating with members to co-develop long-term innovations that reinvent and improve the way care is delivered to patients nationwide. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier is passionate about transforming American healthcare. Please visit Premier's news and investor sites on www.premierinc.com.
Forward-looking statements
Matters discussed in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts, such as NRHA's anticipated use of Premier's supply chain services at expected levels, as discussed herein, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Premier to be materially different from historical results or from any future results or projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe such risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements in the conditional or future tenses or that include terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "estimates," "intends," "anticipates" or "plans" to be uncertain and forward-looking. Forward-looking statements may include comments as to Premier's beliefs and expectations as to future events and trends affecting its business and are necessarily subject to uncertainties, many of which are outside Premier's control. More information on potential factors that could affect Premier's financial results is included from time to time in the "Forward Looking Statements," "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of Premier's periodic and current filings with the SEC and available on Premier's website at investors.premierinc.com. Forward looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Premier undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise that occur after that date.
CONTACT: Morgan Guthrie, Premier, Inc.; Morgan_Guthrie@PremierInc.com; 704.816.4152