PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release Date: June 27, 2007
For more information contact:
Tom Hughes at 617-943-0303

SMI is Pleased to Announce Two New IDN Members

The Strategic Marketplace Initiative (SMI), a not-for-profit corporation focused on improving the healthcare supply chain through collaborative teams comprised of leading IDNs, manufacturers and distributors of medical/surgical supplies, pharmaceuticals, major equipment, IT companies and service providers, proudly announces their newest members:

• Staples, represented by Henry Astroff
• SUNY Downstate Medical Center, represented by Carter Lard
• Suture Express, represented by Kurt Rall

With these additions there are now 36 Leading IDN and 33 Health Care Supply Chain Partner members united to shape an improved, more efficient health care supply chain. A full membership listing is available on the SMI website at www.smisupplychain.com. The site also hosts Tools developed by SMI multi-disciplinary initiative teams to provide benefit to providers and suppliers alike. In keeping with the SMI mission of offering improvements that benefit the entire health care supply chain, all Tools are available as free downloads to the entire industry.

About SMI:
The Strategic Marketplace Initiative (SMI) is a not-for-profit corporation comprised of senior-level executives representing diverse disciplines from the healthcare supply chain. Membership includes executives from the country's largest integrated delivery networks (IDNs) as well as healthcare manufacturers, distributors, IT companies and service providers. SMI members have joined together to drive operational efficiencies, and implement process improvement across the healthcare supply chain.

SMI was formed to provide a venue where collaborative teams work together to address industry issues and implement best practices, shaping the future of the healthcare supply chain value stream. SMI acts as a change agent for healthcare, and introduces non-healthcare related best practices and technologies to the healthcare supply chain. Through collaboration, tools and techniques are developed and shared that members are able to take back to their organizations and customize to meet their unique needs. SMI is dedicated to improving the supply chain and to that end, all findings, improvements, processes, and established best practices are shared with the entire healthcare marketplace.

Visit the SMI web site at www.smisupplychain.com for more information about SMI and its on-going initiatives.

Key Words: healthcare, healthcare supply chain, supply chain, initiatives, collaborative, interdisciplinary, interactive meeting process, Strategic Marketplace Initiative, SMI