Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics was presented with the 2010 Polaris Award in recognition of customer service excellence by Premier Purchasing Partners, LP, the group purchasing unit of the Premier healthcare alliance. In addition, for the fifth year in a row, Siemens received the Pinnacle Award for exceeding Premier's operational and quality expectations. Siemens was one of only three suppliers out of 800 that have won the Pinnacle Award five times and only one of six who received the Polaris Award.   

"Receiving these awards is a great honor and reflects the positive partnership that we have developed with Premier through the years," said Michael Reitermann, CEO, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics. "It is reflective of our commitment to providing Premier members and all of our customers with the highest level of customer service." 

"Premier is pleased to recognize our top performing suppliers that strive for collaboration and performance excellence to the benefit of the alliance," said Premier Purchasing Partners President Mike Alkire. "These suppliers work to exceed the needs of alliance member hospitals and we commend their unsurpassed efforts to the alliance as we help them better serve their communities." 

Siemens provides Premier members with a complete line of automation solutions as well as instruments and reagents for chemistry, immunoassay, coagulation, microbiology, cardiac, molecular, blood gas, urinalysis and drug testing.  

The Polaris and Pinnacle awards were presented to Siemens during Premier's 2010 Annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition in Washington D.C. on June 9. For more information about the Pinnacle and Polaris Awards, visit: www.premierinc.com/about/news/awards/index.jsp.   

About Premier Inc., 2006 Malcolm Bridge National Quality Award Recipient

The Premier healthcare alliance is more than 2,300 U.S. hospitals and 64,000-plus other healthcare sites working together to improve healthcare quality and affordability. Premier maintains the nation's most comprehensive repository of clinical, financial and outcomes information and operates a leading healthcare purchasing network. A world leader in helping deliver measureable improvements in care, Premier works with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the United Kingdom's National Health Service North West to improve hospital performance. Premier has offices in San Diego, Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Washington. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com.