MEDRAD Honored for a Second Time With Prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

WARRENDALE, Pa., Nov. 23, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- MEDRAD, Inc., a business of Bayer HealthCare, today joined an elite group of only five companies that have received the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award more than once.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20040309/MEDRADLOGO )

MEDRAD, a market leader in computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and interventional cardiology, learned today that it will receive a 2010 Baldrige Award for excellence in manufacturing -- an honor that it first received in 2003. The Baldrige Award is the top honor a U.S. company can achieve for performance excellence, and is traditionally presented by the President of the United States.

Over 80 organizations applied for the award this year. MEDRAD was chosen to receive the award following a rigorous site visit and review process from Baldrige examiners. During the site visit, eight examiners interviewed more than 700 of MEDRAD's U.S. and global employees and reviewed over 5,000 pages of documentation, in order to confirm the business practices described in MEDRAD's application.

Named after a former secretary of commerce, the Baldrige Award was established by Congress in 1987 to enhance the competitiveness of U.S. business by recognizing role model companies for business achievements and successful performance strategies. Today, it is an internationally recognized award for excellence in business and other organizations, and serves as the foundation for quality and performance excellence awards in other parts of the world.

MEDRAD President and CEO Sam Liang said, "I could not be more proud of our employees. They have continued to deliver for our customers in spite of a tough economy, and are committed to continuously improving what we do, and how we do it. This award belongs to them."

MEDRAD's 2010 award accomplishment represents years of value gained through the use of Baldrige criteria, which the company began to incorporate into its business in the '90s. Today, the criteria are a key input into what MEDRAD refers to as "Performance Excellence," or the relentless pursuit of continuous improvement that will exceed the expectations of customers, shareholders and employees.

At MEDRAD, the company's more than 2000 employees are aligned on three key aspects of the Performance Excellence mindset, which include:

• Unchanging core values that align the entire organization on delivering results for customers, employees and shareholders
• Constant adaptability to changing needs that ensures continued success
• Focus on innovation, which drives growth by improving the quality of healthcare

These three aspects of Performance Excellence permeate every facet of MEDRAD's business. They are values that each employee embraces and utilizes in their role at the company. By collectively working to understand and demonstrate these values, MEDRAD employees effectively practice Performance Excellence every day. This cross-company alignment is demonstrated by 2010 survey results that reveal 84 percent of MEDRAD employees feel that they understand how their work contributes to the company's goals and objectives(i).

MEDRAD's dedication to excellence has enabled it to maintain a superior brand reputation and healthy sales performance in all product segments including  vascular injection and diagnostic imaging accessory segments. Fueling this success  is a single-minded commitment to customers, evidenced through survey data that indicates nearly 96 percent of MEDRAD's global customers are likely to recommend MEDRAD to a colleague(ii).

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in conjunction with the private sector. As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST develops and promotes measurement, standards and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade and improve the quality of life.

Other organizations that have received the award include: Federal Express, Motorola, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, 3M Dental Products Division and two divisions of Boeing.  Four other organizations have been two-time recipients of the Baldrige Award: Solectron Corporation, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company (now part of Marriott International), Texas Nameplate Company, Inc., and Sunny Fresh Foods, Inc.

About MEDRAD, Inc.

MEDRAD, Inc. develops, markets and services medical devices used to diagnose and treat disease. Its product offerings include fluid injection systems for radiology and cardiology, endovascular devices for the safe treatment of cardiovascular disease, magnetic resonance-compatible accessories and equipment services. The company's world headquarters is near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. MEDRAD is a business of Bayer HealthCare. More company information is available at www.medrad.com.

Bayer HealthCare

The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions.  Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Find more information at www.bayerhealthcare.com.

Forward-looking statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

(i)  Based upon results from the Great Place to Work survey completed by MEDRAD employees in 2010.

(ii) Based upon MEDRAD's Purchase Experience survey results completed by customers in 2010.

SOURCE MEDRAD, Inc.