Cardinal RBC lineup includes healthcare analyst, NCPA and significant CE opportunities
ORLANDO, Fla. — Cardinal Health on Thursday kicked off its Retail Business Conference, the company’s annual trade show for independent pharmacies catering to more than 7,000 attendees.
“RBC is an outstanding opportunity for independent pharmacy owners to network with thousands of their peers from across the country; tap into more continuing education courses than they’ll find anywhere else; and enjoy top-notch fun and entertainment with their families,” Cardinal Health SVP independent sales Steve Lawrence said. “RBC is also a great way for independent pharmacies to learn about the many ways Cardinal Health can help improve the efficiency and profitability of their businesses — so they can spend more time meeting and exceeding the needs of their patients.”
The event features an 83,000-sq.-ft. trade show floor, highlighting buying opportunities with more than 320 exhibitors. At the event, pharmacists again can access one of the industry’s largest and most complete lineups of continuing education opportunities, with nearly 50 courses on topics that can help them improve both their clinical and business operations. Pharmacists can also access seven full- or half-day continuing pharmacy education courses, on issues ranging from pharmacy-based immunization delivery to helping patients manage cardiovascular risk.
Keynote presentations will be made by both Myrtle Potter, CEO of the healthcare consulting firm Myrtle Potter and Co., and National Community Pharmacists Association CEO Douglas Hoey.
Potter formerly served in executive leadership positions at Merck, was president of Bristol-Myers Squibb and most recently COO and later president of Genentech. At this year’s RBC, Potter will share her candid assessment of the state of U.S. health care, the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision on healthcare reform and what it all means to independent pharmacy.
Hoey, who has spent more than 20 years working in and advocating for community pharmacies, is a licensed pharmacist in Oklahoma, Virginia and Texas and serves as a board member of the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board, Surescripts, Mirixa, and the Pharmacy e-Health Information Technology Collaborative. He also has helped lead the NCPA team that scored legislative victories requiring prompt pay of Medicare Part D claims, winning a court injunction to delay average manufacturer price that saved community pharmacies more than $2 billion. He also has played an instrumental role in expanding NCPA membership by 20% over the past two years. Hoey will talk with RBC 2012 attendees about key issues facing community pharmacies, including the need for pharmacists to work together to affect legislative change that ensures patients have access to community pharmacy services. Hoey also will discuss the important role that improving patient medication adherence plays in the evolution of the community pharmacy business model; and about the role that revenue diversification plays in enhancing the long-term livelihood of community pharmacies.
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