DUBLIN (Map) - DUBLIN, Ohio, Nov. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cardinal Health today announced an exclusive alliance with Sentry Data Systems to deliver Web-based technology that helps eligible health care facilities implement, manage and meet the stringent compliance requirements of the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program.

The 340B Drug Pricing Program offers drug discounts to help eligible hospitals and other federally qualified health care facilities provide care for the nation's underinsured and uninsured patients.

Participation in the program can lower pharmacy costs by an average of 24 percent(1). However, only a fraction of the more than 1,400 hospitals and 12,000 other eligible health care facilities are fully participating, primarily because managing program implementation and compliance can be labor- intensive. Entities that participate in the program are required to adhere to strict compliance measures to ensure the drug discounts are only claimed for drugs dispensed to eligible patients.

"Many health care facilities would like to participate more fully in the 340B Drug Pricing Program, but staffing and compliance challenges make it difficult," said Scott Storrer, group president of Cardinal Health's Healthcare Supply Chain Services - Pharmaceutical business. "Our new offerings help hospital pharmacies fully automate 340B compliance to maximize medication savings and make it easier for providers to extend quality care in their communities."

Through an exclusive alliance with Sentry Data Systems, Cardinal Health now offers Sentinel RCM(TM) and Sentrex(TM), the health care industry's only 340B solutions that are delivered via a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, which provides the benefits of commercially licensed, internally operated software without the associated complexity and high initial cost.

- Sentinel RCM(TM) (Revenue Cycle Manager) automates pharmaceutical procurement and replenishment for 340B, wholesale acquisition and group purchasing organization contracts. It also tracks drug purchases, dispensations and billing across all hospital departments. Going beyond traditional inventory management to provide real-time integration of comprehensive data including medication purchases, patient, physician, dispensing and billing information, Sentinel RCM(TM) enables health care providers to identify all possible 340B drug savings opportunities - while also ensuring an end-to-end audit trail to facilitate compliance. - Sentrex(TM) provides all the functionality of Sentinel RCM, and also enables disproportionate share hospitals to further extend community care by extending 340B drug discounts to patients through outpatient and/or retail pharmacies.

Sentinel RCM and Sentrex are built on a dynamic, rules-based engine that has been designed to comply with 340B rules and regulations, and with the covered entities' 340B policies and procedures. The technology interfaces with Cardinal Health's pharmaceutical distribution services, through standard electronic data interchange (EDI) connections and with leading pharmacy management and billing systems. For additional hospital pharmacy convenience, the technology also interfaces with key Cardinal Health products, such as Pyxis MedStation(R) automated medication management system, Cardinal.com ordering system and CardinalASSIST(R) automated pharmaceutical replenishment system.

About Sentry Data Systems, Inc.

Sentry Data Systems, Inc. is a market leading healthcare technology services company offering a wide range of products and services built upon its proprietary informatics platform. Sentry's flagship products, Sentinel RCM(TM) and Sentrex(TM), assist health systems with addressing a wide variety of pharmaceutical compliance, operational and revenue management challenges. Advanced audit mechanisms combined with detailed data translate into actionable intelligence for healthcare organizations, leading to reduced costs and safer outcomes.

Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Fla., Sentry's Web-delivered solutions are sold via a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business model, allowing organizations to reap the considerable financial benefits afforded by its products using a minimal hardware footprint. Learn more at http://www.sentryds.com.

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(R) IV pumps, Pyxis(R) automated dispensing systems, MedMined(TM) infection surveillance services and the CareFusion(TM) 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 and No. 1 in its sector on Fortune's ranking of Most Admired firms, Cardinal Health employs more than 40,000 people on five continents. More information about the company may be found at http://www.cardinalhealth.com.

(1) 340B Drug Pricing Program: Results of a Survey of Participating Hospitals, A Joint Publication of The NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, Working Paper #2007-03 and The North Carolina Rural Health Research & Policy Analysis Center, Working Paper #90; May, 2007

SOURCE Cardinal Health, Inc.