Cardinal Health to buy AssuraMed, leading home-health supplier

Cardinal is paying $2.07 billion for the privately held company, which it says had 2012 sales of about $1 billion, including the recently acquired Invacare Supply Group. AssuraMed operates through two separate businesses, Independence Medical and Edgepark Medical Supplies.

Besides building on its massive healthcare distribution network already in place, Cardinal says that “AssuraMed’s expertise in products for specific disease categories and small parcel logistics will significantly enhance Cardinal Health’s ability to service customers across the broad ambulatory care channel, including care sites such as physician offices and in support of home health agencies.” Eventually, says the company, it will supply the home healthcare channel with product lines including ostomy, diabetes, insulin therapy, urological, wound care and incontinence; and to use this acquisition as a platform to begin offering a variety of its current house-brand product offerings in the direct-to-home channel.