8/26/2005
For Immediate Release
Hitachi Awarded Multi-Year Novation Ultrasound Contracts
CONTACT:
info@hitachimed.com
http://www.hitachimed.com
Twinsburg, Ohio – August 2005 - Hitachi Medical Systems America announced that three-year, multi-source purchasing agreements for ultrasound systems have been signed with Novation, the supply company of VHA Inc. and the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC). The agreements, which offer Hitachi’s HI VISION 6500 and HI VISION 8500 Radiology Ultrasound Systems to VHA and UHC members, take effect September 1, 2005, and run through June 30th, 2008.
"We are extremely pleased to be extending our relationship with Novation, the leading healthcare supply services company," said Don Broomfield, President and CEO of HMSA. "It is very satisfying to see that Novation’s member-based task force, after examining the many ultrasound systems and manufacturers currently in the marketplace, recognizes Hitachi as an ultrasound vendor whose products and services they want to offer to VHA and UHC members.”
“Hitachi’s HI VISION systems combine premium image quality and advanced image acquisition features with unique clinical flexibility,” according to Courtney Chiccine, Manager of Ultrasound Clinical Science. “The versatility offered by the HI VISION products, with their wide variety of probes and specialized application software, will be very attractive to VHA and UHC members,” she added.
“The Novation Diagnostic Imaging Capital Equipment Task Force, made up of VHA and UHC member representatives, considered a number of financial and non-financial criteria when making this award recommendation,” said Cynthia Longueville, senior product manager for Novation. “The task force determined that Hitachi’s offering provided value for VHA and UHC members and that the company should be awarded a Novation contract.”
In addition to ultrasound, Hitachi also supplies Open MR systems to VHA and UHC members through Novation agreements.
Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc. markets premium and high performance magnetic resonance imaging systems of Hitachi Medical Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. These include the AIRIS® Elite advanced mid-field open MR system, the Altaire high-field performance MR system and the AIRIS® II MR system. The company has more than 1,400 Open Magnetic Resonance Imaging systems installed throughout the United States and over 3,100 Open MRI systems installed worldwide. HMSA first established a leadership position in the medical industry with Open MRI systems and has expanded their modality offerings to include computed tomography, ultrasound, PET/CT, optical topography, and 3D dental imaging. For more information about HMSA's complete line of imaging products and services, please visit www.hitachimed.com.
Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company, with approximately 347,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2004 (ended March 31, 2005) consolidated sales totaled 9,027.0 billion yen ($84.4 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors, including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, medical imaging equipment, consumer products, materials and financial services.
Based in Irving, Texas, Novation was established in January 1998 through a combination of the supply programs of VHA and UHC, two national health care alliances. Novation serves the purchasing needs of more than 2,500 members and affiliates of VHA and UHC. These organizations used Novation contracts to purchase more than $23 billion in supplies in 2004.
