GHX Announces 2010 Best-in-Class Product Category Award Winners

LOUISVILLE, Colo., March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- GHX today announced the product category winners of the seventh annual Best-in-Class Awards, recognizing 29 medical-surgical manufacturers in 34 different product categories. Best-in-Class status is determined through a combination of year-over-year market share growth and total market share through the end of 2009. The winners will be honored at the 10th Annual GHX Supply Chain Summit in Orlando, March 29-31, 2010 – the largest event in healthcare that focuses on the entire supply chain and brings participants together to address common issues.

Best-in-Class winners were determined using GHX Market Intelligence reports that analyze national distributed sales transaction data provided by 27 U.S. distributors. While manufacturers are not required to be GHX customers in order to qualify for or win the Best-in-Class awards, many of this year's award winners leverage GHX Market Intelligence to gain market share.

"During 2009, we saw some interesting trends emerge in the medical-surgical marketplace, with decreased spending in many areas and stability and even growth in others," said Ed McCauley, vice president, E-Sourcing and Business Intelligence, GHX. "By leveraging comprehensive and accurate market insights, this year's Best-in-Class winners were able to navigate the complexities of this healthcare environment and remain competitive despite the down economy. The performance of these companies proves that there continue to be market opportunities for manufacturers if they know where to target their sales efforts."

The 2010 Best-in-Class product category winners are as follows:

    
    
    
              Category                        Company
    Adhesives, Bandages, Dressings &
     Sponges                              Hartmann USA Inc.
    Cardiology/Cardiovascular             Terumo Corp.
    Catheters, Diagnostic & Therapeutic   Cook Group Inc.
    Electromedical                        Midmark Corp.
    Electrosurgical                       Covidien**
    Enteral Feeding & Medical
     Nutritionals                         Abbott Nutrition
    Gloves                                Kimberly-Clark Corp.
    Hazardous Waste Control               Ecolab Inc.
    Heat/Cold Therapy                     Arizant Inc.
    Hematology/Coagulation Reagents/
     Supplies                             Inverness Medical Innovations Inc.
    Immunology Reagents/Supplies          Meridian Bioscience, Inc.**
    Incontinence Products                 Attends Healthcare Products, Inc.
    Kits, Packs & Trays – Standard        B. Braun Medical Inc.**
    Kits, Packs & Trays – Custom          AVID Medical Inc.
    Masks                                 Medline Industries Inc.
    Metal/Plastic/Paper Products          Georgia-Pacific Professional
    Microbiology Reagents/Supplies        Meridian Bioscience, Inc.**
    Needles & Syringes                    Baxa Corp.
    Ostomy                                Coloplast**
    Parenteral                            CareFusion Corp.**
    Patient Care Products, Medical        Sage Products Inc.
    Pressure Monitoring                   GE Healthcare
    Respiratory                           Masimo Corp.
    Skin Care Products                    GOJO Industries Inc.
    Solutions/Nutritional                 B. Braun Medical Inc.**
    Specimen Collection Kits and
     Supplies                             Owen Mumford Ltd.
    Sterilization                         3M Medical Division
    Surgical Instruments & Devices        CareFusion Corp.**
    Urinalysis Reagents/Supplies          Quantimetrix Corp.
    Urological                            Coloplast**
    Wound Care                            Molnlycke Health Care
    Wound Staples & Endosurgery           Applied Medical Resources
    Wound Staples & Sutures               Covidien**
    Woven & Nonwoven Goods                Cardinal Health Hospital Supply/Sci
                                           Products
    
    
    **Recipient of two GHX Best-in-Class product category awards

GHX Market Intelligence tracks and reports on more than $35.5 billion of distributed sales for medical-surgical and clinical laboratory supplies and devices. It is the only comprehensive source for accurate, detailed and timely data for the acute and alternate site healthcare markets, containing geographically relevant and competitive market share, size and average selling price reporting down to the three-digit ZIP code level.

Healthcare suppliers use GHX Market Intelligence data and reports to gauge market size and share, guide product development, capitalize on new opportunities and stay one step ahead of the competition. Nine of the top 10 manufacturers utilizing distribution as a sales channel call upon GHX Market Intelligence to stay ahead of the competition.

About GHX

As the business hub for healthcare, Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC (GHX) enables healthcare providers and suppliers in North America and Europe to reduce costs and improve margins by automating processes, reducing operating expenses and increasing knowledge-based decision making.  Products and services include trading partner connectivity, order and contract management and validation, data synchronization, sales force automation and business intelligence. Equity owners of GHX are Abbott Exchange, Inc.; AmerisourceBergen Corp.; Baxter Healthcare Corp.; B. Braun Medical Inc.; BD; Boston Scientific Corp.; Cardinal Health, Inc.; Covidien; C.R. Bard, Inc.; Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.; GE Healthcare; HCA; Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc.; McKesson Corp.; Medtronic USA, Inc.; Owens & Minor; Premier, Inc.; Siemens; University HealthSystem Consortium; and VHA Inc.  For more information, visit www.ghx.com.

SOURCE GHX