McKesson ideaShare 2017 aligns programming with attendees’ interests

Visiting New Orleans wasn’t the biggest driver of attendance for those registered for McKesson ideaShare 2017 — McKesson knows because it asked. In an effort to better align this year’s program and educational offerings with what its customers’ need, McKesson asked those planning to attend the conference about the biggest draws. Outstripping several days in the Big Easy was the opportunity to learn how to grow their businesses.



In terms of specific topics they’re hoping to learn this year, those registered for ideaShare 2017 said they were most interested in strategies they can implement in their business, with the opportunity to learn about best practices from their peers ranking second. They also expressed roughly equal amounts of interest in receiving industry insights and inspiration on future trends in the pharmacy business.



Attendees headed to this year’s ideaShare listed their top area of interest as learning about new revenue streams to bring to their businesses, followed by learning more about maximizing reimbursements and understanding direct and indirect remuneration, or DIR, fees. There also was a strong interest in learning about medication therapy management, which also can bring a new revenue stream to a pharmacy. McKesson ideaShare 2017 attendees also noted that they were interested in capitalizing on the biggest upcoming pharmacy trends.



Connecting customers with industry experts and peers, McKesson ideaShare will feature more than 124 educational sessions and more than 30 Continuing Education (CE) sessions. Ranging from theater sessions to small group seminars to “Do-it-with-me” workshops, the conference is designed to provide attendees with tangible, information and best practices that are easy to take home and put into action.



The CE sessions at ideaShare 2017 will cover these topics, with almost all of them focused on strategies attendees can implement in their businesses. For those wanting to add revenue streams, there are courses covering such topics as point-of-care testing, finding niche opportunities, integrating chronic care management into the pharmacy business, and counseling patients with diabetes to improve adherence. Experts also will address areas of interest expressed by attendees, such as social media marketing, local marketing and activating their community, and measuring their pharmacy’s performance.



From a reimbursement perspective, McKesson ideaShare 2017 will feature a focus both on legislative updates from Independent Pharmacy Cooperative SVP government relations Mark Kinney, as well as courses on what attendees need to know about DIR fees, how to navigate billing Medicare Part B and how legislative changes to Medicare payment reform will have an impact on pharmacists’ relationship with providers.



As in the past, ideaShare 2017 will marry attendees’ interest in learning about new strategies with their desire to hear about these strategies from their peers — other independent pharmacists — and business strategists.



Independent pharmacists who will share their successful strategies lead many of the CE courses this year. Among fellow pharmacists sharing their best practices will be Randy McDonough, who owns and directs clinical services at three compounding pharmacies in Iowa and will speak on maximizing workflow and engaging patients, and Hayat Pharmacy owner Hashim Zaibak, who will lead a course on using medication synchronization to grow nonprescription sales.



The conference will be heavy in industry experts, featuring CE sessions from Hamacher Resource Group VP strategic relations Dave Wendland, addressing attendees’ expressed interest in optimizing their front-end to increase profits; Kneeland Services principal consultant Bruce Kneeland, sharing tips on effective pharmacy management; and McKesson senior director of PBM relations Valerie C. Fortin, who will lead the session on understanding DIR fees.



Michael Abrashoff, the former commander of the Navy’s USS Benfold and author of “It’s Your Ship,” will help open McKesson ideaShare Opening General Session on Thursday. He is the founder of Aegis Performance Group, a consulting firm that supports executives as they address leadership, talent and performance challenges within their organizations.



Health Mart Annual Meeting keynote speaker, Mark Thompson, will present his influential ideas on leadership, driving change, innovation, sales growth, and customer and employee engagement. Forbes called Thompson one of America’s top venture investors with the “Midas Touch.” Thompson was Charles Schwab’s former chief of staff and chief customer experience officer, is a co-founder of Sir Richard Branson’s Entrepreneurship Centres, an executive coach for TED Fellows, and an early investor in companies such as Facebook, Netflix and Esurance.



The full list of CE courses for ideaShare 2017 and registration link can be found here.