FONAR SIGNS FIRST UPRIGHT MRI
GROUP PURCHASING AGREEMENT WITH
MAGNET INC.
MELVILLE,
NEW YORK, October 20, 2005 - FONAR Corporation (NASDAQ-FONR),
The MRI Specialist™, announced today the signing of its
first group purchasing agreement for the Upright™ MRI
with MAGNET Inc., one of the largest group purchasing organizations
(GPO) in the country with significant coverage of the northeast
region and upper midwest. The long term agreement calls for
collaborative marketing efforts to MAGNET’s member organizations,
including 775 acute care hospitals, 5,400 physician practices/clinics,
and over 100 free-standing imaging centers.
“We
are fortunate to have signed this agreement with FONAR,”
said Derwood Dunbar, president & CEO of MAGNET Inc. “FONAR’s
Upright™ MRI technology is absolutely cutting edge and
no other imaging company has it. There is a definite need for
Upright™ imaging capabilities by medical care providers.
However, many practitioners are unaware that FONAR has commercialized
this technology. Together with FONAR, MAGNET’s regional
groups will co-market the Upright™ MRI to our Participating
Healthcare Facilities.”
Commenting
on the MAGNET agreement, Raymond Damadian, president and founder
of FONAR, said, “This development is significant for FONAR
as well as many patients in need of quality medical care. The
endorsement by MAGNET will, for the first time, provide us with
unprecedented exposure to an enormous number of health care
facilities and medical practitioners. We look forward to teaming
with MAGNET, a most respected regional group purchasing organization
covering the northeast, Illinois and Ohio, in bringing the benefits
of the Upright™ MRI to patients served by its members.”
“Also
important for FONAR is the strategic significance of our Company’s
first group purchasing organization agreement for the Upright™
MRI,” continued Dr. Damadian. “As part of our marketing
and sales strategy, we intend to pursue other GPO agreements
for comprehensive coverage of the United States, while pursuing
relationships with distribution partners to further penetrate
domestic as well as international markets. We look forward to
continued sales growth for FONAR as we progress with our direct
sales efforts, create distribution and reseller partnerships,
and add GPOs to aid in our marketing initiatives.”
As
part of the agreement with MAGNET, the GPO’s seven regional
groups will work with FONAR to identify potential customers
for the Upright™ MRI and co-market with FONAR on these
accounts. The regional groups are Connecticut Hospital Association
Shared Services Program of Connecticut, Hospital Central Services
Cooperative of Pennsylvania, PRIME, Inc. of Maryland, Southwest
Ohio Health Care Affiliates, Association Management Resources
of Illinois, Joint Purchasing Corporation/Creative Source Concepts
of New York, and Monmouth-Ocean Health Care Cooperative of New
Jersey.
About MAGNET:
Founded during the 1979 Middle Atlantic Health Congress, Mid-Atlantic
Group Network of Shared Services, Inc. (MAGNET) was created
to develop contracts on behalf of its members in the niche market
of capital equipment.
MAGNET is one of the oldest, largest, and most experienced
shared service organizations in the country. Today, MAGNET serves
approximately 12,000 providers, including hospitals, alternate
care facilities, and physician practices and clinics with a
contract portfolio that includes equipment, services, commodities
and the newly emerging area of niche/boutique (innovative and
cost-reducing) products. Additional information may be found
on the MAGNET Web site at www.magnetgroup.com.
About FONAR
FONAR was incorporated in 1978, making it the first, oldest and
most experienced MRI manufacturer in the industry. FONAR introduced
the world's first commercial MRI in 1980, and went public in 1981.
Since its inception, we have installed nearly 300 MRI scanners worldwide.
FONAR's stellar product line includes the Upright™ MRI (also
known as the Stand-Up™ MRI), the only whole-body MRI that
performs Position™ imaging (pMRI™) and scans patients
in numerous weight-bearing positions, i.e. standing, sitting, in
flexion and extension, as well as the conventional lie-down position.
The FONAR Upright™ MRI often sees the patient's problem that
other scanners cannot because they are lie-down only. With over
100,000 patients scanned, the patient-friendly Upright™ MRI
has a near zero claustrophobic rejection rate by patients. As a
FONAR customer states, "If the patient is claustrophobic in
this scanner, they'll be claustrophobic in my parking lot."
Approximately 85% of patients are scanned sitting while they watch
a 42" flat screen TV. Our latest MRI scanner is the FONAR 360™,
a room-size recumbent scanner that optimizes openness while facilitating
physician access to the patient. FONAR is headquartered on Long
Island, New York, and has approximately 500 employees.
#
MRI Specialist, Stand-Up, Upright, Position,
pMRI and The Proof is in the Picture are trademarks of FONAR.
This release may include
forward-looking statements from the company that may or may not
materialize. Additional information on factors that could potentially
affect the company's financial results may be found in the company's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
###
FONAR Corporation
110 Marcus Drive
Melville, N.Y. 11747
Tel. 631-694-2929
Fax. 631-390-9540
Email sales@FONAR.com
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