CHARLOTTE, N.C. and TACOMA, Wash. - MultiCare Health System of Tacoma, Wash. has joined Premier, Inc.(Nasdaq:PINC) as a new member and is expected to leverage Premier's full suite of performance and supply chain improvement services to drive cost and quality efficiencies, better outcomes and patient experiences, and advances in population health.

A leading not-for-profit integrated healthcare delivery system, MultiCare is made up of five hospitals and dozens of primary, urgent and specialty clinics. The health system chose Premier for access to the alliance's group purchasing organization, as well as performance and supply chain analytics and advisory services to accelerate enterprise-wide innovation in care delivery.

"The market is moving much faster than even healthcare reform demands," said Florence Chang, executive vice president, MultiCare. "As we focus on how to care best for the people we serve, we believe this partnership with Premier and its members, especially those located in our region, will help us accelerate comprehensive quality and cost efficiencies to further our efforts in providing healing and a healthy future for the people we serve."

MultiCare will use Premier's group purchasing organization to reduce expenses through the aggregation of data, purchasing and best practices. The health system will also access quality and supply chain improvement analytics in Premier's integrated technology platform PremierConnect(R) to enable enterprise-wide care delivery and purchasing decisions. These industry-leading analytics rapidly aggregate and normalize clinical and supply chain data across the continuum of care for access to actionable insights, all in one place. PremierConnect also enables real-time member interactions across the nation.

"At MultiCare, we hold ourselves accountable for excellent care quality, personal competence and operational performance," said Anna Loomis, chief financial officer, MultiCare. "We're working on improving our practices to not only support what our patients need, but to be a part of the solution to reducing the cost of healthcare in our community."

With patient data on 1 in 3 U.S. hospital discharges and approximately $41 billion in annual provider purchases, PremierConnect quality and supply chain analytics help providers enhance the quality of care management, improve resource utilization and eliminate unjustified variation in costs. PremierConnect can help support MultiCare in partnering with a regional network of Premier members to integrate their clinical and purchasing decisions. In doing so, they can help to lower the cost of care across their community, as well as improve the patient experience and overall outcomes.

"MultiCare has a long history of providing skilled and compassionate care by proactively responding to the needs of their community, and investing in technology and other necessary innovations as we continue to see changes in healthcare," said Michael J. Alkire, chief operating officer, Premier. "Premier is excited to welcome MultiCare to our alliance and become their partner in implementing advances in quality, efficiency and overall community health."

This is MultiCare's first engagement with Premier. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

About MultiCare

MultiCare Health System is a not-for-profit, locally based integrated system of health with 11,000 employees and a comprehensive network of services throughout Pierce, South King, Thurston and Kitsap counties.

Its heritage dates back to the founding of Tacoma's first hospital in 1882. Since then, MultiCare has grown to meet the ever-changing needs of its region - always focusing on excellence, innovation and patient care.

Today, MultiCare is made up of five hospitals including Allenmore Hospital, Auburn Medical Center, Good Samaritan Hospital, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and Tacoma General Hospital, numerous outpatient specialty centers, primary and urgent care clinics, as well as a variety of other services and community outreach programs. MultiCare's patients are connected to the most advanced care available, and MultiCare has been recognized both locally and nationally for the care it provides, its commitment to patients, its investment in technology and its involvement in its community.

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