National Oncology Alliance Awards Cardinal Health Preferred Distribution Agreement

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., April 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The National Oncology Alliance (NOA), a member-based oncology service organization wholly owned by Broadlane, announced today it has signed a three-year, preferred distribution agreement for oncology products with Cardinal Health, the leading provider of products and services supporting the health care industry.

Under terms of the agreement, NOA’s 3,500 physician members -- now have access to advanced distribution capabilities and exemplary customer service, as well as state-of-the-art online ordering and reporting capabilities through Cardinal Health’s Specialty Pharmaceutical Distribution group. The group’s Web site can be accessed at http://www.cardinal.com/spd.

These benefits complement the value of NOA’s existing clinical and business support offerings, which are designed to help members provide superior patient care while growing healthy practices. Born from the company’s deep history in oncology, these offerings include expert-compiled clinical treatment guidelines and other unique clinical standardization tools, clinical trial programs as well as physician and staff education programs. At the foundation of these services is expert drug and non-drug contract management offered through NOA and Broadlane.

“Healthcare is changing, and in order to survive, oncologists must put increased focus on ways to improve practice efficiency without compromising patient care,” said Kevin M. Rodondi, PharmD, NOA general manager. “This means looking at ways to ‘buy smarter,’ while also updating clinical and business processes that may no longer make sense. Our agreement with Cardinal Health, along with the range of added services NOA offers, demonstrates our commitment to help oncologists navigate these challenges -- to not only survive, but thrive.”

Cardinal Health has supported the oncology industry for more than a decade through its Specialty Pharmaceutical Distribution group. As part of its commitment to the industry, Cardinal Health offers professional and patient education programs consisting of comprehensive information on the latest oncology treatments, therapies and reimbursement issues.

“We understand the important role that oncologists play in our society and we are honored to work with the NOA to deliver vital products and services to these physicians,” said David Canniff, vice president and general manager of Specialty Pharmaceutical Distribution for Cardinal Health. “This new relationship between NOA and Cardinal Health allows us to deliver value and exceptional service to oncology practices.”

About Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health, Inc. is the leading provider of products and services supporting the health care industry. Cardinal Health develops, manufactures, packages and markets products for patient care; develops drug-delivery technologies; distributes pharmaceuticals, medical-surgical and laboratory supplies; and offers consulting and other services that improve quality and efficiency in health care. The Specialty Pharmaceutical Distribution business of Cardinal Health is a leading distributor of pharmaceuticals, therapeutic plasma products and medical supplies to oncology practices, physician offices, hospital pharmacies and the alternate-site marketplace. The company is the primary distributor for several major group purchasing organization contracts and is the exclusive distributor of the nation’s largest oncology physician network. More information about the company may be found at http://www.cardinalhealth.com/.

About National Oncology Alliance

National Oncology Alliance (NOA; San Rafael, Calif.) is a national, member-based service organization that provides essential clinical and business information, resources and insight to help transform the practice of oncology. With NOA, oncology practices have the confidence of working with a dedicated, progressive partner that will guide them through industry changes and help them develop thriving businesses focused on improving the care of cancer patients. More information about NOA can be found at http://www.noainc.com/.

About Broadlane

Broadlane delivers transformational business services to healthcare providers, enabling them to reduce costs and improve operational performance. Through the application of innovative technology and sustainable solutions that range from consulting to full-service management, Broadlane is helping to set new standards for efficient healthcare delivery. These solutions include strategic sourcing, clinical and operational consulting, equipment lifecycle management, procurement management, and labor services.

Broadlane counts among its customers more than 875 acute care hospitals, more than 2,800 sub-acute care facilities and almost 12,000 physician practices. Broadlane is headquartered in San Francisco and has additional offices in California, New York, Ohio and Texas. For more information, visit http://www.broadlane.com/.

Media Contacts: Jill Hoffman/Marcy Pozzi FischerHealth 310-577-7870 ext: 113/151 jhoffman@fischerhealth.com/ mpozzi@fischerhealth.com

Cardinal Health

CONTACT: Jill Hoffman, ext: 113, jhoffman@fischerhealth.com, or MarcyPozzi, ext. 151, mpozzi@fischerhealth.com, both of FischerHealth,+1-310-577-7870, for Cardinal Health