Sysmex America Honored for Operational Excellence by Premier Healthcare Alliance

MUNDELEIN, Ill., June 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sysmex America, Inc., the wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of Sysmex Corporation, a global leader in medical diagnostic testing equipment and information systems technology, today announces that it is a winner of the seventh annual Pinnacle Award presented by the Premier healthcare alliance.

Premier is a hospital-owned performance improvement alliance of 2,600 hospitals and 84,000 other care sites.  It contracts with more than 800 suppliers, and Sysmex America is one of 27 suppliers to receive the Pinnacle Award. Winners are recognized for their outstanding management of Premier agreements and their drive toward the mutual goal of providing clinical and financial value to the alliance members of Premier.

"Sysmex America considers it a privilege to receive our sixth Pinnacle Award from the Premier healthcare alliance. It is particularly gratifying to know that Sysmex America has met Premier member-expectations for performance and customer service.  We trust that we will continue to be a valuable partner to the Premier healthcare alliance as they lead our nation's healthcare transformation to high quality, cost-effective care," said John Kershaw, President and CEO, Sysmex America, Inc.  Since the award program's inception in 2006, Sysmex America, the only Premier-contracted hematology vendor to ever win the Pinnacle Award, has won a total of six Pinnacle Awards and one Premier Performance Award.  Sysmex services hospitals and healthcare networks, reference laboratories and physicians offices worldwide. 

Bonnie Streeter, MSA, MT (ASCP) SH, DLM, Corporate Accounts Executive, Sysmex America, accepted the award at Premier's 2012 Annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition in Nashville, Tennessee. The award ceremony was held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center on Thursday, June 7.

"As providers continue efforts to operate in a high quality, cost-effective environment Sysmex America has truly been supporting Premier alliance members," said Mike Alkire, Premier Chief Operating Officer.   "We're proud to recognize them as a top performing organization."

The Pinnacle Award rewards Premier's contracted suppliers that support attainment of mutual goals, drive contract utilization and are committed to performance improvement.

About the Premier healthcare alliance, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
Premier is a performance improvement alliance of more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals and 84,000-plus other healthcare sites using the power of collaboration to lead the transformation to high quality, cost-effective care. Owned by hospitals, health systems and other providers, 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 measurable improvements in care, Premier has worked with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the United Kingdom's National Health Service North West to improve hospital performance. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier also has an office in Washington. http://www.premierinc.com. Stay connected with Premier on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About Sysmex America, Inc.
Sysmex America, Inc., the U.S. headquarters of Sysmex Corporation (Kobe, Japan), is a world leader in clinical laboratory systemization and solutions, including clinical diagnostics, automation and information systems. Serving customers for over 40 years, Sysmex focuses on extending the boundaries of diagnostic science while providing the management information tools that make a real difference in clinical and operational results for people worldwide. For more information about Sysmex, please visit www.sysmex.com/us.

SOURCE Sysmex America, Inc.