Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics has been awarded a new three-year contract with Premier Purchasing Partners, the group purchasing unit of Premier, that includes Siemens integrated diagnostic systems, several specialty diagnostic instruments, and a comprehensive menu of diagnostic tests for Premier's more than 2,300 member hospitals and 64,000 additional healthcare sites.

The new contract, which becomes effective April 1, 2010, continues Siemens’ long-standing relationship with Premier, providing members ongoing access to Siemens’ comprehensive portfolio of diagnostic systems, tests, and automation solutions.

Specifically, the agreement covers purchases of Dimension and Dimension Vista integrated chemistry systems, ADVIA immunoassay and clinical chemistry systems, Stratus CS Acute Cardiac Care System and Syva reagents, as well as Siemens’ family of plasma protein analyzers and Viva drug testing systems.

The agreement also offers Premier members a menu of Siemens’ diagnostic tests to help detect and monitor a variety of health conditions, ranging from heart disease to diabetes and cancer.

Additionally, Siemens was also awarded a sole-source agreement covering all of the same products for members participating in Premier’s Accelerated Supply Chain Endeavor (ASCEND) program.

ASCEND helps Premier members achieve sustained improvement in supply chain performance through strategies such as ensuring appropriate utilization levels of laboratory systems.

Mike Alkire, president of Premier Purchasing Partners, said: “Premier is dedicated to helping our members achieve their goals of operational efficiency and productivity through our contractual offerings of exceptional product portfolios and suppliers with a strong commitment to service.”

Donal Quinn, CEO of Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, said: “We are proud to continue our relationship with Premier and are committed to providing Premier members with one of the most comprehensive portfolios of diagnostic services and solutions in the industry.”