MUNDELEIN, Ill., Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Consorta, Inc., a leading health care resource management and group purchasing organization, has awarded Medline Industries, Inc., a sole source agreement for traditional wound care products. The three-year agreement, valued at more than $18 million, will provide wound care products at significant savings to Consorta’s membership of more than 2000 health care facilities in the U.S. Medline is the largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of health care supplies in the country.
The agreement solidifies Medline’s position as the second leading provider of traditional wound care products to the U.S. health care marketplace with a 23% share of the market.
The agreement, which begins January 1, 2005, covers a multitude of products, including a variety of gauze sponges, abdominal (ABD) pads and gauze bandages used in practically every type of patient care procedure.
In addition, Medline has a similar contract with Consorta’s largest member, Ascension Health, the largest not-for-profit health care system in the U.S. The agreement is part of Consorta’s Custom Contracting Program.
To assist facilities in the conversion to its products, Medline has over 700 sales representatives as well as on-staff clinical specialists and registered nurses, who also consult on and implement standardization and utilization programs. Medline also offers continuing education programs free of charge to their medical staff.
About Consorta
Consorta, Inc., based in suburban Chicago, is a leading healthcare resource management and group purchasing organization whose shareholders are faith-based or non-profit health systems. As a cooperative, Consorta’s shareholders and participants share fully in the organization’s bottom-line performance and receive significant discounts through scale purchasing economies. Consorta’s Shareholders are among the leading integrators of non- profit health care in America, sponsoring significant care providers in many parts of the country. Consorta’s Shareholder health care systems operate more than half of all Catholic hospitals in the United States, own many extended and alternate care sites and have extensive affiliate relationships with other non-profit hospitals and alternate care facilities. For more information, visit the Consorta Web site at http://www.consorta.com/ or contact Sheila Reed, Director of Corporate Communications, at 847-255-6990.
About Medline
Medline is ISO 13485 registered and FDA QSR compliant, the most stringent international standards for producing quality products. As a leading supplier of quality products, Medline is asked to serve on major industry quality committees to develop guidelines and standards for medical product use. Some of these organizations include the FDA Midwest Steering Committee, AAMI Sterilization and Packaging Committee and the various ASTM committees.
Headquartered in Mundelein, Ill., Medline is the largest privately held national manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies in the United States. The company has more than 700 dedicated sales representatives nationwide to support its broad product line and cost management services. Medline distributes over 100,000 products to hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, hospital laundries, home care dealers and agencies and other alternate site markets from its 29 distribution centers in the U.S. With seven manufacturing facilities in North America, Medline manufactures many of the products it sells. More information about Medline can be found at http://www.medline.com/ .
Medline Industries, Inc.
CONTACT: John Marks of Medline Industries, Inc., +1-847-949-3011,jmarks@medline.com