McKesson

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 — 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.

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.

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.

LAS VEGAS — In many ways, the future of community pharmacy relies on evolving the role of the pharmacist to drive better patient adherence, improve health outcomes and perhaps most importantly, from a business perspective, to get paid for it. To help independent pharmacy owners and community pharmacists step closer to that future today, McKesson, the largest healthcare services company in the country, showcased Tuesday its Sponsored Clinical Services Network to hundreds of attendees here at McKesson ideaShare 2012.

The life of a patient with diabetes is a juggling act to maintain good glycemic control — from daily blood-glucose testing to eating healthy and staying active. This is a complex and sometimes inconvenient task requiring significant commitment. Today, the American Diabetes Association estimates 60 percent of diabetes patients do not adhere to their treatment regimen.

LAS VEGAS – What can McKesson do for me that will help drive my success and assure my continued viability in a fast-changing and competitive healthcare market?

That question was on the minds of many independent pharmacy owners attending Tuesday’s business and educational forums at ideaShare 2012.

LAS VEGAS — Three successful pharmacy innovators helped set a buoyant tone for the official kickoff of McKesson’s ideaShare 2012 conference here, as they shared success stories from their own community practice settings at a panel discussion hosted by Brian Tyler, president of McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical.