ROSWELL, Ga., July 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Kimberly-Clark today announced that it is a winner of the eighth annual Performance Award, presented by the Premier healthcare alliance.

Premier, a provider-owned performance improvement alliance of 2,800 hospitals and nearly 100,000 other care sites, contracts with more than 1,000 suppliers. Kimberly-Clark is one of 29 suppliers to receive the Performance Award this year, for the fifth time. Winners are recognized for their outstanding management of Premier agreements and drive toward the mutual goal of providing clinical and financial value to Premier alliance members.

"We are honored to be recognized once again as a top performer by Premier and selected for this prestigious award," said Joanne Bauer, President, Kimberly-Clark Health Care. "As a leader in preventing healthcare-associated infections, Kimberly-Clark aligns with Premier on its goal to enhance patient care, and is committed to offering a range of products, education and facilitating information sharing to Premier alliance members."

Janis Harvey, Senior Director, National Accounts, Kimberly-Clark, accepted the award at Premier's 2013 annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition in San Antonio. The award ceremony was held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Wednesday, June 12.

"Providers continue efforts to drive toward value-based care and Kimberly-Clark continues to support Premier alliance members with cost-effective, top quality products and services," said Durral R. Gilbert, President, Supply Chain Services, Premier. "We're proud to recognize them as a top performing organization."

Premier's Performance Award recognizes the efforts of contracted suppliers to meet and exceed operational expectations. Performance data is collected and scored over four successive calendar quarters to assist in selecting the recipients.

About the Premier healthcare alliance, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
Premier is the nation's largest performance improvement alliance of more than 2,800 U.S. hospitals and nearly 100,000 other sites using the power of collaboration and technology to lead the transformation to coordinated, high-quality, cost-effective care. Owned by healthcare providers, Premier operates a leading purchasing network with more than $5 billion in annual savings. Premier also maintains clinical, financial and outcomes databases based on 1 in every 4 patient discharges. A world leader in measurably improving patient care, Premier has the largest performance improvement collaboratives in America, including one in partnership with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier also has an office in Washington. https://www.premierinc.com. Stay connected with Premier on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark Corp. (NYSE: KMB) and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Every day, nearly a quarter of the world's population trust K-C's brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the Company's 141-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.  

Kimberly-Clark in the Healthcare Environment
Around the world, medical professionals turn to Kimberly-Clark for a wide portfolio of solutions that improve the health, hygiene and well-being of their patients and staff. As part of their healing mission, caregivers rely on Kimberly-Clark to deliver clinical solutions, hygiene & cleaning offerings, and educational resources that they can depend on to prevent, diagnose and manage a wide variety of healthcare-associated infections. A global enterprise of more than $1 billion, Kimberly-Clark Health Care holds the No. 1 or No. 2 market share position in several categories, including infection control solutions, surgical solutions, pain management, hygiene solutions, digestive health and respiratory health. And throughout the care continuum, patients and staff alike trust Kimberly-Clark medical supplies and devices, KLEENEX tissues, KLEENEX & SCOTT skin care products and SCOTT towels for day-to-day needs. For more information, visit http://www.kchealthcare.com and http://www.kcprofessional.com.
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SOURCE Kimberly-Clark Corp.