Linet Multicare® Hospital Bed Selected to Participate in National Program Highlighting Commitment to Healthcare Performance Improvement, Innovation

Charlotte, North Carolina, June 14, 2011—Linet was recently selected by the Premier healthcare alliance to showcase the Multicare hospital bed as a part of a national program focusing on innovation and performance improvement in healthcare.

Multicare was one of 18 medical innovations on display at Premier’s third annual Innovation Celebration, which showcases advances in healthcare while highlighting healthcare industry suppliers committed to innovation and improving patient outcomes. Innovation Celebration participants were featured before 3,000 healthcare providers and experts on June 14 at the 2011 Premier Annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition in Nashville, Tenn.

Linet’s Multicare platform has been the market-leading high acuity bed in Europe for the last 10 years. The latest generation, which was selected by Premier, was developed in collaboration with a clinical advisory panel of over 150 nurses from 6 different countries. This diverse perspective enabled the company to incorporate leading care practices from around the world while offering the latest technology with a low cost of ownership.

The Multicare includes unique features that automate many activities, while also helping improve patient care. Some of these features include:

• Platform Based Lateral Turn to assist nurses with repositioning of patients in bed with less effort
• Automatic Weighing System that captures and stores the patient weight in any position
• Brake®, intelligent brake system that is automatically activated preventing any unintended motion
• Drive®, 5th wheel which automatically engages during transport to make movement easier
• Mobi-Lift®, to assist with safe patient transfer and early patient ambulation for quicker recovery

“We are honored that Premier has recognized the innovative features of the new Multicare hospital bed and its ability to help improve clinical outcomes,” said Colin Bain, President and CEO of Linet Americas. “Multicare delivers the newest technology aimed at simplifying a traditionally complex care environment,” Bain continues.

Multicare was selected by a committee of clinicians and other Premier alliance members based on its ability to impact the healthcare industry. Basic criteria for selection included solutions that displayed uniqueness, as well as those that have an impact on an unmet medical need.

“These new devices and products have the potential to substantially impact the safety, quality and cost-effectiveness of care,” said Premier Purchasing Partners President Mike Alkire. “All of the Innovation Celebration participants share Premier’s commitment to provide innovative and valuable products and services to benefit our nation’s healthcare providers and the patients they serve.”

All suppliers, regardless of whether the company is contracted with Premier, can be considered for participation in the Innovation Celebration. Overall, Premier contracts with more than 800 suppliers.

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 75,000-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 Linet Americas, Inc.
Operating unit of Linet, an international leader in healthcare technology
Founded in 1990, Linet has beds installed in 93 countries and is now considered one of the most dynamic companies in the healthcare field. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Linet Americas opened its U. S. headquarters in 2010 by introducing its top selling beds to the U. S. market. Since then, the launch of the revolutionary Multicare bed has been the highlight of 2011. The Linet product line delivers functionality, simplicity, and reliability while providing effective management of a hospital’s capital budget and ongoing operational costs.www.linetamericas.com; www.multicarebed.com