Rock the vote: Cardinal Health to host special best practices competition at RBC 2013

SEATTLE — Attendees of this year’s Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference will choose 1-of-3 finalists of a special best practice competition to determine the most innovative independent pharmacy program among Cardinal Health customers.

The three finalists were chosen by members of Cardinal Health’s Retail Advisory Board from a field of 14 unique programs that were featured in a special publication, Independent Pharmacy Best Practice Guides: Innovating Independents 2013, that will be presented to RBC attendees at this year’s event, which is slated for Aug. 7 to 10, here at the Washington State Convention Center. The 14 pharmacies featured in the special edition were culled from nominations from Cardinal Health’s independent pharmacy sales teams.

“The independent pharmacists we serve are always striving to provide high-quality, personalized care to patients while positioning their businesses to succeed,” said Steve Lawrence, SVP of independent sales for Cardinal Health. “We’re delighted to honor this year’s finalists by sharing their best practices at RBC 2013, and we congratulate them for their commitment to community pharmacy excellence.”

RBC attendees will get a better look at this year’s finalists during a series of videos that will be presented, Friday morning Aug. 9, during the event’s industry general session, and will be invited to pick a winner via a special text-to-vote competition that will be held live on site at the show. This year’s three finalists are:

• Prescription Auto Fill Program — Sam and Samantha Zoske, Medicap Pharmacy 8004, Marshalltown, Iowa. This pharmacy faced low margins and tight cash flow issues in its small town. They used Cardinal Health’s Inventory Manager to analyze dispensed medications and develop a prescription auto fill program that virtually eliminates patient wait-times for prescriptions and helps increase compliance. The program has helped the store reduce inventory and inventory costs, and now nearly half of the pharmacy’s patients use the program.


• Diabetes University — Kasey Woods and Amy Brian, Midtown Pharmacy, Whitsett, N.C. Several years ago, Midtown Pharmacy recognized the need for education to help patients with diabetes and their caregivers improve their quality of life. So Amy Brian, a pharmacist and a certified diabetes educator, started a diabetes education program. Although many program participants were not initially Midtown customers, according to Brian, patients often transfer their prescriptions to Midtown once they have participated in the program as a result of their confidence in Midtown’s knowledge and outstanding level of care. This education program — the cost of which is 100% covered by Medicare and Medicaid — has also helped boost sales of diabetic supplies and increase patient medication compliance. Four weeks after program completion, the store conducts follow-ups by phone, as well as a four- to six-month follow-up to inquire about progress based on goals set during instruction — also helping the store build long-term relationships with patients.


• Hormone Testing and Treatment Program — Amy Carothers, Daniel’s Drug and Wellness Pharmacy, Guthrie, Okla. After store owner Amy Carothers experienced a personal struggle with infertility, she recognized a need to educate patients about their fertility medication options. So Daniel’s Drug and Wellness Pharmacy began compounding specific hormone therapies for patients to meet their community’s growing need for customized medication. Daniel’s coupled this new service with monthly seminars for women, providing more in-depth information about hormone therapies and choices, as well as in-home and video educational counseling. Daniel’s Drug and Wellness went from filling 20-30 compounded prescriptions per month to 200-300 per month by offering compounding education to customers, dramatically increasing profits.

In all, Cardinal Health will present $10,000 in donations to the charities of the winners’ choices, including, $7,000 for first place, $2,000 for second-place and $1,000 for third place.

In addition to the copies of Independent Pharmacy Best Practices 2013: Innovating Independents that will be available to all RBC attendees at the show, following the conference, Cardinal Health customers will be able to access an electronic version via the company’s secure customer portal.

For more details on Cardinal Health RBC 2013, including the complete program agenda, visit cardinalhealth.com/rbc.

To keep up with all the news from Cardinal Health RBC 2013, visit DrugStoreNews.com/Cardinal-Health-Retail-Business-Conference-2013.

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