DUBLIN, Ohio, July 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardinal Health today announced that South Carolina Oncology Associates, the largest community oncology practice in the state, has selected VitalSource(SM) as its group purchasing organization (GPO) for infused oncology and other specialty medications.
VitalSource is part of Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions, which provides clinical, reimbursement and distribution services to help healthcare providers, payors and pharmaceutical manufacturers deliver quality, cost-effective care to patients who are managing complex diseases.
South Carolina Oncology Associates provides medical, radiation and gynecological oncology, as well as patient support services such as diagnostic radiology, infusion therapy and research to more than 800 patients each day. The practice has been providing quality cancer care to patients for more than 30 years.
Through this new agreement, Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions will provide South Carolina Oncology Associates with competitive pricing, rebates and reliable, on-time delivery for life-saving chemotherapy, biologic and supportive care medications.
“We’ve spent a significant amount of time assessing our business model, the marketplace and the business partners who could help us achieve our goals,” said Frank Sobash, chief operating officer, South Carolina Oncology Associates. “We chose to partner with Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions because they offer the most innovative, comprehensive set of solutions to help us run our business effectively while providing us with access to the life-saving medications we need to best serve our patients.”
Through this agreement, South Carolina Oncology Associates will also have access to the following services:
- Business Intelligence Solutions: Cutting-edge technology and clinical contracting tools that improve the efficiency of business operations. The centerpiece of these intelligence solutions is eobONE, a proprietary, Web-based practice efficiency platform. It improves revenue cycle management and medication reimbursements providing real-time dashboards and printable reports that identify insurance claim denials and empower physicians to take immediate action to recover lost revenue opportunities.
Contract management experts from Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions also empower physician offices to take full advantage of its progressive portfolio of GPO contracts. They evaluate medication-use patterns and make actionable recommendations for more cost-effective therapeutic substitutions that are clinically proven to be of equal or greater efficacy.
Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions’ billing, managed care and practice management experts can also evaluate financial and inventory management processes to identify opportunities to enhance efficiency and optimize financial and clinical outcomes. They also leverage their extensive experience with payors to enable physician offices to better understand how to work more effectively with insurance companies.
- Information Solutions: VitalSource customers also have access to the latest and most relevant clinical news, via webcasts that share expert insight on business and marketplace intelligence trends in the community oncology industry; and through e-newsletters that contain updates on clinical and business issues facing community oncology. Members also receive monthly portfolio updates, summarizing changes in contracts, drug formulations and pricing.
- Clinical Support Solutions: VitalSource members also have access to a variety of tools to support their clinical operations, including ready-to-use clinical support toolkits, drug information services, and an array of customizable patient education materials, including a quarterly, full-color patient magazine, Caring4Cancer.
“VitalSource is committed to providing community-based oncology practices with the competitive contracting, clinical education, practice management and revenue-building tools they need to run successful, efficient businesses,” said Jeffrey Scott, M.D., senior vice president of Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions. “Many of our key leaders have owned and managed successful oncology practices, and we look forward to combining our collective experience with clinical and business insights from leading oncology practices like South Carolina Oncology Associates to continue to deliver innovative services that help our members thrive.”
To learn more about VitalSource, or to become a VitalSource member, visit www.VitalSourceGPO.com.
About Cardinal Health
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a $99 billionhealth 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 #19 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.
SOURCE Cardinal Health
