Q&A: STChealth CEO talks of helping keep track of patient data
Michael Popovich, CEO of STChealth, said that his company is helping pharmacies do a better job of providing the right care and increasing revenue. In a discussion with Drug Store News, he talked about what needs to be done to keep the momentum moving in the right direction for the Phoenix-based company founded in 1988 and its retail and pharmacy partners.
Drug Store News: Tell us about STChealth.
Michael Popovich: STChealth is an innovative healthcare data exchange company that facilitates the transfer of critical healthcare data to key stakeholders in real time. Providers throughout the United States use STChealth solutions to capture and report critical patient data, including immunization data, to public health systems and to patients themselves through our consumer access solution, MyIR Mobile.
In 2018, New Hampshire, the last state in the nation to leave paper records behind, chose STC’s IWeb to manage its immunization data. That same year, the company was selected to implement its Immunization System to support the next World Cup.
DSN: How does your company benefit the retail pharmacy community?
MP: Our pharmacy clinical services solutions enable pharmacies to close patient gaps in care and boost revenue by increasing immunizations per patient encounter. With our bidirectional reporting capabilities, retail pharmacists can access patient immunization history directly from their state immunization information system. This ensures accuracy with the data and returns any existing immunization gaps that the pharmacist can close at the point of care.
A study conducted by the American Pharmacists Association found that bidirectional reporting increased immunizations per patient by approximately 40%. To give an example, when a patient comes into the pharmacy for their flu shot, the pharmacist can view the patient’s immunization history and suggest any vaccines the patient is past due for.
DSN: Tell us about bidirectional reporting and its benefits.
MP: Bidirectional reporting is the ability to pull patient immunization history in real time from a state or jurisdictional immunization information system. In COVID times, this is incredibly important because the two most popular COVID-19 vaccines — Moderna and Pfizer — are two-dose series vaccines that require both administered doses from the same manufacturer. Without bidirectional reporting, pharmacists would have to rely on patient self-reporting or paper immunization records. The ability to pull patient immunization history in real time ensures an efficient and safe administration of COVID-19 vaccinations.
DSN: What does the retail pharmacist need to do to maximize the benefits of such reporting?
MP: Retail pharmacists need to connect their pharmacy management systems to state and federal information systems, if they are planning to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. STChealth facilitates these connections for pharmacies every single day. To learn more about this, we suggest that you visit immslink.com to get started.
DSN: What does the future hold for you?
MP: We will continue to innovate for retail pharmacists and help them expand their clinical services as the consumer drives more business to retail locations. The future of health care in the United States is a consumer-driven market, and our solutions are connecting consumers looking for healthcare services with pharmacists providing clinical services. We think it is extremely important that retailers look to partner with STChealth, and we will work together to drive more digital and foot traffic to your retail locations.