Press Releases

DUBLIN, Ohio, March 15, 2005 – Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH), the leading provider of products and services supporting the health care industry, today announced that Betty Ann Bird has been named president of the Consulting and Services business, recently reorganized to focus on developing full-service solutions for medications, supplies and patient care. 

“The Consulting and Services team brings together end-to-end solutions and point-of-care technologies that will enable health care providers to realize an immediate, measurable impact on their clinical, operational and financial performance,” said Dwight Winstead, president and COO of Clinical Technologies and Services for Cardinal Health. “We’re confident that Betty Ann’s leadership and vision will strengthen Cardinal Health’s consulting capabilities as we continue to help hospitals and health systems control non-labor spending and improve clinical operations.”

A chief concern for today’s health care executives is decreasing the overall cost per case, which typically can consist of about 45 percent to 55 percent labor, 35 percent to 45 percent non-labor and 5 percent to 10 percent capital expenses. The fastest-growing cost component over the past five years is non-labor cost, specifically drug and medical surgical supply cost, according to company research.

“Providers need more knowledge, control and ability to manage this growing non-labor cost component,” said Bird. “Cardinal Health is unique in our ability to help hospitals assess their total operations for best practices, implement solutions that can benefit multiple areas and effectively reduce non-labor cost.”

Cardinal Health’s Consulting and Services business is comprised of approximately 2,000 nurse, pharmacist and supply management consultants, with clinical expertise in implementing all aspects of medication and supply improvement, managing clinical operations, improving patient throughput and implementing safety-focused solutions through point of care technologies. The Consulting and Services business includes Cardinal Health’s Professional Services and Consulting, Pharmacy Resources and Pharmaceutical Contracting operations.

“One of Cardinal Health’s key capabilities is managing non-labor expenses,” said Bird. “Our consultants provide the expertise to translate best practices into actionable implementation approaches and management tools to help clients improve their overall supply chain processes and reduce their non-labor spending.”

Cardinal Health’s solution offerings include end-to-end medication throughput; supply throughput and patient throughput, as well as capabilities around product logistics, surgical services, emergency services and pharmacy operations. For example, the medication throughput management includes capabilities to optimize the formulary; improve pricing, contracting and compliance; maximize DRG-based standardization and utilization; improve inventory management; medication replenishment; revenue generation and charge capture; as well as preparation for Joint Commission surveys. Depending on needs, health care providers can choose to implement an end-to-end solution that includes all areas addressed by medication throughput, or choose to focus on one or several areas in particular need of improvement.

Bird’s 20-year health care consulting career includes most recently serving in the healthcare and life science practice of Deloitte Consulting. Prior to that, Bird was chief operations officer for Intrahealth Systems Limited, and the founding partner of Quest Leadership Consulting. She also has held positions with the American Productivity and Quality Center, Ernst & Young, and Harris Methodist Health System. Bird received her B.S. degree in nursing from Texas Christian University, and her MBA from Baylor University. She is a registered nurse.

About Cardinal Health
Cardinal Health, Inc. (www.cardinalhealth.com) is the leading provider of products and services supporting the health care industry. Cardinal Health develops, manufactures, packages and markets products for patient care; develops drug-delivery technologies; distributes pharmaceuticals and medical, surgical and laboratory supplies; and offers consulting and other services that improve quality and efficiency in health care. Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health employs more than 55,000 people on six continents and produces annual revenues of more than $65 billion.

Except for historical information, all other information in this news release consists of forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied. The most significant of these uncertainties are described in Cardinal Health's Form 10-K, Form 8-K and Form 10-Q reports (including all amendments to those reports) and exhibits to those reports, and include (but are not limited to) the costs, difficulties, and uncertainties related to the integration of acquired businesses, the loss of one or more key customer or supplier relationships or changes to the terms of those relationships, changes in the distribution patterns or reimbursement rates for health-care products and/or services, the results, consequences, effects or timing of any inquiry or investigation by any regulatory authority or any legal and administrative proceedings, the impact of previously announced restatements, difficulties in opening new facilities or fully utilizing existing capacity, difficulties and uncertainties associated with business model transitions, and general economic and market conditions. Cardinal Health undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement.