Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions Launches PathWare™ Decision Support Transaction Solutions

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May 29, 2012, 08:30 ET

DUBLIN, Ohio, May 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions today launched PathWare™ Decision Transaction Solutions, a new technology system that makes it easier for payors and physicians to work together to implement programs that improve the quality and cost of caring for patients with complex diseases like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.

One of Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions' flagship service offerings for payors is the development of evidence-based treatment regimens, or clinical pathways, for delivering the best possible care to patients with chronic diseases. Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions works with physicians within each payor network to develop these clinical pathways. It also helps payors develop new reimbursement models to encourage physician compliance with clinical pathways.

PathWare™ Decision Transaction Solutions (PathWare Solutions) is a medical benefit management system that makes it easier for physicians to participate in clinical pathways programs. The system provides physicians with real-time decision support at the point of care, including easy access to clinical pathways for various types of cancer. The tool also removes many of the administrative burdens that are associated with treating patients whose treatment plans require specialty medications, including the often time-consuming process of prior authorization, which requires physicians to obtain payor approval prior to prescribing a specific medication.

PathWare Solutions also helps improve patient care, reduce administrative costs and improve efficiency for providers, payors and pharmacy benefits administrators by:

Empowering physician offices to electronically submit orders for specialty medications, directly to the payor's preferred network of specialty pharmacies, in real-time;
Electronically populating medical claims for physicians, and then electronically submitting those claims to the payor for adjudication;
Providing easy access to information regarding drug shortages and potential alternatives;
Making it easier for both payors and physicians to monitor the degree to which physicians are complying with clinical pathways.

"The launch of PathWare Solutions is another great example of our commitment to helping payors and physicians work together to deliver better care to patients at a better cost," said Meghan Fitzgerald, president, Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions. "This innovative new suite of tools gives physicians the information they need, at the point of patient care, to make faster, more informed treatment decisions. It also saves payors and physicians both time and money by streamlining the way they collaborate."

About Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions
Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions provides regulatory, clinical, reimbursement, technology and distribution services to help health care professionals, payors and pharmaceutical and biotech companies improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of caring for patients who are managing complex diseases. Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions partners with customers to alleviate day-to-day administrative burdens, optimize business functions and to implement new innovations that move their businesses forward. To learn more, visit www.cardinalhealth.com/specialtysolutions.

About Cardinal Health
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a $103 billion health care services company that improves the cost-effectiveness of health care. As the business behind health care, Cardinal Health helps pharmacies, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and physician offices focus on patient care while reducing costs, enhancing efficiency and improving quality. Cardinal Health is an essential link in the health care supply chain, providing pharmaceuticals and medical products to more than 60,000 locations each day. The company is also a leading manufacturer of medical and surgical products, including gloves, surgical apparel and fluid management products. In addition, the company supports the growing diagnostic industry by supplying medical products to clinical laboratories and operating the nation's largest network of radiopharmacies that dispense products to aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of disease. Ranked #21 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs more than 30,000 people worldwide. More information about the company may be found at cardinalhealth.com and @CardinalHealth on Twitter.