Press Releases

Additional Bar-Code Technology Increases Safety and Accuracy of Replenishment

DUBLIN, Ohio, June 9, 2008 — Cardinal Health, a global provider of products and services that improve the safety and productivity of health care, today launched a new system that leverages the company’s market-leading dispensing technologies to enable clinicians access to a patient’s medications and medical supplies from one system.

The Pyxis® DuoStation system allows clinicians to safely and accurately dispense both medications and medical supplies from a single dispensing machine, increasing workflow efficiency and cost savings opportunities through inventory reduction and increased charge capture.

The new automated dispensing system is built on the foundation of the Pyxis® MedStation® system and Pyxis SupplyStation® system. The Pyxis® DuoStation system functions similarly to Cardinal Health’s existing dispensing technologies. Nurses use unique identifiers, like an employee ID number and their fingerprint, to log onto the system. After log-in, a screen appears and the nurse selects a patient and sees a list of medication orders that have already been verified by one of the hospital pharmacists. Additionally, the nurse can toggle to a medical supplies screen and select the supplies needed to care for the patient.

In addition to the safety benefits of dispensing the right medications for the right patient, the system records the medications and supplies used for each patient and then transfers the information to the hospital’s billing system. The Pyxis® DuoStation system also generates reports that can be used to help identify and prevent potential diversion, optimize medication and supply utilization and manage costs.

The Pyxis® DuoStation system provides a scalable approach for non-automated hospitals, while offering larger acute care facilities a single point of access for medication and supply dispensing. The enhanced flexibility of the Pyxis® DuoStation system supports specialty care and procedural areas within acute care facilities, community hospitals, surgical centers and outpatient clinics.

The company also announced an upgrade for the Pyxis PARx® system, a pharmacy auto-replenishment product, which provides additional safety checks when picking pharmaceuticals in the pharmacy and replenishing automated dispensing systems. The wireless handheld scanner reads barcodes on the medications and barcodes on pockets within a dispensing cabinet to ensure the right medications get into the right place within a dispensing system.

The upgrade includes enhanced features such as wireless connectivity using a hospital’s existing wireless network and the ability to read two-dimensional (2D) barcodes. Additionally, wireless printers are available, and the upgraded system has streamlined reporting capabilities.

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® IV pumps, Pyxis® automated dispensing systems, MedMined™ electronic infection surveillance service, VIASYS® respiratory care products and the CareFusion™ 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 www.cardinalhealth.com.