This is an interesting twist to the needle injection problem...not exactly competition, but they are certainly addressing the accidental sticks....
Premier Signs New Group Purchasing Contracts With Safety Needle Suppliers
Evaluated Needlestick Prevention Devices to Continue in Premier Product Catalog for the Alliance's Hospital Members
CHICAGO, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Hospital members of Premier will continue to have group purchasing contracts in place
and options for several different hypodermic syringe devices with features intended to prevent needlesticks.
Premier, one of the nation's leading alliances of hospitals and health systems, has awarded new two-year group purchasing contracts for such products to three companies and continues an existing group contract in place with a fourth. The new contracts were effective Nov. 1.
The recently awarded new contracts cover hinge-technology needle sheathing devices offered by Safety Medical Supply
International, Inc. (SMSI) of Waltham, Mass., the single-use retractable syringes offered by New Medical Technology, Inc.
(NMT) of Zionsville, Ind., and the single-use retractable syringes offered by Abbott Laboratories of Abbott Park, Ill., though its marketing arrangement with Retractable Technologies, Inc. (RTI) of Little Elm, Texas.
In addition, Premier's earlier group purchasing contract with BD (Becton Dickinson) of Franklin Lakes, N.J., continues to make this company's family of safety syringes available to Premier members.
The group contracts for SMSI, NMT, and RTI products succeed 18-month contracts with these companies expiring Oct. 31.
The earlier contracts and the new contracts were developed through Premier's Breakthroughs Technology program which
seeks to identify new or evolving medical technology that can provide the full value of clinical efficacy, safety for patients and workers, and cost-effectiveness that Premier members have come to expect. During the term of these earlier contracts, several of Premier's members conducted a formal evaluation of the companies' products and reported findings to the companies and Premier.
The new contracts were recommended by a Premier committee of member representatives including, clinicians who reviewed
evaluation conclusions and current marketplace conditions such as state and federal legislative requirements relating to the use of safety devices by hospitals and healthcare workers.
Legislation recently approved by the U. S. Congress and expected to become law will strengthen protections for healthcare workers against needlestick injuries. While not specifying the adoption of any specific device, the legislation will require employers to evaluate the effectiveness of available technology. It also will require that frontline workers be involved in the evaluation, selection and implementation of new safety devices. The bill had broad support from healthcare industry organizations including Premier.
``The availability of syringes and needlestick protection devices continues to be a concern of Premier as the demand for them increases,'' said Gina Pugliese, director of the Premier Safety Institute. The demand has risen with increased recognition of the risks to healthcare workers presented by accidental sticks from sharps of all kinds, including hypodermic syringes, she said. The risks include transmission of bloodborne infections such as HIV and Hepatitis C.
``The four companies Premier contracts with are each pursuing safer workplaces and believe their products bring unique value to that objective, which we share,'' Pugliese added.
The expanded array of group purchasing contracts for safety devices is intended to support member hospitals' increasing efforts to prevent injuries from sharps, Pugliese said.
Premier member hospitals appear to be adopting and using safety devices at rates higher than available industry estimates for all hospitals, she reported, although sound data about usage and needlesticks unfortunately lags behind hospitals' great need for timely information. Premier is encouraging members to accelerate their needlestick prevention activities even further and share information about their experience with products and successful practices.
Also this month, Premier reported in a separate announcement that it had awarded additional new group purchasing agreements effective Nov. 1 for safety devices used in blood drawing (phlebotomy). Premier now has group contracts for such devices with BD, Bio-Plexus, Inc. of Vernon, Conn., SIMS Portex of Keene, N. H, MPS Acacia of Brea, Calif., and Abbott Laboratories, Inc., of Abbott Park, Ill., representative of the manufacturer, Retractable Technologies, Inc.
Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT - news) is a global, diversified health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceutical, diagnostic, nutritional and hospital products. It is the marketer and distributor for the patented needle safety devices manufactured by Retractable Technologies, Inc., a privately held company located in Little Elm, Texas. For more information, please visit www.Abbott.com and www.vanishpoint.com.
BD (Becton Dickinson) (NYSE: BDX - news) manufactures and sells a broad range of supplies, devices and systems for use
by health professionals, medical research institutions, industry and the general public. Operating internationally, the company is headquartered in Franklin Lakes, N. J. For more information, please visit www.bd.com.
New Medical Technology, Inc. is a subsidiary of NMT Group PLC located in Livingston, Scotland, with U.S. headquarters in Zionsville, Ind. The NMT Safety Syringe employs an automatic (or passive) retraction technology to prevent needlestick injury.
NMT Group PLC is a public company listed on AIM (Alternative Investment Market) in London. For more information,
please visit www.newmedicaltechnology.com.
Premier, Inc., is the parent company of a strategic alliance of 210 not- for-profit hospitals and healthcare systems across the United States. Premier's owners operate or have affiliation arrangements with approximately 1,850 hospitals. Premier's group purchasing program and supply chain management services are provided through Premier Purchasing Partners, L P. Electronic commerce support for Premier's group purchasing program is provided by medibuy. Premier is headquartered in San Diego, alif., with operations also located in Chicago, Ill., Charlotte, N. C., and Washington,
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