Cardinal Health Highlights Independent Pharmacy Best Practices At Retail Business Conference 2012

ORLANDO, Fla., July 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- At its annual Retail Business Conference (RBC) for independent pharmacies, Cardinal Health this week introduced Independent Pharmacy Best Practices 2012, Ideas as Original As You Are, a special publication that showcases 16 unique programs, implemented by independent pharmacists from across the United States, that improve patient care and drive business results.

Cardinal Health provides pharmaceutical distribution and a vast array of business support services to nearly 7,000 independent pharmacies from across the United States. The company invited its independent pharmacy sales force to nominate successful best practices from their customers. Retail pharmacy experts from Cardinal Health then selected 16 stories to be highlighted in the inaugural issue of Independent Pharmacy Best Practices; and invited members of its National Retail Advisory Board, which is comprised of leading independent pharmacists from across the country, to select three finalists.

Live, at RBC 2012's Customer General Session, event attendees viewed videos highlighting the three finalists, and were invited to 'text to vote' for the most innovative best practice. The winner of the text-to-vote competition was Marty Bigner of Thrift Drugs, McComb, Miss. Cardinal Health will donate $10,000 to the organization of Bigner's choice, in his honor.

The three independent pharmacies that were recognized as finalists at Cardinal Health's Best Practices Text-to-Vote competition at RBC 2012 are:

Free Vitamin Club – Marty Bigner of Thrift Drugs, McComb, Miss. –Thrift Drugs implemented a Free Vitamin Club for children, with the goal of improving patient health, demonstrating its commitment to the community and building new – and stronger – relationships with patients. Marty Bigner, owner of Thrift Drugs, orders children's chewable vitamins with a Thrift Drugs private label, at a cost of less than 90 cents each. He invites members of his community to sign up children, ages 2-12, to participate in the Free Vitamin Club, and promotes the program through local radio and print ads, his storefront signs, flyers and at local health fairs. In the program's first year, nearly 290 children were enrolled in the program, representing more than 100 families – half of which had not visited Thrift Drugs before. Bigner views the program as a great, low-cost way to develop patient relationships and patient loyalty.Synchronizing Refills: Meds Made Easy – Mark Hobbs & Jessica Beal of Hobbs Pharmacy, Merritt Island, Fla. – Hobbs Pharmacy services a large number of 'high prescription volume' patients – who take 15-20 different prescription medications. These patients needed to call or visit Hobbs Pharmacy almost daily – which was time consuming for patients and pharmacy staff alike. To address this issue, Hobbs Pharmacy implemented a synchronized refill program in 2011. Pharmacy staff synchronize each patient's prescriptions and their corresponding refill timelines; and then work with prescribing physicians to get all medications on a synchronized refill schedule, so patients only need to visit the pharmacy once or twice per month.

This Meds Made Easy program enables Hobbs Pharmacy to better identify adherence issues and to improve its collaboration with doctors.  Hobbs Pharmacy now receives fewer patient phone calls, makes fewer patient deliveries and has a much more predictable inventory. The program has freed up staff time to focus on other patient care initiatives, and has generated at least 25 new patients, each of whom utilize 12-15 prescriptions per month. Jessica Beal, pharmacist at Hobbs Pharmacy, says that the program is particularly appreciated by the 'sandwich generation,' comprised of middle-aged adults who serve as caretakers for their parents and their children. This program helps these customers manage their parents' medications much more time efficiently.

Teacher Immunization Program – Kevin Reddish, of Reddish Pharmacy, Nampa, Idaho –  After Kevin Reddish, owner of Reddish Pharmacy in Nampa, Idaho, became certified at RBC 2012 to offer immunizations, he started marketing his new flu vaccine services to local senior centers. But these new services really took off when Reddish worked with the leaders of his local school system to begin offering teacher flu clinics at local schools. In just the first month and a half, Reddish had booked 25 flu vaccine clinics at local schools, and in just the first year of the program, he increased his vaccine business from 200 to more than 850 immunizations. Reddish also leveraged the Teacher Immunization Program to earn teachers' prescription business. He encouraged teachers to sign up for his auto-refill program, and offered to deliver teachers' prescriptions directly to them at school, at no additional fee. His auto-refill program now has 250 patients enrolled; many of whom are teachers. Reddish now plans to market his other pharmacy services to teachers at future flu clinics, and plans to expand the Teacher Immunization Program to smaller outlying schools. Reddish says this program is a great example of a way pharmacists can improve community health while building their business.

"We work every day with forward-thinking pharmacists who are constantly finding new ways to build stronger, more resilient businesses and improve the quality of care they deliver to patients," said Steve Lawrence, senior vice president of Independent Sales for Cardinal Health. "We're thrilled to share some of these best practices at RBC 2012, and we congratulate this year's honorees and finalists for their commitment to community pharmacy excellence."

Hard copies of Independent Pharmacy Best Practices 2012, Ideas as Original As You Are were made available to all attendees of RBC 2012. Following the event, Cardinal Health customers can access an electronic version of the publication via the company's secure customer portal. Electronic versions of the publication are also available on Cardinal Health's public web site.

About the Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference (RBC)
The Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference (RBC), held July 11-14 in Orlando, Fla., 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 pharmacists improve patient care, efficiency and profitability. For more information, visit www.CardinalHealth.com/RBC.

About Cardinal Health
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (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.

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Confident care made possible - Cardinal Health Nuclear Pharmacy Services.mov

Customers and employees of Cardinal Health Nuclear Pharmacy Services discuss how Cardinal Health assists in providing confident care in the nuclear medicine industry.

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Aetna to Provide Assurant Health Customers Access to Flexible, Convenient Pharmacy Services

HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced today a multi-year pharmacy benefit management agreement with Assurant Health, a leading provider of major medical, supplemental and fixed-benefit health plans for individuals, families and small employers. Aetna will deliver pharmacy benefit management solutions that will help manage costs and improve member health for Assurant Health’s customers in the 47 states in which they do business. Assurant Health customers will also benefit from Aetna’s agreement with CVS Caremark and their broad, national network of participating pharmacies, comprehensive pharmacy care support, and easy-to-use tools to manage their prescriptions. The agreement represents a full replacement of Assurant Health’s current pharmacy benefit manager for the majority of its customers, and will be effective on January 1, 2013.

“We are very excited about this opportunity to expand into a new marketplace and demonstrate the value of our integrated pharmacy benefit management capabilities,” said Laurie Brubaker, head of Aetna Pharmacy Benefit Management.

Assurant Health focuses on providing affordable health care coverage and services that help customers better manage their health care dollars.

“We understand consumers want clear information and tools to help them make cost-effective decisions when it comes to managing their health care budgets,” said Adam Lamnin, president and CEO of Assurant Health. “We are pleased that our customers will have access to tools through Aetna and CVS Caremark that will help them make the most of their prescription benefits.”

About Assurant Health

Assurant Health is the brand name for a family of health insurance products focused on providing a variety of affordable plan choices to consumers. The portfolio of health care products includes major medical, supplemental and fixed-benefit plans for individuals, families and small employers. Assurant Health is committed to providing access to convenient health care delivery, easy-to-understand products and value-added services that help customers better manage their health care dollars and get the most out of their coverage. Assurant Health’s products are underwritten and issued by John Alden Life Insurance Company, Union Security Insurance Company and Time Insurance Company, which has been in business since 1892. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Assurant Health employs approximately 2,000 employees. www.assuranthealth.com

Additional Company Information

Assurant Health is part of Assurant, a premier provider of specialized insurance products and related services in North America and select worldwide markets. Assurant, a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500, is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AIZ. Assurant has approximately $27 billion in assets and $8 billion in annual revenue. www.assurant.com

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.1 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health care management services and health information technology services. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.

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Regence Rx and Catalyst Health Solutions Announce Pharmacy Benefit Management Agreement Through 2017

Mon, Mar 19, 2012, 10:54 PM EDT - U.S. Markets closed

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Manitoba pharmacy probed by Health Canada over gift-basket scheme

Updated: Sun Mar. 18 2012 16:13:35

The Canadian Press

Ottawa — Health Canada called in the Mounties after investigators found a Manitoba pharmacy used a gift-basket scheme to allegedly fleece the federal government's health plan for aboriginals.

The department estimates it overpaid Winnipeg's Pharm Azeem pharmacy by up to $160,389 through the Non-Insured Health Benefits program, a newly released document shows. Health Canada has since reached a settlement with the pharmacy to recover $25,000.

But the former owner of the pharmacy categorically denies any wrongdoing and blames the government for costing him his business -- and his health.

"Because of their actions, I lost my business," Rehan Azeem told The Canadian Press during a lengthy interview.

"We lost everything. I lost everything."

An access-to-information request about a just-reported loss in the Public Accounts of Canada uncovered an audit that described how the drug store would allegedly give away "gift baskets" of dandruff shampoo, condoms and other items along with prescriptions, then bill the government plan for both the prescription and over-the-counter items.

"Improper billing for over-the-counter (OTC) products was found," says the 2006 audit by Health Canada. "A pattern of bundling five (5) over-the-counter products for gift baskets leads the auditors to believe that this action was to inflate billing costs to the Non-Insured Health Benefits program (NIHBP) for financial gain."

The Non-Insured Health Benefits program does cover some over-the-counter medications with a doctor's authorization.

In this case, Health Canada claimed the pharmacy was routinely adding so-called verbal prescriptions to written prescriptions. Doctors can call pharmacies with verbal prescriptions, and the Non-Insured Health Benefits program normally accepts these phoned-in prescriptions.

But the pharmacy's rampant use of verbal prescriptions caught Health Canada's attention.

"The pervasive use of this practice was a concern," the audit says.

"The practice was so institutionalized that a review of the pharmacy's records found that the provider was using a pre-typed sticker with exactly the same five items for almost all clients. ...

"It appears that the pharmacist planned what would be prescribed prior to receiving the verbal orders. This practice became apparent after the pharmacy began 'giving' (and billing) the same five items consistently to (Non-Insured Health Benefits program) clients."

The audit says that at one point, seven out of every 10 people received a gift basket when they filled their prescriptions at the drug store. At first, the pharmacy bundled different items. The audit says it was only later that the gift baskets began to include the same five items: dandruff shampoo, antibacterial soap, anti-fungal cream, ulcer bandages and latex condoms.

Azeem tells a different story. "There was no such thing as gift baskets, first of all," he said. Azeem insisted all prescriptions were properly authorized.

"There's no such thing as five items ... there was not (always) five items," he said.

"Of course there was a verbal prescription, I agree to that, but those prescriptions were authorized by the physicians, so there was nothing wrong. ... They (Health Canada) have not found anything which was not authorized."

He said the pharmacy provided a service to the community.

"Some of the patients had those diseases ... some of the patients had dandruff because of the poor hygiene conditions ... it is a very common scenario there. Most of the people who are in that north end of Winnipeg, they were basically on welfare," he said.

"So by doing so, by providing those over-the-counter prescriptions ... we were actually doing a service to that neighbourhood."

The pharmacy would bill the Non-Insured Health Benefits program for a $5 dispensing fee plus the cost of the medication whenever it filled a prescription, the audit says. But the drug store also billed the plan for the cost of the items bundled in the gift baskets, plus a $25 dispensing fee.

Azeem explained that he was just covering his costs. There was a mark-up on prescription medicine and the Non-Insured Health Benefits program paid the pharmacy between $8 and $10 for its dispensing costs, he said. Throw in the cost of over-the-counter products and staff salaries and expenses start to soar.

"You have to look at the technician. You have to look at my overhead costs, and the pharmacist costs," Azeem said.

"I was not making a big chunk of money."

The drug store's billings to the Non-Insured Health Benefits program rose substantially once it started to use the gift baskets. In 2001, two years before it started bundling items, the pharmacy ranked as the 837th biggest biller in Canada among Non-Insured Health Benefits program pharmacies. By 2005, it had become the 250th biggest biller.

The Non-Insured Health Benefits program paid out $301,434 to the pharmacy in 2005, up from $32,032 in 2001. That is an increase of $269,403, or 841 per cent, over four years.

Azeem maintains he did nothing wrong.

"There was nothing hanky-panky going on."

The audit also found the pharmacy was bundling condoms with prescriptions for children as young as two years old.

"This bundling is a consistent pattern across all age groups and can be characterized as an attempt to inflate billing costs to the (Non-Insured Health Benefits) program for financial gain," the document says.

Azeem blamed a computer-entry error for the condom mix-up.

"It was not intentional," he said. "What was it, $6? We're trying to rob $6 from Health Canada? Come on. This is really insane. No intention was there. It was an entry error. I think probably the technician entered it in wrong. That's it."

Health Canada suspended the pharmacy's billing privileges in February 2006. The auditors wanted their findings passed on to Royal Canadian Mounted Police for "investigation for potential fraudulent billings" to the Non-Insured Health Benefits program.

Health Canada says it asked the RCMP to look into the matter.

"Health Canada initiated a recovery action against the pharmacy and also referred the file to the RCMP in 2006," spokesman Stephane Shank said in an email.

"A settlement for $25,000 was reached and the file was considered closed by Health Canada in January 2011."

The RCMP refused to confirm or deny any investigation, either past or ongoing.

"It is not the RCMP's practice to confirm or deny who or what, may or may not be the subject of an investigation," spokeswoman Cpl. Laurence Trottier said in an email.

"To do so may infringe on the privacy of individuals directly or indirectly, and also, to do so could jeopardize the integrity of any possible ongoing investigation."

The audit says the pharmacy handed over documentation, receipts and records to explain the billings, but most of the paperwork had either already been submitted, or it was deemed unsatisfactory or unacceptable. Azeem disagreed.

"We have provided each and every document," he said. "Prescriptions signed by the physician. Copies of prescriptions."

He said the pharmacy stayed in business for a few months after Health Canada cut off its billing privileges because he felt duty-bound to keep filling prescriptions. But he soon ran out of money and had to close up shop.

The Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association no longer lists the pharmacy in its directory of licensed pharmacies in the province.

Azeem said he tried to sue the federal government over the ordeal, but he dropped the lawsuit when he ran out of money.

"I ended up losing my business. I had to sell my building and everything," Azeem said.

"On top of it, I was on stress (leave) for a whole year, because, you know, it's a big loss. Then besides that, it physically and mentally affected me."

He has since moved to Barrie, Ont., where he works at the military hospital at nearby CFB Borden. Azeem said he is taking online courses through the University of Colorado toward a doctor of pharmacy degree.

"It was a very, very bad impact on my life," he said of what happened at the pharmacy. "I lost my confidence. I lost everything."

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Manitoba pharmacy probed by Health Canada over gift-basket scheme

OTTAWA - Health Canada called in the Mounties after investigators found a Manitoba pharmacy used a gift-basket scheme to allegedly fleece the federal government's health plan for aboriginals.

The department estimates it overpaid Winnipeg's Pharm Azeem pharmacy by up to $160,389 through the Non-Insured Health Benefits program, a newly released document shows. Health Canada has since reached a settlement with the pharmacy to recover $25,000.

But the former owner of the pharmacy categorically denies any wrongdoing and blames the government for costing him his business — and his health.

"Because of their actions, I lost my business," Rehan Azeem told The Canadian Press during a lengthy interview.

"We lost everything. I lost everything."

An access-to-information request about a just-reported loss in the Public Accounts of Canada uncovered an audit that described how the drug store would allegedly give away "gift baskets" of dandruff shampoo, condoms and other items along with prescriptions, then bill the government plan for both the prescription and over-the-counter items.

"Improper billing for over-the-counter (OTC) products was found," says the 2006 audit by Health Canada. "A pattern of bundling five (5) over-the-counter products for gift baskets leads the auditors to believe that this action was to inflate billing costs to the Non-Insured Health Benefits program (NIHBP) for financial gain."

The Non-Insured Health Benefits program does cover some over-the-counter medications with a doctor's authorization.

In this case, Health Canada claimed the pharmacy was routinely adding so-called verbal prescriptions to written prescriptions. Doctors can call pharmacies with verbal prescriptions, and the Non-Insured Health Benefits program normally accepts these phoned-in prescriptions.

But the pharmacy's rampant use of verbal prescriptions caught Health Canada's attention.

"The pervasive use of this practice was a concern," the audit says.

"The practice was so institutionalized that a review of the pharmacy's records found that the provider was using a pre-typed sticker with exactly the same five items for almost all clients. ...

"It appears that the pharmacist planned what would be prescribed prior to receiving the verbal orders. This practice became apparent after the pharmacy began 'giving' (and billing) the same five items consistently to (Non-Insured Health Benefits program) clients."

The audit says that at one point, seven out of every 10 people received a gift basket when they filled their prescriptions at the drug store. At first, the pharmacy bundled different items. The audit says it was only later that the gift baskets began to include the same five items: dandruff shampoo, antibacterial soap, anti-fungal cream, ulcer bandages and latex condoms.

Azeem tells a different story. "There was no such thing as gift baskets, first of all," he said. Azeem insisted all prescriptions were properly authorized.

"There's no such thing as five items ... there was not (always) five items," he said.

"Of course there was a verbal prescription, I agree to that, but those prescriptions were authorized by the physicians, so there was nothing wrong. ... They (Health Canada) have not found anything which was not authorized."

He said the pharmacy provided a service to the community.

"Some of the patients had those diseases ... some of the patients had dandruff because of the poor hygiene conditions ... it is a very common scenario there. Most of the people who are in that north end of Winnipeg, they were basically on welfare," he said.

"So by doing so, by providing those over-the-counter prescriptions ... we were actually doing a service to that neighbourhood."

The pharmacy would bill the Non-Insured Health Benefits program for a $5 dispensing fee plus the cost of the medication whenever it filled a prescription, the audit says. But the drug store also billed the plan for the cost of the items bundled in the gift baskets, plus a $25 dispensing fee.

Azeem explained that he was just covering his costs. There was a mark-up on prescription medicine and the Non-Insured Health Benefits program paid the pharmacy between $8 and $10 for its dispensing costs, he said. Throw in the cost of over-the-counter products and staff salaries and expenses start to soar.

"You have to look at the technician. You have to look at my overhead costs, and the pharmacist costs," Azeem said.

"I was not making a big chunk of money."

The drug store's billings to the Non-Insured Health Benefits program rose substantially once it started to use the gift baskets. In 2001, two years before it started bundling items, the pharmacy ranked as the 837th biggest biller in Canada among Non-Insured Health Benefits program pharmacies. By 2005, it had become the 250th biggest biller.

The Non-Insured Health Benefits program paid out $301,434 to the pharmacy in 2005, up from $32,032 in 2001. That is an increase of $269,403, or 841 per cent, over four years.

Azeem maintains he did nothing wrong.

"There was nothing hanky-panky going on."

The audit also found the pharmacy was bundling condoms with prescriptions for children as young as two years old.

"This bundling is a consistent pattern across all age groups and can be characterized as an attempt to inflate billing costs to the (Non-Insured Health Benefits) program for financial gain," the document says.

Azeem blamed a computer-entry error for the condom mix-up.

"It was not intentional," he said. "What was it, $6? We're trying to rob $6 from Health Canada? Come on. This is really insane. No intention was there. It was an entry error. I think probably the technician entered it in wrong. That's it."

Health Canada suspended the pharmacy's billing privileges in February 2006. The auditors wanted their findings passed on to Royal Canadian Mounted Police for "investigation for potential fraudulent billings" to the Non-Insured Health Benefits program.

Health Canada says it asked the RCMP to look into the matter.

"Health Canada initiated a recovery action against the pharmacy and also referred the file to the RCMP in 2006," spokesman Stephane Shank said in an email.

"A settlement for $25,000 was reached and the file was considered closed by Health Canada in January 2011."

The RCMP refused to confirm or deny any investigation, either past or ongoing.

"It is not the RCMP's practice to confirm or deny who or what, may or may not be the subject of an investigation," spokeswoman Cpl. Laurence Trottier said in an email.

"To do so may infringe on the privacy of individuals directly or indirectly, and also, to do so could jeopardize the integrity of any possible ongoing investigation."

The audit says the pharmacy handed over documentation, receipts and records to explain the billings, but most of the paperwork had either already been submitted, or it was deemed unsatisfactory or unacceptable. Azeem disagreed.

"We have provided each and every document," he said. "Prescriptions signed by the physician. Copies of prescriptions."

He said the pharmacy stayed in business for a few months after Health Canada cut off its billing privileges because he felt duty-bound to keep filling prescriptions. But he soon ran out of money and had to close up shop.

The Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association no longer lists the pharmacy in its directory of licensed pharmacies in the province.

Azeem said he tried to sue the federal government over the ordeal, but he dropped the lawsuit when he ran out of money.

"I ended up losing my business. I had to sell my building and everything," Azeem said.

"On top of it, I was on stress (leave) for a whole year, because, you know, it's a big loss. Then besides that, it physically and mentally affected me."

He has since moved to Barrie, Ont., where he works at the military hospital at nearby CFB Borden. Azeem said he is taking online courses through the University of Colorado toward a doctor of pharmacy degree.

"It was a very, very bad impact on my life," he said of what happened at the pharmacy. "I lost my confidence. I lost everything."

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Vivere Health Establishes Avanti Specialty Pharmacy Management in Partnership with Metro Medical Supply, Inc.

FRANKLIN, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vivere Health, a national leading network of Fertility Centers of Excellence dedicated to the highest quality patient care and outcomes, announced today the establishment of Avanti Specialty Pharmacy Management, LLC in partnership with Metro Medical Supply, Inc. Avanti Specialty Pharmacy Management will provide fertility pharmacy and related management services.

“We are pleased to partner with Metro Medical Supply, Inc., a proven provider of high-quality pharmacy services in the creation of this new partnership for pharmacy management,” said Vivere Health CEO and founder, Joseph Cashia. The establishment of Avanti Specialty Pharmacy Management marks another step in the company’s path to establish the nation’s leading network of Fertility Centers of Excellence. “Expanding our fertility offering to include specialty pharmacy management services is a natural extension of our model to provide fully-integrated fertility care,” noted Cashia.

Metro Medical Supply, Inc.’s CEO, Bart Ashley, said, “We are delighted to be Vivere’s partner of choice as we are well-positioned to leverage our pharmacy management knowledge base in creating a successful partnership.” Michael Cooper, President of Metro Medical Supply, Inc., also noted, “By bringing together Vivere’s new model for success in fertility services with Metro Medical Supply, Inc.’s 27 years of experience, we can deliver high-value fertility-focused pharmacy management services.” Metro Medical Supply, Inc.’s emphasis on quality and superior customer service will prove invaluable.

Avanti Specialty Pharmacy Management will begin offering services immediately.

About Vivere Health, LLC

Vivere Health is a national leading network of Fertility Centers of Excellence dedicated to the highest quality patient care and outcomes. Founded in 2010, the company partners with leading reproductive endocrinologists nationally, developing Ambulatory Surgery Centers and IVF laboratories. Vivere’s primary focus is to improve quality outcomes by enabling the strategic expansion of growing fertility practices by providing capital and operational support including marketing services, pharmacy services and back office services. Vivere Health, LLC includes financial sponsor, Philadelphia-based LLR Partners, and former National Renal Alliance CEO and founder Joseph Cashia.

Vivere Health, LLC is headquartered in Franklin, TN and includes the following locations: Houston Fertility Laboratory, Piney Point Surgery Center, Austin Fertility Laboratory, Vivere - Dallas Surgery Center, Vivere - Dallas Fertility Laboratory and Vivere – Winter Park Fertility Laboratory.

About Metro Medical Supply, Inc.

Metro Medical Supply, Inc. was founded in 1984 with the purpose of providing quality medical products to alternate site customers. What began as a small pharmaceutical and alternative care distributor in the heart of Nashville has grown into one of the largest privately-owned specialty pharmaceutical and medical supply companies in the United States. Metro Medical Supply, Inc. has national presence and is VAWD accredited and licensed in all 50 states. With a primary focus in the Renal, Rheumatology/ Gastroenterology, and Oncology Specialty Distribution markets, and an additional core competency in the Specialty Pharmacy arena, Metro Medical Supply, Inc. consistently provides enhanced value and access to both physicians and their patients. In addition, Metro Medical Supply, Inc. delivers a full line of medical and surgical supplies to alternative care markets throughout the United States. Metro Medical Supply, Inc. has distribution centers located in Nashville, Tennessee and Reno, Nevada.

For more information about Vivere Health please visit: www.viverehealth.com

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