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Press Releases
DUBLIN, Ohio July 25, 2006 — Cardinal Health, the leading provider of products and services supporting the health-care industry, introduced Leader® Total Pharmacy Manager today, a new offering designed to improve the efficiency and profitability of independent retail pharmacies so they can better compete in today’s market and serve their local communities.
Comprised of two suites – Margin Suite and Sales Suite – the services enhance the front-end and back-end operations of a retail pharmacy by addressing cash flow, profitability, marketing and merchandising, and overall efficiency. By streamlining or eliminating processes in a pharmacy, the services are designed to help increase the potential for profitability while allowing pharmacy staff to remain focused on patient care.
Both suites offer three phases of implementation, adding services at each phase to maximize the effectiveness and return on the pharmacist’s investment.
'The success of the independent retail pharmacy market as a whole depends on the success of each individual community pharmacist,” said Mark Parrish, president and COO, Cardinal Health Supply Chain Services – Pharmaceutical. “Cardinal Health has enhanced its independent pharmacy offerings to strengthen the pharmacy owner’s ability to grow and profit in an era of increased competition, regulatory requirements and diminishing margins.”
Margin Suite focuses on accounts receivable and inventory and is targeted to increase overall margin potential.
Phase I
Managed Care – Enables pharmacies to improve their participation in pharmacy benefits plans and third-party contracting.
Rx Purchasing – A collection of purchasing services to help a pharmacist manage and increase profits from this central business component.
Ordering Efficiencies – Internet ordering to gain real-time access to products, pricing and order status.
Phase 2
Reimbursement Consulting Services – ProfitLeader®, the industry-leading offering that helps pharmacies discover and take advantage of lost margin opportunities in prescription pricing, generics and reconciliation. In addition, reconciliation helps a pharmacy systematically verify that all third-party claims are paid accurately and efficiently.
Phase 3
Inventory Management – Cardinal Inventory Manager (CIM), Web-based offering that provides tools to pull excess inventory out of the store, while ensuring the right inventory is available to customers.
Financial Services – Expansion and exit strategies through the Pharmacy Ownership Transition Services offering.
Sales Suite, the other half of Leader® Total Pharmacy Manager, focuses on the front-end of a store where a pharmacy can achieve the greatest sales increase.
Phase I
Signage – Professional and customizable store signage for a pharmacy’s exterior, interior and point-of-purchase.
Private Label – Access to two high-quality private label lines: Leader® Brand and 1st Choice for ValueTM.
Phase 2
Merchandise Planning – Merchandising experts help align store layout and product positioning to meet the unique needs of a community.
Multi-media and Advertising – Promotional offerings that attract more customers to a pharmacy with marketing, advertising and online outreach.
Phase 3
Point-of-Sale Interfacing and Reporting – Tools that provide expert analysis, reporting and management of a pharmacy’s point-of-sale data to identify merchandising opportunities.
In-store Clinics – Assistance in setting up a faster and often less expensive alternative to urgent care facilities and emergency rooms that requires minimal footprint and little or no investment.
The services were introduced at Cardinal Health’s Retail Business Conference (RBC) held July 24-27 in Las Vegas. With the mission of strengthening the market position of retail independent pharmacists, RBC 2006 provides more than 4,000 attendees – pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other pharmacy industry professionals across the U.S. – 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 a $75 billion, global company serving the health-care industry with a broad portfolio of products and services. Through its diverse offering, Cardinal Health delivers integrated health-care solutions that help customers reduce their costs, improve efficiency and deliver better care to patients. The company manufacturers, packages and distributes pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, offers a range of clinical services and develops automation products that improve the management and delivery of supplies and medication for hospitals, physician offices and pharmacies. Ranked No. 19 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs more than 55,000 people on six continents. More information about the company may be found at www.cardinalhealth.com.