LifeGas receives accreditation as homecare subcontractor

Demonstrates commitment to highest level of patient safety

ATLANTA, October 8, 2009 – LifeGas, the U.S. medical gases business of The Linde Group, has become one of the first gases and equipment suppliers to receive accreditation as a home oxygen subcontractor.

LifeGas was one of the first medical gases companies to deliver oxygen directly to patients’ homes on behalf of homecare providers. The accreditation enables LifeGas to instruct patients on the safe and effective use of the oxygen and equipment it delivers.

“LifeGas believes the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act, which sets guidelines for the use of subcontractors, seeks to ensure that patients get high quality products and services from accredited subcontractors, so that everyone who enters the patient’s home is following the same supplier standards,” said Anthony Eafrati, homecare market manager, LifeGas.

“This voluntary accreditation recognizes LifeGas’ ongoing commitment to providing excellent patient care. Our decision to invest in accreditation was a natural progression for LifeGas and another example of our commitment to our homecare customers and their patients,” Eafrati said.

Jeffrey S. Baird, a lawyer with Brown and Fortunato, which specializes in healthcare regulatory and accreditation issues said, “The competitive bidding implementation contractor has made it clear that any subcontractor who provides equipment setup and patient instruction on behalf of a competitive bid contract winner must be accredited. Suppliers that use non-accredited subcontractors to provide these services are putting their participation in the competitive bidding program at risk. The Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also may attempt to impose these same restrictions on subcontract arrangements outside of competitive bidding.”

LifeGas received the Award of Accreditation from the Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation (HQAA). An accrediting body like HQAA is an independent third party, contracted by the government to measure and rate the regulations, safety guidelines, and practices of a service or business— in this case, medical facilities. The three-year accreditation award recognizes that LifeGas has completed a comprehensive application focusing on patient care, financial stability and a commitment to quality operational practices.

Founded in 2005, the Waterloo, Iowa-based HQAA seeks to continuously set standards of the highest quality on behalf of the durable medical equipment industry and business owners. Its interactive, Web-based design is specifically aimed at the durable medical equipment industry, providing a targeted approach to accreditation and quality improvement.

LifeGas specializes in providing premier medical gases and gas-enabled solutions to over 1,000 hospitals, clinics, nursing facilities, emergency management services and home healthcare providers.

Learn more and see a demonstration of the product at www.lifegas.com

The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with almost 50,000 employees working in around 100 countries worldwide. In the 2008 financial year it achieved sales of EUR 12.7 billion (USD 15.9 billion). The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.

Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, see The Linde Group online at http://www.linde.com

Contact:
Peter Gavigan
Linde corporate communications
908-771-1512
Peter.Gavigan@linde.com