At 19th annual Retail Business Conference, company launches exclusive brand
of home health care products, front-of-store management tool, outbound
calling and prescription counting technology
ORLANDO, Fla., July 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As consumerism, the
aging patient population and evolving government regulations continue to
shift the way health care is delivered, Cardinal Health today launched new
tools to help retail independent pharmacies strengthen relationships with
consumers, improve productivity and solidify their role as local health
care experts.
New offerings include an exclusive brand of home health care products
to help retailers diversify revenue; a front-of-store management tool that
improves the efficiency of non-prescription sales; outbound calling
technology that helps pharmacies build relationships with customers; and a
prescription counting system that improves accuracy and efficiency.
Key tools introduced today at the company's 19th annual Retail Business
Conference and now available to members of Cardinal Health's Leader(R)
network of independent retail pharmacies include:
-- TrustWorth(TM) exclusive brand of home health care products --
Cardinal Health's exclusive new brand of high-quality, affordable home
health care products helps independent pharmacies diversify revenue while
strengthening their position as a local health care destination. The
TrustWorth line of home health care products includes bath safety, mobility
and personal care products, many of which are reimbursable through
Medicare, Medicaid and most third-party insurance companies. By offering
these products to the fast-growing aging population, independent pharmacies
can drive additional revenue and build market share by attracting new
customers. TrustWorth's contemporary packaging and full suite of marketing
materials, including catalogs, brochures, store layouts and signage, help
drive customer awareness and sales.
-- ECRS front-end management system -- Cardinal Health has partnered
with ECRS to make its front-end management system available to customers at
guaranteed industry-best pricing. The ECRS system automatically re-orders
front-of-store merchandise as it's purchased, provides electronic order
updates and confirmations and provides profit analysis on products at the
item level. The system also enhances prescription sales accountability by
scanning and tracking all prescriptions at check out. In addition, it
reduces inventory and stock outs and is proven to increase front-of-store
sales by 5 to 10 percent while decreasing the amount of time spent managing
front-of-store inventory by as much as 60 percent.
Recent enhancements to the ECRS system also help customers comply with
pending Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations that retailers need to
follow in order to process flexible spending accounts, health reimbursement
arrangements and other health benefit plans.
-- Abby Calling Technology -- Cardinal Health also introduced
guaranteed industry-best pricing for new, Web-based Abby Calling
Technology, which helps pharmacies improve patient relationships and
medication compliance, while also increasing prescription refill rates and
reducing labor costs. The automated outbound calling tool allows retailers
to notify patients when prescriptions are ready or need to be refilled,
share information regarding special promotions and conduct customer
surveys. Calls can be made using the local pharmacist's voice or by
professional voice talent, and the pharmacy's local phone number appears in
the patient's caller ID. The technology takes less than 30 minutes of
training to use and helps pharmacies improve productivity by streamlining
out-bound phone calls and significantly reducing in-bound phone calls.
-- Automated Kirby Lester counting systems -- Cardinal Health will also
offer industry-best pricing for customers wanting to improve patient safety
and reduce prescription fill time with automated Kirby Lester pill counting
systems. Taking up less space than a coffee maker, Kirby Lester counting
systems automate the prescription fill process, reducing costly miscounts
and guaranteeing 99.97 percent prescription counting accuracy. Advanced
models also offer barcode scanning, detailed dispensing reports and visual
drug verification.
"Through our broad Leader offering, we're creating long-term
partnerships to help independent pharmacies attract new, loyal customers,
drive efficiency and improve their financial performance," said Mike
Kaufmann, group president of Healthcare Supply Chain Services --
Pharmaceutical for Cardinal Health. "We're committed to helping retail
independents respond to health care trends and position their businesses to
win, no matter how the market changes."
These new tools are the latest addition to Leader, Cardinal Health's
comprehensive offering that helps independent pharmacies improve patient
care, maximize profitability and identify new opportunities to effectively
compete by:
-- Improving reimbursements -- Leader protects margins by managing
business relationships with pharmacy benefits managers and providing a full
suite of reimbursement tools that ensure claims are submitted and collected
properly.
-- Streamlining operations -- Leader streamlines operations by offering
proactive inventory management solutions and addressing workflow issues
related to staffing shortages, high labor costs, increasing prescriptions,
decreasing margins and patient safety requirements.
-- Creating alternate revenue streams -- Leader helps retail pharmacies
diversify revenue and solidify their role as a complete health care
destination by helping them develop expertise in key areas including home
health care, durable medical equipment and diabetes management.
-- Increasing market share -- Leader increases market share and
establishes strong brand recognition by helping retailers attract new and
loyal customers through optimized advertising strategies, effective store
signage and profitable private-label offerings.
"Cardinal Health's Leader offering helps me expand my reach into the
community and diversify my business beyond just filling prescriptions,"
said Dave Burke, owner of Dave's Pharmacy in Marysville, Ohio. "By
partnering with Cardinal Health to improve my business's productivity and
profitability, I can tap into a full suite of tools and services that help
me stay ahead of health care trends and position my business for long-term
success."
These offerings were introduced at the Cardinal Health Retail Business
Conference (RBC) being held July 23-26, 2008 in Orlando, Fla. With the
mission of strengthening the market position of retail independent
pharmacists, RBC 2008 provides more than 4,000 attendees -- pharmacists,
pharmacy technicians and other pharmacy industry professionals across the
United States -- with buying opportunities, continuing education sessions
and programs to help improve patient care, efficiency and profitability.
About Cardinal Health
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is an
$87 billion, global company serving the health care industry with products
and services that help hospitals, physician offices and pharmacies reduce
costs, improve safety, productivity and profitability, and deliver better
care to patients. With a focus on making supply chains more efficient,
reducing hospital-acquired infections and breaking the cycle of harmful
medication errors, Cardinal Health develops market leading technologies,
including Alaris(R) IV pumps, Pyxis(R) automated dispensing systems,
MedMined(TM) infection surveillance services and the CareFusion(TM) patient
identification system. The company also manufactures medical and surgical
products and is one of the largest distributors of pharmaceuticals and
medical supplies worldwide. Ranked No. 19 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal
Health employs more than 40,000 people on five continents. More information
about the company may be found at http://www.cardinalhealth.com .
SOURCE Cardinal Health, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.cardinalhealth.com/
CONTACT:
Media: Tara Schumacher, +1-614-757-6250,
tara.schumacher@cardinal.com; Investors: Jon Lyons,
+1-614-757-3996, Jon.lyons@cardinal.com, both of Cardinal Health
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