- Health system adds PremierConnect® Enterprise, a cloud-based, customizable data warehouse and business intelligence platform
- Expands use of Premier performance services to all available improvement solutions across the University Hospitals enterprise for eight years
- Extends supply chain services agreement
CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 25, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- University Hospitals (UH) in Cleveland, Ohio, a national leader in accountable care and the second-largest employer in Northeast Ohio, has expanded its relationship with Premier, Inc. (Nasdaq:PINC) to improve health of the communities it serves.
A large and prestigious academic health system, nationally recognized for its quality and its integration, UH provides comprehensive medical services from routine preventive care to complex quaternary care through an integrated network of 12 hospitals, 26 outpatient centers and an extensive network of primary care physician offices in 15 counties. Leveraging its expertise, its infrastructure and its commitment to high-quality, high-value healthcare, UH has created one of the largest accountable care organization (ACO) initiatives in the country, with more than 200,000 members and beneficiaries. UH's six ACOs include a Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO, a pediatric ACO and commercial ACOs, each providing individualized population health services. For nearly a decade, UH has used Premier's tools and services to generate continuous advancements in healthcare quality and cost.
As part of the new strategic relationship, Premier and UH have committed to a framework that creates an innovative and collaborative environment to support the efficient delivery of best practices across UH's system, and to enable Premier's development of new data analytics and tools to support rapidly changing healthcare models. As part of this expanded relationship, UH:
- Signed a new agreement to use PremierConnect® Enterprise, Premier's cloud-based, fully-managed and customizable data warehouse and business intelligence platform, to quickly and more efficiently access, integrate and interpret the clinical, financial and operational data. The platform helps providers standardize, transform and integrate data, produce actionable analytics, and garner predictive insights.
- Restructured and expanded its use of Premier performance services, signing an eight-year agreement to access all available Premier-provided healthcare improvement solutions across its enterprise. UH will now have a full suite of quality, safety, labor and supply chain performance improvement software, services and solutions. The agreement also includes advisory services and membership in data-driven collaboratives of providers, such as QUEST® for quality improvement and PACT™ to support value-based care delivery.
- Extended its existing Premier supply chain services agreement for an additional three years. Premier's group purchasing organization aggregates approximately $41 billion in purchasing volume for medical supplies and pharmaceuticals across more than 1,900 contracts.
"At the center of our strategy to improve population health is turning raw data into actionable business intelligence," said Eric Bieber, MD, President of University Hospitals Accountable Care Organization and President, Community Hospitals—Westside. "This overarching partnership allows for a clearer picture of potential opportunities with the flexibility to make the right connections, and quickly find and implement efficient solutions. It also gives us the freedom to spend our time focusing on the best care for our patients instead of managing our data resources. We're excited to continue working with Premier's vast alliance of other hospitals and academic institutions to share our vision of better care at a better cost for people in the Northeast, Ohio area and beyond."
PremierConnect Enterprise includes expert advisory services and membership in the Data Alliance Collaborative. The collaborative now consists of eight of the nation's leading health systems that are sharing knowledge and assets to accelerate the development of the data analytics and business intelligence needed to improve population health and operational performance.
"Health systems today need much more than a single-point solution or even a multi-point solution focused on just one area of their business. They are demanding an integrated approach that spans the scope of their care practices," said Susan DeVore, Premier president and CEO. "The innovations and best practices found by our members are proving to have the ability to change our sector for the better. We look forward to learning from University Hospitals and working together toward healthier communities."
PremierConnect houses patient data on 1 in 3 U.S. hospital discharges and approximately $41 billion in annual provider purchases, while enabling real-time member interactions across the nation.
The value of the contracts was not disclosed.
About University Hospitals
University Hospitals, the second largest employer in Northeast Ohio with 25,000 employees, serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 11 hospitals at 12 locations, 26 outpatient centers and primary care physician offices in 15 counties. At the core of our $3.5 billion health system is University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center, one of only 18 hospitals in the country to have been named to U.S. News & World Report's most exclusive rankings list: the Best Hospitals 2013-14 Honor Roll. The primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, UH Case Medical Center is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research centers of excellence in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopaedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, transplantation and genetics. Its main campus includes UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children's hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University. For more information, go to www.uhhospitals.org.
About Premier, Inc.
Premier, Inc. (Nasdaq:PINC) is a leading healthcare improvement company, uniting an alliance of approximately 3,000 U.S. hospitals and 110,000 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; as well as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Foursquare and Premier's blog for more information about the company.
Forward-looking statements
Matters discussed in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts, such as University Hospitals' continued use of Premier's supply chain and performance services at current or expanded 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, as well as those discussed under the "Risk Factors" and "Forward Looking Statements" section of Premier's IPO Prospectus, dated September 25, 2013, filed 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 Bridges-Guthrie, Premier, Inc.; Morgan_Bridges@PremierInc.com; 704.816.4152