Nearly 7,000 Participate in Cardinal Health's Largest-Ever Annual Trade Show for Independent Pharmacies

LAS VEGAS, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardinal Health today announced that this week's Retail Business Conference (RBC), its annual, national trade show for independent pharmacies, is the largest in the event's 20+ year history, with nearly 7,000 attendees.

This year's event, taking place July 20-23 in Las Vegas and held at The Palazzo resort hotel, features a 100,000-square-foot trade show floor, highlighting buying opportunities with more than 330 exhibitors. At the event, pharmacists can access more than 50 continuing education courses on topics that can help them improve both their clinical and business operations. They can also access seven, full- or half-day continuing pharmacy education courses, on issues ranging from pharmacy-based immunization delivery to helping patients manage cardiovascular risk.

"We believe this is one of the largest gatherings of retail independent pharmacies in one place, ever," said Steve Lawrence, senior vice president of retail independent sales for Cardinal Health. "RBC is an outstanding opportunity for independent pharmacy owners to network with peers from across the country, tap into more continuing education courses than they'll find anywhere else, and learn about the many ways Cardinal Health can help them improve the efficiency and profitability of their businesses."

Because many community pharmacists bring their families to the show, the event also features "Camp Cardinal Health," which provides children of all ages with four days of age-appropriate, on-and-off site entertainment opportunities and special events.

The company will also highlight its broad array of solutions that help community pharmacies diversify revenue, improve reimbursements, expand marketshare and improve their overall business operations. New services highlighted at this year's RBC include:

• Enhancements to Cardinal Health's Front-End Product Management solution, which helps pharmacies maximize sales of non-prescription items. Pharmacy owners can now benchmark and compare their own front-of-store point-of-sale data to that of other, similar-size stores with comparable demographics, giving them valuable access to the front-end management best practices of their peers.

• New Pharmacy Business Assessments of all aspects of a pharmacy's operations, conducted by an experienced pharmacy business consultant. Following the assessment, participating pharmacies receive store-specific, actionable recommendations on everything from store aesthetics – how a store can improve its overall look and feel – to how to improve back-end accounts receivable and inventory management processes.

• A new suite of human resources services that help pharmacy owners navigate all aspects of employee management. The new services provide quick-and-easy online access to hiring guides and performance management tools, created specifically to meet the needs of small business owners. Pharmacy owners can also get one-on-one, personal phone consultations about how to most appropriately address specific employee issues.

• An exclusive new 'gift card' program that helps independent pharmacies offer customers the convenience of purchasing gift cards for national retailers and restaurants (ranging from Macy's to Applebee's), while visiting their community drug store.  

• Enhancements to Order Express, the new online ordering system that the company first introduced at last year's RBC. Order Express now integrates with the company's inventory management and mobile ordering tools, providing community pharmacists an even more convenient, seamless online ordering experience.

About the Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference (RBC)

The Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference (RBC), held July 20 to July 23 in Las Vegas, provides independent pharmacies and pharmacy franchise owners with the opportunity to network with and learn from thousands of their peers from across the nation while gaining new insights to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their businesses. The annual event provides nearly 7,000 attendees – including independent pharmacy owners, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmaceutical manufacturers and other pharmacy industry professionals across the United States – with buying opportunities, continuing education sessions and programs to help improve patient care, efficiency and profitability. For more information, visit www.CardinalHealthRBC.com.

About Cardinal Health

Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a $99 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