FRONTLINE SOLUTIONS SUPPLY CHAIN WEEK LOGO Frontline Solutions' Supply Chain Week logo. (PRNewsFoto)[TK] CLEVELAND, OH USA

Improving Patient Safety and Reducing Medical Errors Are Top Priorities of the
       Universal Product Number and the National Drug Code Initiatives

    CLEVELAND, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanstar Communications, Inc., today
unveiled the agenda for the upcoming Frontline Solutions' Supply Chain Week
symposium focused on the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.  This
symposium provides attendees with a detailed look at standards that help
optimize effective supply chain solutions in the healthcare and pharmaceutical
markets.  The Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Bar Code Symposium will discuss the
consistencies and differences of the Universal Product Number (UPN) and the
National Drug Code (NDC), implementation issues, and necessary tools to
position bar code technology in business models.  This symposium takes place
September 24 at McCormick Place, Lakeside Center in Chicago, Illinois.
    (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020730/FRONTLINELOGO )
    "Adoption of the Universal Product Number and the display of this
information, in an electronically readable form such as bar code technology,
should be required on all hospital-administered drugs, devices, and
biologicals, down to the patient, single-unit dose level," said Bert
Patterson, Vice President for Contracting and Contract Administration for
Premier, Inc.  "Not only would this greatly improve patient safety and reduce
medical errors, it would improve supply chain efficiency and enhance
hospitals' ability to distribute life-saving medicines, devices and supplies
during public health emergencies."
    "Wrong medications and wrong dosages administered to the wrong patients
account for three of the largest errors in the healthcare industry," said John
Roberts, Director of Healthcare for Uniform Code Council, Inc.  "Medical
studies have reported that medication errors were at 10 percent in U.S.
hospitals.  A proven method in removing these errors is to use product
identification and barcode symbology on all healthcare products.  Hospitals
have less than one percent error rate when these solutions are incorporated
into healthcare products."
    The Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Bar Code Symposium scheduled to be held
Tuesday, September 24, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., focuses on top industry
leaders' strategies on improving the speed, accuracy, and traceability of
products in the pharmaceutical and medical sectors.  This seminar is hosted by
AIM, Inc., Health Care EBusiness Collaborative (HCEC), Health Industry
Business Communications Council (HIBCC), and the Uniform Code Council, Inc.
(UCC); and sponsored by Hand Held Products, Intermec, Managed Healthcare
Executive, and Zebra.  Session titles include:

    * Getting Started - Positioning Bar Code in Your Business Model

    * Straight Talk About Industry Issues:  Standards & Specifications
      Panelists include representatives from: Healthcare Distribution
      Management Association (HDMA), Health Care EBusiness Collaborative
      (HCEC), Health Industry Business Communications Council (HIBCC), Joint
      Commission Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO), National
      Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention
     (NCC MERP), and the Uniform Code Council, Inc.

    * Straight Talk About Industry Issues:  In the Trenches
      Panelists include representatives from: Hospital Corporation of America,
      Johnson & Johnson, Premier, Inc., and ValleyLab, Inc.

    * Understanding the Necessary Technology Tools

    * Putting it All Together:  Audience Interaction and Next Steps

    About Frontline Solutions' Supply Chain Week
    Frontline Solutions' Supply Chain Week focuses on providing attendees with
a comprehensive look at the technologies required to build an end-to-end
supply chain solution. Understanding that there are multiple components
necessary to build a comprehensive supply chain solution, Advanstar has built
a "three pillar" event, consisting of:

    * Automatic Identification (AutoID) & Radio Frequency Identification
      (RFID) conference & exposition

    * Industrial Mobile & Wireless conference & exposition

    * Collaborative Commerce conference & exposition

    Running concurrently, the conferences will take place September 23-26 with
one integrated exposition open September 24-26 at McCormick Place, Lakeside
Center.
    Three notable individuals that are distinctly recognized for their
critical role in supply chain management advancements will keynote at
Frontline Solutions' Supply Chain Week:

    * Procter & Gamble's Stephen David, CIO & B2B Officer focuses on "Creating
      Consumer Value From Rich Collaborations."  In this discussion, Mr. David
      talks about first-hand steps P&G is taking to optimize its supply chain
      and explains why today's B2B applications and marketplace exchanges must
      change to fit the needs of the environment

    * J.D. Edwards' CTO, Michael Madden, speaks about "Integration In
      Collaborative Commerce."  Mr. Madden discusses current and future
      technologies for delivering a robust integration framework

    * AMR Research's VP & GM CPG, Life Sciences and Retail Industry Services,
      John Fontanella, leads the "SuperSession Panel Discussion with SAP."
      Designed exclusively to address the challenges currently being faced by
      today's industry leaders, through an interactive conversation with SAP,
      Procter & Gamble, and others

    For more information on Frontline Solutions' Supply Chain Week, visit
http://www.frontlinexpo.com .  To attend call 1-877-232-0132, or to exhibit call
1-888-822-4321.

    About Advanstar Communications, Inc.
    Advanstar Communications Inc. is a worldwide business information company
serving specialized markets with high quality information resources and
integrated marketing solutions.  Advanstar has 92 business magazines and
directories, 79 exhibitions and conferences, numerous Web sites, and a wide
range of direct marketing, database and reference products and services.
Advanstar serves targeted market sectors in such industries as art,
automotive, beauty, collaboration/e-learning, CRM/call center, digital media,
entertainment/marketing, fashion & apparel, healthcare, internet/e-business,
manufacturing and processing, pharmaceutical, powersports, science,
telecommunications, and travel/hospitality.  The Company has over
1,300 employees and currently operates from multiple offices in North America,
Latin America, Europe, and Asia.  For more information on Advanstar
Communications, visit http://www.advanstar.com .

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