ROCHESTER, N.Y.--Nov. 22, 2002-- Xerox today announced a renewal agreement with Premier Inc. - one of the nation's largest alliances of leading not-for-profit hospitals and healthcare systems. The contract, valued at approximately $170 million over three years, positions Xerox as Premier's largest information technology provider. Expanding on an existing three-year relationship, Premier's membership of more than 1,500 hospitals and physician clinics can tap into Xerox Global Services to receive customized document management solutions. These services and solutions help organizations improve patient communications, manage forms more efficiently by using digital repositories, and comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. In addition, Premier members can access Xerox's document solution designed for emergency rooms that tracks ER procedures to ensure hospitals have the correct documentation to bill insurers appropriately. The entire Xerox agreement provides Premier members access to digital multifunction systems, software, supplies and on-site document management services. "Linking our members with Xerox allows them to access services, solutions and products at extremely competitive terms and conditions," said Terry Carroll, Ph.D., chief operating officer of Premier's IT division, Premier Sourcing Partners. "As the IT solutions division of Premier, it is our responsibility to bring value-added services to our members. Xerox understands our industry, and their offerings are instrumental in helping our membership reduce costs while managing patient-critical documents in the most effective way." For example, when challenged to streamline the thousands of documents that circulate daily within St. Peter's Healthcare Services in Albany, N.Y., Xerox designed a solution based on its DocuShare(TM) software, a Web-based system that allows users to capture, manage, and share electronic documents. Hospital personnel across the enterprise now can access one central online location to share corporate policies and administrative forms, store and update supplier contracts, and manage invoices. "In document-intensive environments such as healthcare facilities, unmanaged paperwork can have a huge financial impact," said Thomas J. Dolan, president, Xerox Global Services. "Our approach is to assess the client's entire organization and recommend services, solutions and products to improve the management of patient care information, while reducing costs."