Distributor News

LAS VEGAS — They call it “idea-share” for a reason. Attendees of this year’s McKesson ideaShare 2013 Conference, which will be held from June 26 through 30 at The Venetian Casino and Resort, will be exposed to some of the best thinking and new ideas for improving their independent pharmacy businesses. From topnotch speakers, continuing education sessions, hands-on workshops and business coaching seminars, McKesson ideaShare 2013 will offer independent pharmacy owners myriad opportunities to capitalize on today’s business climate.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — One of the greatest challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry today is medication non-adherence — a fact that has not gone unnoticed by McKesson.

A variety of pharmacy-based solutions, designed to help pharmacy owners drive better results both from a patient outcomes and a profitability standpoint by offering services that promote long-term adherence and opportunities for patients to enroll in clinical trials, will be on display for ideaShare attendees through McKesson’s Clinical Services network.

DSN talks to Health Mart president Stephen Courtman about how Health Mart is helping its members stay competitive through new programs and services aimed at improving patient lives and growing profits.

DSN: What is new for Health Mart members at McKesson ideaShare this year?

LAS VEGAS — The sweeping healthcare reforms encompassed in the landmark Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will transform parts of the American healthcare landscape. But the nation’s fiscal challenges and the unsustainable cost increases generated by the U.S. health system also will drive fundamental changes in the way providers, payers and patients search for a more cost-effective and accountable set of solutions to a health system in crisis, said McKesson’s top public policy expert at ideaShare 2012.

LAS VEGAS — Community pharmacy is a profession, but it’s also a business. To that end, McKesson has over the past three years provided a comprehensive and confidential online resource for prospective pharmacy buyers and sellers and for students interested in a career in independent pharmacy.

LAS VEGAS — Independent pharmacy owner-operators, by definition, stand somewhat alone. It’s the nature of their calling, and it defines their particular brand of pharmacy retailing as a responsive, patient-focused center for community care and high-touch, individualized personal service.

LAS VEGAS — An overwrought U.S. healthcare system in desperate need of new solutions and new ways to cut the unsustainable cost spiral will demand a new, more engaged and more patient-centered role for community pharmacists.

With some 3,000 stores now under its banner coast to coast and official designation by JD Power & Associates as the nation’s favorite pharmacy service provider, Health Mart has achieved a remarkable growth record in the eight years since McKesson launched a top-to-bottom overhaul of the Health Mart brand and marketing strategy. Now, the nation’s top name in independent franchised pharmacy is stepping up to a new level of customer care, operating performance, marketing sophistication and technological prowess.