DUBLIN, Ohio — Cardinal Health has opened a research and development facility dedicated to reducing the estimated $5 billion wasted each year in the health care supply chain for devices and implantables.

The Healthcare Supply Chain Innovation Lab, a 20,000-square-foot facility in Concord, Mass., will serve as a hub for Cardinal Health to explore innovative approaches, such as smart sensors and near-field communication, to bring creative, acute care-centered technologies to some of health care’s most challenging issues, the company says.

“Our vision is to create a level of efficiency and connectivity that will transform the health care supply chain from a source of savings into a strategic asset that can significantly reduce the total cost of care,” said Jean-Claude Saghbini, vice president and general manager of Cardinal Health Inventory Management Solutions.

The new center comprises hardware design and solutions testing laboratories, as well as a Customer Experience Center where visitors can interact with integrated solutions and provide feedback. The team is committed to bringing additional benefits to health care providers and aims to develop new solutions to support real-time decision making on such issues as consumption and impending product expiration.