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Issues

Court: Medi-Cal cuts can proceed

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal appeals court here affirmed California’s right to cut reimbursement payments to Medi-Cal providers by 10%. While the rollback in payments to physicians, pharmacists and others serving those covered by California’s Medicaid program was hailed by government officials as a way to trim more than $330 million a year from California’s

Navarro opens 32nd drug store

MIAMI — Navarro Discount Pharmacy has opened its 32nd store, located in Miami’s Kendall section. “The new store in West Kendall is well positioned in the Kendale Lakes Plaza among other discount brand retailers,” said president and chief executive officer Juan Ortiz. “We are also pleased to return to the Kendall area and to meet

Jensen is new CFO at Bartell

SEATTLE — Bartell Drugs has announced the selection of Rob Jensen as chief financial officer. The community pharmacy operator noted that Jensen previously was senior vice president and CFO at Car Toys, a Seattle-based retailer of mobile entertainment, performance accessories and wireless phones. Jensen, a graduate of Washington State University, has spent more than two

NACDS promotes finance executive

ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has promoted David Fitzsimmons to senior vice president of finance and ­administration. Previously NACDS’ vice president of finance and accounting, Fitzsimmons succeeds Jim Huber, who retired last month as executive vice president and chief financial officer after 25 years with the association. A certified public

Medicine Chest buy brings CVS more Texas locations

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy has acquired 19 of Medicine Chest’s 29 drug stores in Texas. Executives say the company will keep nine of the stores open and absorb the others into nearby existing CVS ­locations. Plans call for Medicine Chest to continue to operate its remaining 10 stores. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Senator goes to bat for more MTM coverage

ARLINGTON, Va. — North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan continues to be hailed by community pharmacy advocates for her efforts to improve patient care. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores, for instance, recently cited the Democratic lawmaker for her continued leadership on behalf of pharmacy patient care. In a recent letter to Senate majority leader

Health reform hits snags with exchanges, Medicaid

WASHINGTON — Half the states in the country have refused to create the health insurance exchanges called for under the health care reform law, according to data compiled by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. As of late last month, 18 states and the District of Columbia intended to operate their own exchanges. Another seven,

Rite Aid to use Surescripts network to deliver e-records

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid Corp. will leverage the Surescripts Network for Clinical Interoperability to electronically deliver patient immunization notifications directly to health care providers. The partnership between Surescripts and the retail pharmacy operator should allow timely electronic delivery of immunization notifications from the pharmacies to health care providers, which should help to significantly

AmerisourceBergen names global sourcing chief

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — Ameri­sourceBergen Corp. has named Peyton Howell as a corporate senior vice president and as president of global sourcing and manufacturer ­relations. Howell was most recently senior vice president of business development at AmerisourceBergen and president of Ameri­sourceBergen Consulting Services, a business unit. She was also a founder and president of Lash

The overarching concern for retail pharmacy

As the new year begins, retail pharmacy operators are confronted with a host of pressing issues that will affect the measure of success they can achieve as health care providers and business enterprises. Implementation of the Affordable Care Act; the nation’s long-term budget and deficit problems; and the state of the economy, to name just

Walgreens opens 8,000th store

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Walgreen Co. has opened two more flagship stores in rapid succession, in a historic bank building in Chicago, and in Hollywood, Calif., at Sunset and Vine. Walgreens president and CEO Greg Wasson at the flagship store opening in Hollywood. The latter, besides being the chain’s first flagship outlet on the West Coast,

For 60 years, Fruth Pharmacy has met customers’ needs

POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — As it celebrates its 60th anniversary, Fruth Pharmacy has remained true to its roots. Founded in 1952 by pharmacist Jack Fruth, the 26-store, family-owned drug chain has never wavered from its core mission of serving as a trusted health care provider to people in the rural communities of northwestern West Virginia

Many Rx customers unaware of loyalty programs

NEW YORK — Chain drug stores are on the leading edge in using loyalty cards to win and keep pharmacy customers, yet customer awareness of such programs could be greater, a study by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals reveals. The company’s Pharmacy Satisfaction Pulse survey — based on 20-minute online interviews of 34,424 adult pharmacy customers —

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