McKesson

For more than 30 years, McKesson ideaShare has focused on giving independent pharmacists and owners the knowledge, tools and resources they need to improve their pharmacy’s performance. This year’s conference comes with a warning label: 

“Warning: Attendance may cause extreme success. Common side effects include: greater knowledge, improved performance and higher revenue.”

Many features of the myHealthMart online portal that have been helping Health Mart pharmacists and owners better manage their pharmacy business over the past year have been incorporated into a new mobile app that will be launched at the 2017 McKesson ideaShare meeting. The mobile app will be available for the Apple iOS platform at the conference; an Android app will launch later this fall.

It is by now a well-established fact that the healthcare landscape is currently undergoing a massive shift from a fee-for-service to a value-based payment model, and that will create new opportunities for community pharmacy to play an expanded role in healthcare delivery, helping to drive improved health outcomes and opening up new revenue streams. The challenge for the independent owner is how to implement the host of new clinical services that will be required to participate in this expanded pharmacy care model — and where to begin.

Last month McKesson and Health Mart announced a broad expansion of its Collaborative Practice Agreements (CPAs) as part of the many new clinical-performance initiatives introduced at 2016 McKesson ideaShare. The program, which was first introduced last fall in two states, now covers 37 of the 40 states that require a CPA to prescribe and administer eligible immunizations to patients.

Many accomplishments were highlighted and goals were set at this year's McKesson ideaShare 2016. From 50% growth over the last three years to 4,700 Health Mart stores to being recognized for superior customer service, McKesson and Health Mart executives praised owners and operators.

Pharmacy advocacy makes a difference.

And while independent pharmacy owners also got perspective on key legislation that could have a profound and lasting impact both on their businesses and the profession of pharmacy, that message was perhaps the most important takeaway from the McKesson ideaShare Public Policy Forum last month in Chicago — advocacy matters.

Since it began in 2008, McKesson’s RxOwnership has helped more than 3,500 pharmacy owners buy, sell or start their own pharmacy business in an attempt to, as RxOwnership national VP Chris Cella told Drug Store News, “keep independents independent.” Cella participated in an “Ask the Experts” panel with three longtime RxOwnership collaborators at McKesson ideaShare 2016 to help potential pharmacy owners and sellers understand RxOwnership’s services and the work required to break into being a small business owner.