Fonar Press Releases

For Immediate Release

The MRI Specialist™

 

An ISO 9001 Company

Contact: Daniel Culver

110 Marcus Drive

Director of Communications

Melville, NY 11747-4292

Web site: www.fonar.com

Phone: (631) 694-2929

Email: invest @ fonar. com

Fax: (631) 390-9540

   
Contact: Jordan Darrow
Tel: (631) 367-1866
Darrow Associates, Inc.
jdarrow@optonline.net

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.

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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.
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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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