Pharmacy Technology

Wearables are beginning to gain purchase consideration and traction among all millennials, but especially with white non-Hispanics, according to the latest installment of the Hispanic Millennial Project, published by Sensis and ThinkNow Research in June.

PricewaterhouseCooper’s Health Research institute, in its look at the biggest industry issues of 2016, found that 60% of patients would be willing to use their mobile device for a physician visit. The increased interest in telehealth comes as Mordor Intelligence projects the industry will be worth more than $34 billion by 2020, and as chains and independents look to telehealth solutions to connect patients to providers and pharmacy services in rural or underserved areas.

There’s no question that wearables are a health-tracking trend that will continue to gain traction. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ “Top health industry issues of 2016,” the more acclimated consumers get to their smartphones, the more they’re going to be looking to devices that will keep them on track toward better health.

JOHNSON CITY, N.Y. — Innovation on Tuesday announced a new, non-exclusive partnership with IMA North America that’s aimed at bringing high-volume dispensing technology to central fill and mail order pharmacies. Under the partnership agreement, Innovation will be able to integrate its high-volume pharmacy systems with IMA’s Model 340-DRS EKC Automatic Pill Counter.

In the next 10 years, the retail landscape will look and feel much different than it does today. “You’re going to be looking at a world that, instead of [retail] channels, there will be points of influence and methods of fulfillment,” Bryan Gildenberg, chief knowledge officer at Kantar Retail, said during a two-day drug channel workshop Kantar hosted in May. “Where can I influence shoppers irrespective of where the buying takes place, and how do I fulfill that in a way where I can still keep my operations efficient and make money?”

With medication nonadherence estimated to cost the U.S. healthcare system anywhere between $100 billion and $300 billion dollars, according to the National Institutes of Health, pharmacy technology companies are looking to create tools that pharmacists can implement to help patients be more adherent, saving the health system money and improving patient health in the process.

DUBLIN, Ohio - Updox on Thursday introduced Pharmacy Connect, a care coordination suite for pharmacists, during Cardinal Health’s 26th annual Retail Business Conference. Pharmacy Connect offers retail and independent pharmacists an opportunity to enhance their ability to communicate and connect as the industry shifts to a value-based care model.