Press Releases

Company launches 14 new myPharmacyTrainer modules to help pharmacy staff deliver better patient care, grow front-end sales, improve business operations

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 31, 2009 — Cardinal Health today launched 14 new modules for its proprietary myPharmacyTrainer online training site, which helps retail pharmacies coach employees to deliver better patient care, improve business operations and increase sales.

The myPharmacyTrainer application invites pharmacy staff to interact with virtual patients – each with a unique health care need. By consulting with the patients and answering their questions in an interactive, video game-like environment, staff can quickly learn how to connect patients with pharmacy products and services for their specific needs, and how to improve store sales, productivity and profitability.

Since its launch in September 2008, nearly 2,000 retail pharmacies have used
myPharmacyTrainer as a quick, convenient, on-demand training resource.

“Cardinal Health’s myPharmacyTrainer is a fun, easy way to train my staff to better serve patients and teach them how to help me run a more efficient, successful business,” said Jay Lalkiya, owner of Apalachin Pharmacy in Apalachin, N.Y.  “Because the short modules fit easily into our busy schedules, it’s also a great way to help speed up the on-boarding process. My team is already looking forward to learning the new content.”

New myPharmacyTrainer modules help retail pharmacy staff to learn:

• How to implement retailing best practices
• How to deliver excellent customer service
• How to market vitamins and herbal supplements
• How to help patients better manage their care
• How to prevent counterfeit prescriptions
• How to share prescription safety tips
• How to comply with HIPAA regulations
• How Medicaid and Medicare Part D work together
• The role immunizations play in patient health
• The benefits of e-prescribing
• How to handle third-party billing issues
• Basic and advanced inventory management skills
• How to market pharmacy services in their community
• How to reduce business expenses

Each virtual training session takes less than 15 minutes to complete, and pharmacy staff can visit the site as many times as they need. Pharmacy owners and managers can let their staff complete sessions in random order; or they can encourage staff to complete the sessions by category. Pharmacy owners and managers can also easily track how many modules each staff member has completed.

“Staff play a critical role in running a profitable, efficient, patient-centered retail pharmacy; but investing time and money in training can be a challenge for many pharmacy owners,” said Steve Lawrence, senior vice president of retail sales and marketing for Cardinal Health. “The new myPharmacyTrainer modules help meet that need by offering innovative, time-efficient, on-demand training that educate staff in an engaging way.”

The myPharmacyTrainer application is available to all Cardinal Health retail pharmacy customers, nationwide, by visiting cardinalhealth.com/myPharmacyTrainer and entering their account number as their login.

About Cardinal Health
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a $91 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 and patient identification systems, MedMined™ electronic infection surveillance service and VIASYS^® respiratory care products.  The company also manufactures medical and surgical products and is one of the largest distributors of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies worldwide.  Ranked No. 18 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs more than 40,000 people on five continents.  More information about the company may be found at cardinalhealth.com.

Editor’s note: Members of the media wanting to demo myPharmacyTrainer can obtain a free login by contacting Tara Schumacher at tara.schumacher@cardinalhealth.com or 614.757.6250.