MedAssets to Make ON-Q PainBuster Available to Ambulatory Surgical Centers

LAKE FOREST, Calif. -- I-Flow Corporation announces that it has been awarded a contract by MedAssets, a leading group purchasing organization (GPO) and supply chain management company, representing a network of more than 22,000 healthcare providers, including acute care and alternate-site facilities. With this agreement, MedAssets will offer ON-Q PainBuster, a narcotic-free surgical-site pain relief system, to its member facilities, including hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.

"Our member organizations rely on us to offer technologies that will help them provide exemplary patient care," said Marta White, director of ambulatory surgery and clinical services at MedAssets. "I-Flow's clinical research shows that ON-Q PainBuster helps improve patient outcomes, provides better pain relief, and most importantly helps patients return to normal faster. Our member-driven review process concluded that ON-Q is a beneficial solution to post-surgical pain relief for our members to provide to their patients."

ON-Q recently received enhanced indications for use from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and it is now labeled to provide significantly better pain relief than narcotics alone and significantly less need for narcotics after surgery. Studies have shown that ON-Q PainBuster relieves pain after surgery and reduces or eliminates the need for narcotics, today's standard of care, so hospital stays are shortened and cost savings are realized.

"MedAssets represents a broad network of the largest healthcare providers in the country and with this agreement I-Flow will be increasing its reach into these centers with direct access to decision-makers," said Donald M. Earhart, president and CEO of I-Flow Corporation. "This relationship will dramatically increase the number of patients that have access to ON-Q PainBuster, and the number of procedures for which the device can be used. We look forward to directing our hospital sales force to work with member hospitals and our ambulatory surgery center sales force to introduce the ON-Q (third party) billing program to member ASCs, which include several large, nationally-recognized ambulatory surgery center groups. This agreement will create new selling opportunities for ON-Q PainBuster and a chance to 'jump start' the third party billing program."

Source: I-Flow Corporation