Astro-Med's
Grass Technologies Awarded Contract for Sleep Systems by Premier Inc.
Hospital Purchasing Organization
WEST WARWICK, RI, May 21, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network)
-- Astro-Med, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALOT) is pleased to announce that it has
been awarded a two-year contract from Premier Inc., a leading healthcare
purchasing network that serves 2,000 hospitals and 50,000 healthcare
sites in the USA. Under the contract, Astro-Med's Grass Technologies
brand polysomnography (PSG) systems will be purchased as the first choice
sleep diagnostic system by all Premier member organizations, and Astro-Med
will provide competitive pricing to all Premier member hospitals and
labs for its Grass Technologies brand Aura(R) PSG and Comet(R) PSG Sleep
Diagnostic Systems. The contract goes into effect on June 1, 2008.
"It is gratifying to have won this valuable contract after having
been in negotiations with Premier since August of last year and being
selected over other manufacturers of sleep products," said Marco
Mancini, Sales Manager of Grass Technologies products. Mancini continued,
"Now, member hospitals of the Premier organization will be prompted
to purchase Grass Technologies sleep systems based on three key benefits:
the performance advantages of technology, our technical support excellence,
and our competitive pricing."
The Grass Technologies brand has developed PSG, EEG, and other neurophysiological
monitoring systems since 1935, and manufactures, sells, and supports
these systems for use by hospitals and labs. Grass Technologies recently
announced the introduction of SleepTrek 3, a sleep diagnostic system
for home use which qualifies for Medicaid reimbursement.
About Astro-Med, Inc.
Astro-Med, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALOT) is a leading manufacturer of high tech
specialty printing systems, electronic medical instrumentation, and
test and measurement instruments sold under the brand names Astro-Med®,
Grass® Technologies and QuickLabel® Systems. Astro-Med, Inc.
products are employed around the world in a wide range of industrial,
scientific, test and measurement applications, for product identification
applications in consumer and industrial markets, and for clinical and
research purposes in the field of life sciences. More information is
available at www.astro-medinc.com.
About Premier Inc.
Serving more than 2,000 U.S. hospitals and nearly 50,000 other healthcare
sites, the Premier healthcare alliance and its members are transforming
healthcare together. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier operates
one of the leading healthcare purchasing networks and the nation's most
comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information.
Premier Inc. is a 2006 recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality
Award. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Premier has offices in Charlotte,
N.C., Philadelphia and Washington. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This news release contains forward-looking statements, and actual results
may vary from those expressed or implied herein. Factors that could
affect these results include those mentioned in Astro-Med's FY2008 annual
report and its annual and quarterly filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
Contact:
Everett V. Pizzuti
President
Astro-Med, Inc.
Tel: 800-343-4039
www.grasstechnologies.com
SOURCE: Astro-Med, Inc.
http://www.grasstechnologies.com
