Cardinal Health RBC opening session encourages pharmacy owners to lead change
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Change. That is the word that attendees of this week’s Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference will hear over and over again, and it was the core theme of Thursday morning’s opening session.
Nearly 8,000 independent pharmacists headed to Washington, D.C., for the annual meeting held July 23 to 26 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.
Kicking off the session was Steve Lawrence, SVP of Independent Sales for Cardinal Health, who took to the stage to encourage pharmacists to “lead change” amid today’s evolving healthcare system.
“Our leading theme this year, ‘leading change,’ is all about your vital role in moving healthcare forward. Independent pharmacists have successfully dealt with change over and over again. … You all make adjustments, and you think outside of the box every single day. You find paths around obstacles and new way to do things all the time. That’s what being independent means,” Lawrence told attendees.
To exemplify leading change within independent pharmacy, Lawrence invited to the stage Tom Menighan, EVP and CEO of the American Pharmacists Association; DJ Larson, VP of sales and marketing at Dekalb, Ill.-based Lehan Drugs; and young GenerationRx champion Lauren Luckie.
Menighan, a former Medicine Shoppe owner and pharmacy advocate, talked about the importance and efforts behind H.R. 4190 to expand recognition of pharmacists as providers and to expand Medicare coverage of pharmacist-delivered healthcare services in medically underserved areas. He also urged pharmacists to join APhA’s “Pharmacists Provide Care” campaign.
Larson spoke about the creation of a women’s health area within his pharmacy, which is a 2,000-sq.-ft. space that offers counseling and women’s health products. Larson also networks with local medical professionals and, through the initiative, serves about 600 new patients a month.
Luckie, 9-year-old daughter of Jim and Carrie Luckie, from Luckie Drug in Okeene, Okla., has promoted GenerationRx at her 4H club and throughout the state, and her efforts have been recognized and applauded by State Representative Mike Sanders. To celebrate her achievement, Lawrence presented Luckie with the GenerationRx Champions award.
“As these examples have shown, independent pharmacists are well-positioned for change. You are leading change in all aspects of what you do,” Lawrence told attendees.
Also taking the stage at the opening session were Mike Kaufmann, CEO of the Pharmaceutical segment at Cardinal Health, who shared memories of previous RBC events and the prior Ken Wurster Community Leadership Award winners, and Jon Giacomin, president of U.S. Pharmaceutical Distribution at Cardinal Health, who shared how he is impressed with the pharmacists and the relationships they have with their patients and how they enhance outcomes.
In addition, Ron Clerico, VP Marketing and Solutions, and Christi Pedra, SVP Marketing and Customer Solutions, briefly took to the stage to discuss new additions and services on the show floor.
Wrapping up Thursday’s session was a lively discussion on such hot button issues as the Affordable Care Act and the next Presidential election with guest speakers, and husband and wife team, Mary Matalin and James “The Ragin’ Cajun” Carville. Matalin is an author, TV and radio host, and political contributor. Carville is a political consultant.
New solutions and services
When visiting the tradeshow flow, which is nearly 180,000 sq. ft., Clerico and Pedra urged attendees to check out some new additions, including:
Innovation Hub: This area features touchscreen kiosks and iPads where attendees can learn more about, and interact with, wearable health technology, health gaming, apps and technology tools that can improve pharmacy practice.
Learning Lounge: This is a casual space on the RBC show floor that provides event goers the chance to learn about how they can get more involved with key community initiatives.
Clerico and Pedra also highlighted new Cardinal Health services and solutions available to pharmacists, including:
A new co-branding opportunity available in the fall. Under this new initiative, owners will be able to co-brand their pharmacy alongside the Medicine Shoppe and Medicap brand names.
Updated wellness offerings in the areas of heart health and immunizations, which includes a new travel vaccine management program;
Good4Growth, a new initiative that focuses on healthy behavior in children; and
“Reach for the Stars,” a suite of solutions to help pharmacists measure and improve their performance on key quality metrics.