Miraculins to place diabetes screening kiosks in Lovell Drugs' Canada locations
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Miraculins on Tuesday announced that it will be commencing a pilot program with Lovell Drugs and Pear Healthcare Solutions that will see the placement of the first stand-alone Scout DS diabetes screening kiosks in Lovell’s retail pharmacy locations in Ontario beginning in February 2015.
This proof-of-concept pilot is being conducted to demonstrate that a stand-alone Scout DS diabetes screening kiosk set up inside a pharmacy location has the ability to not only deliver a rapid, non-invasive diabetes screening clinic, but can be additionally purposed to generate a meaningful financial return on investment for the pharmacy. The company believes that the model it is developing will have application for retail pharmacy and pharmacy/grocery operations in North America and for similar retail settings in Europe and other countries, as well.
The screening kiosk will be managed by a qualified Scout DS Test Operator, although a brief post-screening consultation with a pharmacist will be offered to every customer who has an elevated score. The kiosks will have the ability to screen 8-to-10 customers per hour and will be in operation during the highest store traffic periods. Participants will receive free screenings during the pilot in exchange for completing a short consumer health questionnaire (delivered by touch screen tablet in the time it takes to perform the Scout DS screening — about 90 seconds). In addition to their screening results, participants also will receive educational materials on diabetes and be given a recommendation to see their doctor for a follow-up consultation and confirmatory testing, if their score is elevated.
Specific ROI end points are being established for the pilot and will be measured against the screening participants in Ontario, including the identification and tracking of:
Undiagnosed prediabetic patients who are subsequently diagnosed by their doctors and can be converted into long-term customers of the pharmacy for preventative consultations and care, which can include medication prescriptions and other healthcare related products, as well (including enhanced grocery buys in pharmacy/grocery settings);
Undiagnosed type 2 diabetic patients who are subsequently diagnosed by their doctors and can be converted into long-term customers for the pharmacy. Independent research has shown that diabetes patients spend an average of $6,000 per year on costs for treating their disease and that upwards of $3,000 of this may be spent at the pharmacy (not including enhanced grocery buys in pharmacy/grocery settings);
Customers that may be determined to be eligible for government reimbursable services offered by the host pharmacy, such as a medications review — if they are on more than three medications or confirmed to be diabetic — and smoking cessation programs;
Customers that fill their prescriptions at various pharmacies, who can be converted into single-store customers and consolidate their prescriptions there; and
New customers who participate in the Scout DS clinic as a result of direct referrals from family and friends previously screened, or through print or radio advertising, who can be converted into ongoing, loyal customers at the host location.
The Scout DS is Health Canada cleared, has been CE-Marked for the EU (compliant with European Union legislation), and the company is working with the FDA to establish a market pathway for the device in the United States.