The Health Alliance's Dennis Robb Announced Contracting Professional of the Year by The Journal of Healthcare Contracting

The Health Alliance's Dennis Robb Announced Contracting Professional of the Year by The Journal of Healthcare Contracting

Pioneer in healthcare supply chain honored for accomplishments

Dallas (Vocus) March 3, 2009 -- Dennis Robb, senior vice president, supply chain management (www.broadlane.com), The Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, was recently announced 2008 Contracting Professional of the Year by The Journal of Healthcare Contracting.

Described as a pioneer in healthcare for more than three decades, Robb was selected to receive this honor based on his accomplishments in supply chain management and history of clinical and executive leadership.

As the senior vice president of supply chain management (www.broadlane.com) for The Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, Robb is continually seeking avenues for improvement for the 929-bed health system and manages its $369 million supply and capital spend. Robb is also responsible for initiation of value analysis committees and leadership of multidisciplinary teams of doctors, nurses, pharmacy, information technology and bioengineering professional for the management of capital procedures, contracting and contract compliance, system-wide standardization, price verification documentation of audited savings, vendor negotiations, environmental responsibility and economic inclusion.

"We congratulate Dennis on his latest achievement," said David Ricker, president and chief executive officer, Broadlane. "He is a valuable member on our Executive Steering Committee, helping drive all contracting decisions and awards. Dennis has also emerged as a leader in Supplier Diversity, working with the Broadlane Supplier Diversity Contracting team to implement the methods by which to execute and track results of The Health Alliance's supplier diversity initiative."

One of Robb's most notable achievements is the 2008 Corris Boyd Leadership and Diversity Award from the Federation of American Hospitals. This award was presented for Robb's efforts to create an environment of cooperation and commitment within The Health Alliance, which helped the health system reach a $23 million diverse supplier spending goal in its first year.

"I work daily with Dennis on supply chain initiatives," said Ruby Kern, vice president, enterprise accounts, Broadlane. "In my 35 years of supply chain experience, I've never come across anyone as passionate as Dennis is about meeting supply chain, environmental and supplier diversity goals."

In 10 months, The Health Alliance reached and exceeded the $23 million target with certified diverse suppliers and was recognized with awards from the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. The number of diverse suppliers grew 360 percent over a year. Over the past three years, the organization has maintained its commitment, spending a total of $90 million with diverse suppliers.

"We are very proud of Dennis' newest honor as Contracting Professional of the Year," said Ken Hanover, chief executive officer, the Health Alliance. "He has done an extraordinary job managing our supply chain. Dennis' optimism, professionalism and commitment to excellence are outstanding attributes, and this recognition is something in which we can all take pride."

About The Journal of Healthcare Contracting

The Journal of Healthcare Contracting is the only publication that is solely devoted to the contracting arena of healthcare. It focuses on the interactions of the four primary stakeholders in healthcare contracting: health systems and their facilities, manufacturers and suppliers, distributors and group purchasing organizations. The participants in the contracting arena will grow to rely on The Journal of Healthcare Contracting for industry understanding, insight into the minds of thought leaders and collaboration opportunities amongst contracting constituents.

About The Health Alliance

The Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, which includes the University, Jewish and Fort Hamilton hospitals, Drake Center, West Chester Medical Center and the physicians of Alliance Primary Care, continues to be Cincinnati's largest healthcare provider and recently expanded its physician practice by acquiring Greater Cincinnati Associated Physicians. The Health Alliance, which employs 7,800 people, has been recognized for its progressive supplier diversity and disability services programs. For more information on the Health Alliance, visit

www.health-alliance.com.

About Broadlane

Broadlane is the leading cost management company for healthcare providers. Broadlane's scalable business solutions optimize operational performance and achieve significant cost savings, thereby improving the overall financial performance of its clients. Its core services include supply chain management and clinical workforce management services.

Broadlane's comprehensive supply chain services include:

• Unparalleled national and custom contracting for supplies, pharmaceuticals, equipment and purchased services

• Innovative Procurement Services and purchase transaction management

• Clinical Services for managing clinical preference items and operating room and cath lab spending

• Comprehensive Materials Management Services - including outsourcing

• Informatics - benchmarking, advanced analytics and reporting

• Supply chain technology and e-commerce

Broadlane Workforce Management™ addresses nurses and allied healthcare practitioners and includes:

• External shift and agency management services

• Internal shift management, including electronic shift auctions

• Regional nurse float pool management and internal agency management

• E-commerce workforce exchange linking healthcare providers, clinical staff and agencies, enabling efficient shift management and fulfillment and reconciliation

Broadlane's clients include leading providers such as Advocate Health Care, Ascension Health, Beaumont Hospitals, CHRISTUS Health, Continuum Health Partners, Kaiser Permanente, Kindred Healthcare, MedCath Corporation, New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, Tenet Healthcare, The Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, US Oncology and UMass Memorial Health Care.

The company is headquartered in Dallas with offices in Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, New York City and Oakland. For more information, visit www.broadlane.com.

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Contact Information Jim Webb

http://www.broadlane.com

972-813-7782

The Flag Company, Inc. Releases 'Feel Good' Light Lenses to Help Counter Gloomy Economic Outlook

The Flag Company, Inc. Releases 'Feel Good' Light Lenses to Help Counter Gloomy Economic Outlook

Perfect for any room, The Flag Company, Inc.'s new 'Feel Good' Light Lenses are perfect decorating pieces to stir up positive sentiments and lift spirits during this trying economical time.

(PRWEB) March 3, 2009 -- In light of the frustrating economical atmosphere that has gripped the nation, the Flag Company, Inc. recently launched 'Feel Good' Light Lenses as a cheerful decorating alternative. Perfect for waiting rooms and office buildings, 'Feel Good' Light Lenses are a simple, yet effective way to put a smile on faces and lift spirits.

In addition to providing a silent ray of feel-good light, Light Lenses (http://www.flagco.com/lightlenses/index.shtml) give any room better visual interest. Whether a doctor's office, conference room, classroom, or even a home basement, light lenses provide the extra pizzazz missing from any room.

The Flag Company, Inc. 'Feel Good' Light Lenses consist of colorful backlit designs that are fabricated to lay in the fluorescent ceiling fixture with a "drop-down door" opening: 24" x 48", 24" x 24", and 12" x 48". Any of the 70 Light Lenses designs (http://www.flagco.com/lightlenses/index.shtml) can easily be trimmed to fit non-traditional fixture spaces. Customized, one-of-a-kind light lenses can also be crafted from artwork or high resolution photos, giving clients versatility that is limited only by the imagination.

Originally created for doctors' office waiting rooms, Light Lenses provide a comforting sky or tree scene that give patients something soothing to look at while waiting. The result is a more relaxed, less anxious environment.

Today, Light Lenses are still used in doctors' offices around the country, but can also be used for a variety of purposes, including as educational tools. Schools and Day care centers can use Light Lenses as color, letter, or number recognition prompts for toddlers, and as more complex lesson aids - geometric shapes, math formulas, the periodic table, solar systems, and more - for older children. No matter the need, Light Lenses can enhance any learning environment.

Want to spruce up a conference room? Try the newly featured cloud set (http://www.flagco.com/lightlenses/clouds.shtml#cloudsets). The two- or three-panel set of clouds fit perfectly into drop-down door fluorescent lights and instantly rejuvenates the room, giving the impression of a sky light where there is none. This gives employees or clients a more relaxing and enjoyable environment.

About The Flag Company, Inc.:

The Flag Company, Inc. offers a complete range of flags and flag-related products. Custom screen printing and digital printing are available for special events, corporate logos, etc. Stock merchandise includes U.S., state, international and military flags and all types of accessories such as bunting, memorial cases, pennants and more. The Flag Company, Inc. is the nation's largest producer of message flags, offering over 300 different messages, which are used by realtors, restaurants, car dealerships and every other kind of company imaginable. Surprisingly, toothpick flags are a hot item - in stock and available for state, countries, and holidays and produced on a custom-order basis for corporations and special events. The complete product line can be viewed at the website, www.flagco.com.

For more information and to see the large selection of Light Lenses offered by The Flag Company, Inc., visit the website, www.flagco.com.

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Contact Information Mike Lawrence

The Flag Company Inc.

http://www.flagco.com

770-974-0507

Satori World Medical Contracts with Employee Benefits Firm McGregor & Associates

Satori World Medical Contracts with Employee Benefits Firm McGregor & Associates

Satori World Medical Contracts with Employee Benefits Firm McGregor & Associates to Bring its Innovative Global Healthcare Benefit Program to Thousands of U.S. Employers and Employees

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) March 2, 2009 -- Satori World Medical, a new global healthcare company in the emerging multi-billion dollar medical tourism industry, announced that it has executed an agreement with McGregor & Associates, Inc., an employee benefits consulting firm specializing in servicing public sector employers, to offer Satori's innovative payer-supported, employer-sponsored and consumer-choice global healthcare network to thousands of McGregor & Associates' contracted employers and employees, as well as its own staff.

"The costs of healthcare in the U.S. are higher than in any other country in the world, placing an enormous burden on today's U.S. companies that fund their employees' healthcare, in addition to the employees themselves who have become responsible for more and more of their own medical expenses," stated President of McGregor & Associates, George McGregor, MBA, CPA. McGregor is also General Manager of the Southern California Schools Voluntary Employees' Benefits Association (VEBA), administrator of the California Public Employers Employees Health Care Coalition, and administrator of the SDCS-SDEA, a Joint Retiree Medical Benefits Trust.

He continued, "As an organization committed to its customers and their employees, ensuring that the quality they get through international hospitals is equal to or better than the care they could receive in the U.S. was the number one decision criteria upon selecting Satori World Medical. Satori World Medical has the most sophisticated quality assurance process of all of the competitors that I reviewed that operate in this space."

Through its global network of board certfied doctors and Joint Commission International (JCI)- accredited, state-of-the-art hospitals, Satori World Medical provides a comprehensive, high quality and integrated medical benefit program that reduces the costs of selected surgical procedures over 50 percent. The savings generated are shared with all stakeholders, while a portion of the savings, for the first time is deposited for an employee in a tax-advantaged Health Reimbursement Account (HRA). With Satori World Medical's innovative Health & Shared Wealth Program™, everyone benefits.

Other key benefits to U.S. employers are as follows.

• Ability to compete better globally: Global healthcare models result in major economic benefits for U.S. companies because the costs of their employees' healthcare are greatly reduced. U.S. companies have access to same quality healthcare at a much lower expense, and as a result, companies can be more profitable and competitive globally.

• Improved employee retention and satisfaction: An organization's financial strength is built and reinforced by reducing costs and investing in the financial security and well-being of its workforce. Therefore, companies that offer a global healthcare benefit option to their employees can greatly strengthen the overall morale and productivity of their workforce. This is a new medical benefit at no cost to the employer or employee.

• Seamless integration with any existing medical plan: A global healthcare benefit program can be seamlessly added to an employer's existing employee benefit program and without any startup or ongoing expenses for the employer. This medical benefit is in addition to the medical plan that is currently in place.

• Single bill for employee claims: When considering the implementation of a global healthcare benefit program, one common concern among employers is whether or not significant internal resources and staff to administer patient claims and billing are involved. Satori World Medical meets this challenge by handling the entire billing process for the employer, in which a single bill in U.S. dollars is provided for all services rendered, thus reducing company claims processing costs and with no foreign currency exchange fluctuations.

Steven Lash, President & CEO of Satori World Medical, concluded, "We are extremely excited about our partnership with McGregor & Associates because we believe our program will allow them to significantly improve the quality of their participating employers' benefit administration processes, as well as their own, resulting in improved value and reduced costs across the board. McGregor & Associates understands the importance of providing quality improvement solutions that increase employee and customer satisfaction, competitiveness, and financial performance."

About Satori World Medical

Satori World Medical is a payer-supported, employer-sponsored, consumer choice global healthcare network that provides all stakeholders with world-class quality healthcare, excellent service, and significant financial benefit. Satori World Medical is a leader in the globalization of healthcare services through its innovative, patent-pending Business and Care model, the Health & Shared Wealth Program™, which provides consumer choice for quality medical travel. For more information about Satori World Medical, please call +1 (619) 704-2000 or visit the company's Web site at http://www.satoriworldmedical.com.

About McGregor & Associates, Inc.

McGregor & Associates, Inc. is a healthcare benefit consulting firm dedicated to providing a full range of services related to the employee benefits arena. The organization prides itself in listening to client needs and then providing best-in-class quality improvement solutions, which improve employee and customer satisfaction, competitiveness, and financial performance. For more information, please visit the company's Web site at http://mcgregorinc.com/firm.html.

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Contact Information Rachel Neppes

Satori World Medical

http://www.satoriworldmedical.com/index.php

619-231-9977