CINCINNATI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Meridian Bioscience,
Inc. today announced it has signed a new group purchasing
agreement with the Premier healthcare alliance to offer illumigene® C.
difficile and illumigene Group B Streptococcus to its members at specially
negotiated pricing. Premier serves more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals and 81,000-plus
other healthcare sites. This agreement allows Premier alliance facilities to
implement rapid, sensitive molecular tests for C. difficile and Group B Streptococcus
without individual negotiations.

Premier’s mission is “to improve the health of communities”
and using the power of collaboration to lead the transformation to high-quality,
cost-effective care aligns with Meridian’s
promise to provide a new standard for patient care with our innovative
diagnostic testing solutions. Meridian
is privileged to be awarded this agreement with Premier and Premier members to
assist their efforts to improve quality of patient care and reduce healthcare
costs.

The illumigene molecular system utilizes loop-mediated
isothermal DNA amplification (LAMP) technology. The test procedure is
remarkably simple, highly sensitive, and yields results in less than one hour.
It requires no expensive capital equipment. The test relies upon a simple
procedure that includes heat treatment, amplification and detection. The entire
amplification is isothermal and results are read on the illumipro-10™
instrument. All reagents and disposables are contained in the test kit and can
be stored at room temperature. Meridian
believes that the “point-of-care” simplicity of this technology, along with its
cost efficiency, make illumigene ideal for helping in early diagnosis and
proper management of preventable and treatable diseases, especially in those
instances where there is a low level of the biological target.

Richard L. Eberly, Chief Commercial Officer, commented,
“This is an exciting opportunity for Meridian
to accelerate illumigene placements to Premier members. We are privileged to
collaborate with the Premier healthcare alliance to assist Premier members in
their efforts to improve the quality of patient care and drive costs out of
their facilities.”

About the Premier Healthcare Alliance, Malcolm Baldrige
National Quality Award recipient

Premier is a performance improvement alliance of more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals
and 81,000-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.
https://premierinc.com. Stay connected with Premier on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.