Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions Makes It Easier, More Efficient for Community Rheumatologists to Offer Patients In-Office Infusion Therapy Services

DUBLIN, Ohio, Jan. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions today launched InfusaTrack^™, a Web-based infusion room management tool that makes it easier for community rheumatology practices to offer in-office infusion therapy services to patients.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cardinal-health-specialty-solutions-makes-it-easier-more-efficient-for-community-rheumatologists-to-offer-patients-in-office-infusion-therapy-services-136784718.html

Infusion therapy involves the administration of medication through a needle or catheter, and is usually prescribed when a patient's chronic condition is so severe that it cannot be treated effectively by oral medications. Infusion therapy services are usually more cost-effective and convenient for patients when offered at community rheumatology clinics instead of hospitals. However, administrative and other burdens often make that a challenge.

Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions' new InfusaTrack tool alleviates many of those burdens, ultimately making it easier for community rheumatology practices to offer patients in-office infusion services.  The tool tracks inventories of infused medications, simplifies the process of scheduling patient infusion visits and streamlines the billing process associated with infusion.

"As new breakthrough treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis and other rheumatic diseases lead to an increased demand for infusion therapy, we're also seeing an increasing need for tools that help community practices streamline the complicated process of offering this important service to patients," said Dr. Norman Gaylis, FACP, FACR, managing partner of Arthritis and Rheumatic Disease Specialists in Aventura, Fla. "Developed by physicians and practice managers, InfusaTrack addresses this growing need. It's the best available tool to help rheumatologists improve efficiency, revenue capture and patient care in the infusion suite."

Key features of InfusaTrack include:

• The tool is easy to use, and allows practice administrators to quickly add users and physicians. Patients can be uploaded individually or 'in bulk,'  and the tool can also be customized to multiple office locations.
• It uses data, collected during the dispensing process, to automatically generate invoices that include office visit codes, auto-calculated infusion time codes, auto-calculated billing units, modifiers and HCPCS codes (which are used to describe and bill medical, surgical and diagnostic procedures). Users can print a report from InfusaTrack to be handed to the biller for easy charge entry. Users can also electronically share the information with the office practice management system.
• The tool streamlines specialty pharmacy orders and prior authorizations into one area, allowing practices to more easily track medications from the point of order to patient administration.
• It allows administrators to enter alerts to notify the infusion room of outstanding co-payment or insurance challenges, so they can be addressed and resolved with the patient.
• It is hosted through a secure online web portal, so practices do not need to install any software. 

"We know that when patients can receive infused medications in a community setting, all players in the health care system win. Patients receive personalized, convenient care. The long-term viability of community rheumatologists can be strengthened and the broader health care system benefits by lowered health care costs," said Roshan Girglani, vice president and general manager of Rheumatology for Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions. "We're excited to launch InfusaTrack because we believe it will ultimately empower physicians to deliver better, more cost-effective care to their patients."

About Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions

Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions provides clinical, reimbursement, technology and distribution services that 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 helps customers alleviate day-to-day administrative burdens, optimize business functions and partner 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 #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