Why did Premier, under investigaton by the U.S. Senate, get a Commerce Department award?

Premier, a Del Mar medical-supplies company, has won the Baldridge award from the Commerce Department.

The prize is considered "the Nobel Prize for quality business practices."*

The company is under investigaton by the U.S. Senate because of concerns that the industry is "rife with kickbacks and other corrupt practices that limit competition, restrict access to medical products and actually drive up prices."*

Apparently, the company drives smaller companies out of business.

Another problem is that there is a startling conflict of interest between the company and the award donors.

Richard Norling is a board member of Premier and a member and former chairman of the Foundation for the Baldridge Awards. He brings in a lot of money for the award which he obtains from "vendors that depend on contracts with his company to sell their products to Premiers' member hospitals."*

Premier is under investigaton by the U.S. Senate because of concerns that the industry is "rife with kickbacks and other corrupt practices that limit competition, restrict access to medical products and actually drive up prices."* Apparently, the company drives smaller companies out of business.

Marc Lampe, professor of business and ethics at University of San Diego, suggests an investigation into the integrity of the "firewall" separating the Foundation from the Award Program.


*San Diego Union Tribune, December 8, 2006

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