Sysmex America Honored by the Premier Healthcare Alliance for Operational Excellence

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill., June 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sysmex America, Inc., the wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of Sysmex Corporation, a global leader in medical diagnostic testing equipment and information systems technology, today announces that it is a winner of the eighth annual Pinnacle Award presented by the Premier healthcare alliance.

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Premier, a provider-owned performance improvement alliance of 2,800 hospitals and nearly 100,000 other care sites, contracts with more than 1,000 suppliers.  Sysmex America is one of 15 suppliers to receive the Pinnacle Award this year. Winners are recognized for their outstanding management of Premier agreements and their drive toward the mutual goal of providing clinical and financial value to the alliance members of Premier.

"Sysmex America is proud to receive our eighth Premier Pinnacle Award from the Premier healthcare alliance for supplier quality," said John Kershaw, President and CEO, Sysmex America, Inc.  "We have been a trusted partner to Premier for fifteen consecutive years, and continue to meet their not-for-profit hospital members' expectations for performance and customer service."

Since the award program's inception in 2006, Sysmex America, the only Premier-contracted hematology vendor to ever win the Pinnacle Award, has won a total of eight Pinnacle Awards and one Premier Performance Award.  Premier recently awarded to Sysmex three new contracts in the categories of hematology (Premier and Ascend®) and urinalysis (Premier).  Sysmex services hospitals and healthcare networks, reference laboratories and physicians offices worldwide.

Bonnie Streeter, Corporate Accounts Executive, Sysmex America accepted the award at Premier's 2013 Annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition in San Antonio, Texas. The award ceremony was held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Wednesday, June 12, 2013.

"As providers continue efforts to drive toward value-based care, Sysmex has been supporting Premier alliance members with high-quality, cost-effective products and services," said Durral R. Gilbert, president of supply chain services, Premier.  "We're proud to recognize them as a top performing organization."

The Pinnacle Award rewards Premier's contracted suppliers that support attainment of mutual goals, drive contract utilization and are committed to performance improvement.

About the Premier healthcare alliance, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient

Premier is the nation's largest performance improvement alliance of more than 2,800 U.S. hospitals and nearly 100,000 other sites using the power of collaboration and technology to lead the transformation to coordinated, high-quality, cost-effective care. Owned by healthcare providers, Premier operates a leading purchasing network with more than $5 billion in annual savings.  Premier also maintains clinical, financial and outcomes databases based on 1 in every 4 patient discharges.  A world leader in measurably improving patient care, Premier has the largest performance improvement collaborative in America, including one in partnership with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.   Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier also has an office in Washington.  http://www.premierinc.com. Stay connected with Premier on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

About Sysmex America, Inc.

Sysmex America, Inc., the U.S. headquarters of Sysmex Corporation (Kobe, Japan), is a world leader in clinical laboratory systemization and solutions, including clinical diagnostics, automation and information systems. Serving customers for over 40 years, Sysmex focuses on extending the boundaries of diagnostic science while providing the management information tools that make a real difference in clinical and operational results for people worldwide. For more information about Sysmex, please visit www.sysmex.com/us.  Stay connected with Sysmex America on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

SOURCE Sysmex America, Inc.