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Alven Weil
Premier Inc.
704.733.5797

Premier healthcare alliance launches QUEST new technology program to promote healthcare innovation

Supplier Innovation Program links to QUEST initiative to improve patient quality and safety, reduce healthcare costs

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (April 16, 2008) – The Premier healthcare alliance today launched the QUEST Supplier Innovation ProgramTM, focused on testing effectiveness of new healthcare technologies through the QUEST: High Performing Hospitals initiative. The purpose of this first-of-its kind program is to accelerate access to technologies proven to be safe and effective.

The program will measure the effectiveness of new technologies against the metrics on which QUEST participating hospitals will be measuring themselves. These measures include harm avoidance, efficiency and mortality reduction.

“In an era when lawmakers and healthcare providers are asking for evidence of clinical effectiveness, this program is designed to help identify and use technologies that can truly improve hospital performance on key measures,” said Mike Alkire, president of Premier Purchasing Partners. “This program, which is open to all manufacturers, will track and test the efficacy and safety outcomes of new technologies from a cost, quality and efficiency standpoint. As key contributors in the safe and efficient delivery of healthcare, manufacturers have a unique opportunity in developing innovative technologies and therapies to improve outcomes.”

The QUEST Supplier Innovation Program is open to all suppliers, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and service providers, regardless of if they are on contract with the Premier healthcare alliance group purchasing organization.

“Healthcare providers and payors are looking for clinical innovations that will lead to improved patient outcomes,” said Susan DeVore, Premier’s chief operating officer. “The goal of the Supplier Innovation Program, like the QUEST program itself, is to provide a collaborative approach through which we can achieve rapid improvements in quality, and speed access to proven, safe and effective technologies.”

Interested suppliers are asked to submit specific details on their innovations, including product attributes, performance measurement criteria, previously completed research and data analysis, testimonials, and an overview of how they anticipate their concept would positively impact the QUEST performance measures. These applications will be reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team consisting of volunteers from QUEST program participating hospitals. This group will be charged with selecting those concepts which could provide the best value to the QUEST program. Suppliers will then have the opportunity to present their concepts face-to-face during the 2008 Premier Annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition June 10-13 in Nashville, TN.

To be considered for the initial phase of the program, submissions must be received by May 30, 2008. To submit an application, please visit http://www.premierinc.com/quality-safety/tools-services/quest/suppliers/form.jsp.

After change concepts have been selected, a subset of the QUEST Charter Member hospitals will test, validate and substantiate them. Premier will continuously accept new concepts to stay current with the latest innovations.

QUEST is a three-year, collaborative program among more than 150 leading hospitals which has established a set of measures and benchmarks for five dimensions of hospital performance. QUEST charter members have committed to reaching top performance thresholds in three of the five dimensions, while sharing data and best practices with each other in a transparent manner. Through their performance, these hospitals will establish new benchmarks for hospital performance so as to deliver the highest quality patient care at the lowest costs.

The five measurement areas for QUEST are:

Mortality Ratio, which will be risk-adjusted, to attain the goal of eliminating all avoidable deaths;
Evidence-based Care, which will measure the percentage of patients receiving "perfect care” – using nationally recognized evidence-based quality measures;
Efficiency, which will measure total inpatient cost per case mix adjusted discharge, including all of the costs associated with each episode of acute care;
Patient Experience, which will utilize the CMS Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient satisfaction measures. In addition to the goal of improving the patient experience, the program will also study how patient experience can relate to cost, quality and safety; and,
Harm Avoidance– the prevention of such things as healthcare associated infections and adverse drug events – will be developed over time by the program. Many measures exist today in this area. QUEST hospitals will participate in the selection of harm measures that have the greatest impact in improving patient safety.

QUEST is based on many of the same principles used in the Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration Project (HQID), a highly successful pay-for-performance initiative overseen by Premier and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

About Premier Inc., 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
Serving more than 2,000 U.S. hospitals and nearly 50,000 other healthcare sites, the Premier healthcare alliance and its members are transforming healthcare together. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier operates one of the leading healthcare purchasing networks and the nation's most comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information. A subsidiary operates one of the nation's largest policy-holder owned, hospital professional liability risk-retention groups. A world leader in helping healthcare providers deliver dramatic improvements in care, Premier is working with the United Kingdom's National Health Service North West and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to improve hospital performance. Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has offices in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Washington. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com.