Allegiance Healthcare Corporation Joins Global Healthcare Exchange.

Business Editors, Health/Medical Writers

WESTMINSTER, Colo. and MCGAW PARK, Ill.--(BW HealthWire)--April 8, 2002

Allegiance Healthcare Corporation, a subsidiary of Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH), has joined Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC (GHX) as a distributor member. Allegiance is a leading manufacturer and distributor of medical, surgical and laboratory products.

"Allegiance joined GHX to make it easier for our customers to work with their chosen e-commerce partners," said Doug Cassidy, senior vice president of e-business for Cardinal Health. "Allegiance supports GHX's efforts to foster the development and adoption of industry standards for medical-surgical products, as this will play a critical role in reducing errors and ultimately costs for all involved."

GHX is developing the industry standard-based AllSource(TM) catalog, with standardized product information provided and verified directly by the suppliers. Complementary efforts to clean hospital item master files and establish standardized hospital identification numbers will further increase the accuracy of business transactions performed through GHX's Internet-based trading exchange.

Allegiance is transacting business with GHX suppliers and provider members directly through the exchange. GHX's membership includes more than 100 suppliers, and integrated delivery networks (IDNs) and independent hospitals that represent a total of over 800 hospitals.

Cardinal Health was one of the founding members of HealthNexis, an e-commerce company that developed solutions for health-care manufacturers, distributors and purchasing organizations and recently combined business operations with GHX. Cardinal has representation on the GHX Board.

"Distributors play an integral role in the health-care supply chain. Allegiance's proven expertise not only as a distributor, but also as a result of its own e-commerce initiatives, will prove to be a valuable addition and resource to GHX," said Mike Mahoney, GHX chief executive officer.

About Allegiance

Allegiance Healthcare Corporation (www.allegiance.net) is a leading provider of health-care products and cost-management services needed by hospitals, laboratories and others in health care. Based in McGaw Park, Illinois, the company manufactures many of the products it markets and distributes, while others come from health and medical companies around the world. Allegiance also provides integrated services such as clinical and productivity consulting, procedure-based supply packaging, just-in-time delivery and other services to help medical professionals control costs and improve quality in patient care.

Cardinal Health, Inc. (www.cardinal.com) is a leading provider of products and services supporting the health-care industry. Cardinal Health companies develop, manufacture, package and market products for patient care; develop drug-delivery technologies; distribute pharmaceuticals, medical-surgical and laboratory supplies; and offer consulting and other services that improve quality and efficiency in health care. With headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal employs more than 49,000 people on five continents and produces annualized revenues exceeding $40 billion.

About Global Healthcare Exchange

Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC (GHX) is an Internet-based trading exchange from which hospitals can purchase both medical and non-medical products more easily, quickly, and accurately than ever before. GHX is building a normalized, verified industry standard catalog, which will take advantage of deep connectivity between GHX, hospitals, and suppliers to improve efficiencies and add value throughout the healthcare supply chain. The privately held company was founded in March 2000 and its membership now includes more than 100 supplier members and over 800 hospital members, representing over 100 integrated delivery networks (IDNs) and independent hospitals. Equity owners of GHX include Johnson & Johnson; GE Medical Systems; Baxter International, Inc.; Abbott Laboratories; Medtronic, Inc.; AmerisourceBergen Corporation; Becton, Dickinson & Co.; Boston Scientific Corporation; Cardinal Health, Inc.; C.R. Bard, Inc.; Fisher Scientific International Inc.; Guidant Corporation; McKesson Corporation; Siemens Medical Solutions and Tyco International, Ltd. For more information visit www.ghx.com.

Except for historical information, all other information in this news release consists of forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking information and statements in this news release are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: those discussed or identified in the public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) made by Cardinal Health, Inc.; risks and uncertainties with respect to Cardinal Health's expectations regarding the accounting and tax treatment of acquisitions, the value of merger consideration, growth opportunities, earnings accretion, cost savings, revenue enhancements, synergies and other benefits anticipated from acquisition transactions; the costs and effects of government regulation and legal and administrative proceedings; difficulties related to integrating acquired businesses; the effect of any changes in customer and supplier relationships and customer purchasing patterns, shifts in the growth rates among segments driven by various factors, general consumer perceptions of health-related concerns or the distribution outsourcing pattern for health-care products and/or services and of general economic conditions such as changes in interest rates and the performance of the financial markets, changes in domestic and foreign laws, regulations and taxes, changes in competition and pricing environments, and general market and industry conditions. Cardinal Health, Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.