ARUP Laboratories To Provide Premier With Reference Laboratory Testing Services

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Associated Regional and University Pathologists, Inc. (ARUP Laboratories), a national clinical and anatomic pathology reference laboratory, announced today that it has renewed a multisource group purchasing agreement with Premier Purchasing Partners, L.P., one of the nation's largest purchasing alliances of leading hospitals and health care systems. The agreement extends a previous contract between ARUP and Premier which has been in effect since 1997 under which ARUP provided testing services to Premier's clients within the United States. The renewed contract will run from January 1, 2005 through September 30, 2007.

Under the terms of the agreement, ARUP will continue to serve as an authorized provider of laboratory testing services for Premier's alliance of more than 1,500 affiliate hospital and health care facilities. In addition to providing specialized clinical and anatomic pathology testing services, ARUP will offer competitive pricing, consistent and reliable service, and information technology benefits to Premier's members.

"We are pleased that we will continue our relationship with the many valued members of Premier," said ARUP's President and COO Ronald Weiss, M.D., M.B.A. "For the past three years we have had the honor to serve the needs and to endeavor to exceed the expectations of a very loyal following of Premier member hospitals."

ARUP's Vice President of National Contracts, Dennis Monahan, remarked that, "We feel that ARUP's reputation for excellence in service and quality, its extensive test menu, and its client support complement Premier's strategic mission."

About Premier

Premier, Inc., is a strategic alliance in U.S. health care, entirely owned by nearly 200 of the nation's leading hospital and health care systems. These systems operate or are affiliated with nearly 1,500 hospital facilities in 50 states and hundreds of other care sites. Premier provides an array of resources supporting health services delivery in the key areas of supply chain improvement and group purchasing, comparative data and benchmarking, and insurance. Premier is headquartered in San Diego, CA, with offices in Chicago, IL, and Charlotte, NC. Advocacy and policy offices are located in Washington, DC. For more information, visit http://www.premierinc.com/.

About ARUP

ARUP Laboratories is a national clinical and anatomic pathology reference laboratory owned by the University of Utah. With nearly 1,700 employees, ARUP offers in excess of 2,000 tests and test combinations, ranging from routine screening tests to highly esoteric molecular and genetic assays. Rather than competing with its clients for physician office business, ARUP chooses instead to support clients' existing test menus by offering highly complex and unique tests, with accompanying consultative support, to enhance their abilities to provide local and regional laboratory services. ARUP's clients include more than half of the nation's university teaching hospitals and children's hospitals, as well as multihospital groups, major commercial laboratories, group purchasing organizations, military and government facilities, and major clinics. In addition, ARUP is a worldwide leader in innovative laboratory research and development, led by the efforts of the ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology. Further information on ARUP Laboratories can be obtained at http://www.aruplab.com/.

ARUP Laboratories

CONTACT: Ronald L. Weiss, M.D., M.B.A., President and Chief OperatingOfficer of ARUP Laboratories, +1-801-584-5188