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Alven Weil
Premier Inc.
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Mountain States Health Alliance expands relationship with Premier, chooses innovative infection tracking tool

Premier healthcare alliance’s SafetySurveillor™ continuously detects, monitors healthcare associated infections via Web-based application

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 6, 2008) — The Premier healthcare alliance today announced that it is expanding its relationship with Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA) of Johnson City, Tenn., to drive significant improvements in cost and quality across the system. MSHA is implementing SafetySurveillor™ in five hospitals to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and optimize antibiotic use, protecting patients and reducing hospital costs. More than 200 hospitals nationwide have chosen the Web-based application.

MSHA, an integrated healthcare delivery network with 14 hospitals serving 29 counties in Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina, has been a Premier owner and member of the Premier Purchasing Partners group purchasing network since 1999. MSHA also uses other Premier performance improvement tools and services and participates actively in Premier cost, quality and patient safety initiatives.

“Partnering with Premier through the QUEST initiative and implementation of SafetySurveillor will allow the hospitals of MSHA to proactively take steps to identify potential infections, as well as prevent the conditions that may lead to infections,” said Dr. Ken Marshall, senior vice president of Medical Affairs for MSHA. “This product interfaces with our existing pharmacy, lab, surgery and patient tracking systems to provide real time alerts. Should information point to conditions that may lead to infection, our care givers can respond appropriately to avoid infections, or take steps to isolate and treat infections.”

Marshall said Mountain States wanted access to detailed data and information necessary to investigate causes of infections, therefore carrying the benefit of SafetySurveillor forward to future patients and patient care. “Many top healthcare organizations across the country are using SafetySurveillor, and Premier coordinates a network of users so MSHA will be able to learn about best practices from a number of organizations,” Marshall said.

Premier recently launched “QUEST: High Performing Hospitals” to improve patient safety and quality in the nation’s hospitals while safely reducing healthcare costs. Participating hospitals report data to Premier on a set of clearly defined performance measures encompassing aspects of quality, efficiency, safety and patient satisfaction.

Mountain States hospitals that will deploy SafetySurveillor are:

SafetySurveillor helps hospitals meet state-mandated public reporting of certain HAIs, including screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile, some of the most common and harmful infections found in hospitals today. With the automated SafetySurveillor system, hospitals can detect HAIs, alert staff and facilitate timely intervention to reduce and prevent infections.

Premier’s SafetySurveillor is one of the HAI surveillance system software vendors participating in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention project to develop a standards-based solution for transmission of HAI data from hospitals using existing commercial software systems to the agency's National Healthcare Safety Network.

About Mountain States Health Alliance
Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA) is a locally owned and managed healthcare system based in Johnson City, Tenn. Formed after Johnson City Medical Center Hospital, Inc. acquired six Columbia/HCA hospitals in Northeast Tennessee on September 1, 1998, it received its official name in January 1999. Today, MSHA provides an integrated, comprehensive continuum of care to people in 29 counties in Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Its 14 hospitals, of which Johnson City Medical Center is the flagship, comprise the largest healthcare system in the region with more than 1,709 licensed beds and 7,500 team members. MSHA's integrated healthcare delivery system includes 21 primary/preventive care centers and 13 outpatient care sites, including First Assist Urgent Care, Centers and ValuCare Clinics (inside Food City stores).

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.

 

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