Distributor News

LAS VEGAS — Day one here at McKesson ideaShare 2012 and the thousands of independent pharmacists and pharmacy owners from all across the country who convened here Monday, at the Las Vegas’ Venetian Resort, looking for business-building solutions and industry to help them stay relevant and differentiate themselves with their customers and patients, were not disappointed.

McKesson’s RxOwnership program helps independent pharmacy owners, prospective owners and pharmacy students develop a plan to buy or build their own pharmacy. Drug Store News recently caught up with Bob Graul, National VP, RxOwnership, McKesson, to talk about how the program has seen an increase in women pharmacists interested in ownership in recent years.

DSN: What are the opportunities for women in the retail pharmacy landscape?

McKesson has announced that the complete line of Health Mart private-label over-the-counter healthcare products is now available with the introduction of the final two product categories in the assortment — incontinence and personal diagnostics. The new items will make their debut at McKesson ideaShare 2012, which is slated for June 24 to 28 in Las Vegas’ Venetian Resort Hotel.

Winners of the 2012 Pharmacy of the Year awards will be announced live at McKesson ideaShare at a special evening ceremony, Monday, June 25, at the Venetian Resort Hotel in Las Vegas.  McKesson’s annual awards recognize leading independent pharmacies for the exceptional healthcare contributions they have made to their communities over the past year.

With just about two weeks to go before the big kick off of McKesson’s ideaShare 2012 Conference, DSN caught up with McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical SVP of marketing Kevin Kettler to discuss the vision behind ideaShare, how the annual conference has evolved over the years and why it is more important than ever for pharmacists to attend.

DSN: What is McKesson ideaShare?

There is still time to register for McKesson ideaShare 2012 Conference, which is slated for June 24 to 28, at Las Vegas’ Venetian Resort Hotel. McKesson, the nation’s largest healthcare services company, expects thousands of independent pharmacy owners from across the nation will convene at ideaShare.