John C. Lincoln Health Network to Strengthen Financial Stability By Joining Premier Alliance As Performance Improvement Partner

The award-winning not-for-profit John C. Lincoln Health Network has taken steps to further strengthen its financial stability by becoming a member of the Premier alliance. It joins nearly 200 of the nation’s leading hospital and healthcare systems who own Premier Inc.

John C. Lincoln Health Network has provided health and human services to the people of North Phoenix, Ariz., for more than 80 years. The organization was formerly with both Broadlane and Amerinet and will consolidate its group purchasing with Premier, which operates one of the nation’s largest healthcare purchasing networks.

For the past year, John C. Lincoln has been an owner of the American Excess Insurance Exchange Risk Retention Group, which is managed by Premier Insurance Management Services, a subsidiary of the Premier healthcare alliance.

“Our mission is to provide quality, advanced medical care to the communities we serve,” said Dan Coleman, John C. Lincoln president and chief executive officer. “To maximize our ability to care for our community, we must operate as efficiently as possible. Premier will help us to achieve greater operational efficiency.”

David Lamparter, John C. Lincoln senior vice president and chief financial officer, said, “We look forward to building a strong collaborative relationship with Premier.”

Premier Purchasing Partners President Mike Alkire said, “We continue to look for members who are committed to advancing the performance of the healthcare industry. We are very pleased that John C. Lincoln Health Network has chosen to become an engaged owner of the Premier alliance.”

“We look forward to exceeding John C. Lincoln’s high expectations for our new relationship,” said Brigita Bilsens, Premier region vice president.

John C. Lincoln Health Network is a system of two hospitals, multiple physician practices, community service programs and the John C. Lincoln Health Foundation.

About John C. Lincoln Health Network

The award-winning not-for-profit John C. Lincoln Health Network operates two full-service hospitals in North Phoenix, eight physician medical practices, three diagnostic imaging centers, three health centers and a variety of other healthcare facilities and services, including one of Central Arizona’s original trauma centers and the only children’s emergency center in the North Phoenix area. The Network’s philanthropic activities are funded by the John C. Lincoln Health Foundation. John C. Lincoln’s Desert Mission operates safety net programs for families in need –including a community health center, food bank, children’s dental clinic, nationally-accredited child care center and family support center. For more information, visit www.JCL.com.

About Premier Inc., 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient

Serving 1,700 U.S. hospitals and more than 49,000 other healthcare sites, the Premier healthcare alliance is working to transform healthcare. Owned by non-profit hospitals, Premier operates one of the largest healthcare purchasing networks and the nation’s largest comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information. A subsidiary operates one of the nation’s largest policy-holder owned, hospital professional liability risk-retention groups. Premier is also working with the United Kingdom’s National Health Service North West region to implement a model pay-for-performance program, dubbed “Advancing Quality.” Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has offices in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia, and Washington. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com. Established to improve the health of communities, Premier and its members are transforming healthcare together.