Pharmacy Technology

The humble coupon is back, in a big way.


Two years after the nation’s economy hit bottom in the most wrenching tailspin since the onset of the Great Depression, coupon use in the United States has staged a remarkable comeback. 


NEW YORK — It may have a goofy name, but start-up website HellaWella, HellaWella.com, 
is serious about promoting healthy living and all the good stuff that goes with it. Well, “serious” might be a little misleading, as the free website and weekly newsletter definitely is taking a fun, youthful approach to helping consumers discover the latest in health and wellness — and how to do so on the cheap.


CVS Caremark will launch a pilot of a 
real-time, integrated electronic prior authorization capability, available to its pharmacy benefit management clients, to help speed access to prescription medications.


Couponing is digitizing.


Although printed circulars remain the workhorse of the nation’s coupon distribution system, a growing share of the coupons consumers are handing cashiers are emerging from online distribution sources and are being printed out at home. A smaller but growing segment also is being handled exclusively through electronic means via smartphones and mobile technology.


MT. KISCO, N.Y. — Retailers and small- to mid-sized brand marketers shouldn’t be quick to dismiss social media as an effective avenue to communicate with consumers versus traditional media outreach like TV and radio. That was a key takeaway of a recent survey conducted on behalf of marketing/public relations firm Robin Leedy & Associates.


In fact, the research suggested that the balance of power already may be tipping in favor of social marketing, particularly in certain categories and definitely among certain consumers.


Who’s clipping coupons? Ironically, coupon redemptions in the wake of the Great Recession are heaviest among higher-income, better-
educated Americans, researchers reported.


“With the value offered by coupons, one might think that the lowest income households would be among the heaviest users,” noted The Nielsen Co. “In fact, more affluent households dominate coupon usage.”


It’s like if KITT, the talking car on the 80s TV hit “Knight Rider,” consulted Hasselhoff about his excessive drinking while the two used advanced automotive and information-based technology to fight crime — and improve health outcomes.

WALTHAM, Mass. — Nipro Diagnostics and NeuroMetrix have teamed up to market a point-of-care test that is designed to evaluate such systemic neuropathies as diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Nipro and NeuroMetrix said the NC-stat DPNCheck test, developed by NeuroMetrix, could offer a cost-effective approach to detecting and monitoring DPN, which affects more than half of people with diabetes and could lead to such conditions as foot ulcers and limb amputation.

The companies currently are evaluating opportunities for the NC-stat DPNCheck in retail medical clinics.