Broadlane Announces New Cost Management Services for Physician Practices.

Business Editors/Medical Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 28, 2002

Broadlane Inc., a leading provider of total cost management services to the healthcare industry, today announced the launch of Broadlane Physician Services to meet the specific supply purchasing needs of physician practices.

Through this new program, physicians are extended many of the same supply contracts that are negotiated for Broadlane's acute care customers. In some cases, these agreements can translate to savings of between 10 and 50 percent. Physicians enjoy extensive supply and service contract options under the new program due to Broadlane's direct relationships with suppliers, as well as an expanded contract portfolio and continued aggressive acute care pricing. In addition to medical and surgical supplies, these agreements provide physicians with access to quality pharmaceuticals, capital equipment, and laboratory and non-medical supplies and services.

"Physicians are in the business of helping people. But like any other professionals who own or run a business, they also are interested in making their practices as successful as possible," said Stephanie Baugh, manager of Broadlane Physician Services. "Today, that's more difficult to do than ever before, with doctors required to be both healers and savvy business operators. Declining reimbursement levels and rising costs have forced physicians to further evaluate and more effectively manage their operating costs. Broadlane Physician Services is designed to assist with that critical effort."

Broadlane first began offering cost management services for physicians through a program managed by a third party. Now that the previous program has been replaced by Broadlane Physician Services, Broadlane can provide more comprehensive customer service to meet the needs of its more than 47,000 current physician customers, as well as those of future customers.

"Historically, the physician practice market has largely failed to capture the attention of many suppliers, distributors and group purchasing organizations," said David C. Ricker, chief operating officer for Broadlane. "With Broadlane Physician Services, we've taken the same expertise we've used to reduce procurement costs for our largest acute care customers and applied it to the unique needs of these smaller practices. The steady increase in outpatient procedures and surgeries makes this one of the fastest-growing markets in healthcare, and Broadlane is ready to serve this special audience."

About Broadlane

Broadlane delivers total cost management to the healthcare industry, allowing hospitals to reduce operational costs while maintaining or enhancing patient care and clinician satisfaction. Broadlane services include contracting, clinical services, technology and data management, and outsourcing services. Among the companies that focus on cost management within the healthcare supply chain, only Broadlane offers this total cost management approach.

Broadlane customers include leading healthcare providers such as Kaiser Permanente, Tenet Healthcare Corporation, Universal Health Services, Continuum Health Partners, The Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, Kindred Healthcare, Community Health Systems, U.S. Oncology, and others. Broadlane counts among its customers more than 450 acute care hospitals and more than 1,400 sub-acute care facilities. Broadlane has offices in San Francisco and Oakland, Calif.; Cincinnati; Dallas; and New York City. For more information, visit www.broadlane.com.