NEWS UPDATE

Appalachian Regional Healthcare, a 9 hospital decentralized health system located in southeast Kentucky and southern West Virginia associated with 50 clinics, home health agencies, DME's, and retail pharmacies joined Alliant Purchasing during the first quarter of 2007.  The addition of ARH increases Alliant Purchasing membership to 193 that annually purchase over $120 million.  Alliant Purchasing will aggregate the purchasing volume of ARH, Norton Healthcare, and Alliant Purchasing acute care members to create pricing superior to Premier contracts

Value, Quality, Commitment

Alliant Purchasing, the outreach arm of Norton Healthcare for affiliation with Premier, offers unsurpassed materials management services and programs to healthcare providers. Using national contracts negotiated by Premier and our regional agreements with manufacturers and distributors plus aggregated price contracts, Alliant Purchasing reduces total materials purchasing expenses by 8 to 20 percent. In addition to BEST price, Alliant Purchasing members enjoy enhanced productivity through product standardization, financial stability through multi-year contracts, and flexibility through multiple source options and a distributor-of-choice policy for medical/surgical products. Our strengths are grounded in mutually beneficial long-term partnerships that emphasize value, quality, and commitment.