SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 2006--Premier Inc. is sending nearly 35,000 applications to non-profit organizations around the country for its annual award recognizing the efforts of groups serving medically underserved populations.

The annual Monroe E. Trout Premier Cares Award, founded in 1991 by Monroe Trout, M.D., former chief executive of American HealthCare Systems, honors six community health programs with cash prizes.

This year's deadline for award nominations is Friday, July 28. Premier will announce the award winner and finalists during its annual Governance Education Conference in January 2007. The Cares Award winner receives $70,000; five additional finalists receive between $20,000 and $28,000 each.

Winners are chosen by a panel of healthcare executives based on documented improvements in the health status of the people served; innovation; and the "reproducibility" of the program in other communities, among other factors.

Electronic versions of the entry form, award criteria, and highlights of past recipients are available on www.premierinc.com.
Click on "About Premier" in the top navigation bar, then click "Social Responsibility and Premier Cares Award."

About Premier Inc.

Premier Inc., helps hospitals accelerate performance on both clinical outcomes and supply chain costs. Premier is a healthcare alliance entirely owned by more than 200 of the nation's leading not-for-profit hospitals and healthcare systems. These organizations operate or are affiliated with nearly 1,500 hospitals and more than 38,500 other healthcare sites. Premier provides an array of resources supporting health services delivery, including clinical and operational comparative data applications for quality/safety performance improvement, group purchasing and supply chain services, and insurance programs. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Premier has offices in Charlotte, NC, Chicago, and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com.

Copyright Business Wire 2006

Premier, Inc.

Premier, Inc.

Serving 1,700 hospitals and almost 45,000 other healthcare sites, Premier Inc. is the largest healthcare alliance in the United States dedicated to improving patient outcomes while safely reducing the cost of care. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier operates the nation's largest healthcare purchasing network, the most comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information and one of the largest policy-holder owned, hospital professional liability risk-retention groups in healthcare. Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has offices in Charlotte, N.C. and Washington.

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