Cardinal Health makes electronic records deal focusing on physician labs

DUBLIN, Ohio — Cardinal Health on Tuesday said it has made a deal with an electronic records company that focuses on physician labs.

Terms were not disclosed in the agreement with Orchard Software to distribute its Harvest Laboratory Information System and Pathology Diagnostic Information System. Along with Orchard’s own sales force, Cardinal will be the only health services company to provide the two systems. Orchard’s software can transfer lab data into a patient’s electronic health record and also digitally manage anatomic pathology testing data.

Cardinal executives said they made the deal because of the federal dollars available now for federal health records and last month Chief Customer Office Mark Rosenbaum said the company would be interested in deals that involved managing data. A Cardinal spokeswoman pointed to similar deals, including the pact with Allscripts to handle electronic health records, and the agreement with bar-code company SurgiCount.