MD Buyline and VHA Inc. Announce First Multi-Year Agreement to Enhance Hospitals' Capital Equipment Procurement Process

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwire - August 25, 2008) - MD Buyline, a research, information and consulting organization for health care providers, and VHA Inc., the national health care alliance, today announced a groundbreaking multi-year agreement that provides VHA's member hospitals with access to expert analysts and reports on technology, pricing and performance.

This agreement aligns VHA's analytical offerings with MD Buyline's objective analysis and evaluation methodology to ensure health care providers purchase the medical industry's highest-quality capital equipment at the best value.

MD Buyline has agreed to offer special features to uniquely address VHA members' diverse needs. With significant market penetration within VHA's 1,400 member hospitals, MD Buyline provides VHA members with the comprehensive health care market intelligence they need to make sound technology and financial decisions.

"VHA is doing some very exciting things to improve the supply chain capital acquisition process for healthcare facilities across the nation," said Mike Clemens, executive vice president of MD Buyline. "Our plan is to further equip VHA members by providing them with the best capital analytics platform in the industry. I believe VHA and MD Buyline are in sync to realize this objective."

"VHA is proud that MD Buyline has chosen VHA for its first GPO contract," said Nik Fincher, VHA senior director of capital asset services. "We are excited to share their vision and mission to improve efficiencies and cost savings for health care facilities."

About MD Buyline - MD Buyline, based in Dallas, is an industry-leading provider of research, information and consultation to help healthcare providers make sound decisions when buying and implementing capital expenditures and information technologies. The company provides objective information that helps healthcare providers reduce risk, contain costs, and increase efficiencies by offering reliable data, strategic analysis, and counsel. For more information, visit www.mdbuyline.com or call 800-375-5463.

About VHA Inc. - VHA Inc. is a national alliance of leading not-for-profit health care organizations that work together to improve the health of the communities they serve. VHA delivers industry-leading supply chain management services and enables regional and national member networks to improve clinical and operational performance, and drive sustainable results. Based in Irving, Texas, VHA has 16 local offices serving more than 1,400 hospitals and 21,000 non-acute health care organizations across the United States.