CHICAGO — McKesson Corp. Monday kicked off McKesson ideaShare 2016, an interactive forum for independent pharmacists to collaborate and gain ideas for expanding their business, driving profits and delivering better patient outcomes. The annual conference and exhibition provides attendees with access to industry thought leaders, pharmacy programs and solutions, continuing education courses, and networking events focused on providing insights on how to thrive in today’s market and ensure they are set up for future success.

“McKesson ideaShare is designed to help independent pharmacies invigorate their business, improve results for their patients and build the foundation for future success. McKesson and Health Mart are pleased to drive innovation in this environment through continued investment in the new business-building tools, clinical solutions and technology being highlighted here,” said Mark Walchirk, president of McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical. “We encourage every independent pharmacist and owner to take advantage of all the tools and programs available to help their business thrive.”

Health Mart, comprising more than 4,700 stores nationwide, will host its Annual Meeting this week. “Health Mart has grown by 50% over the past three years, in large part because we help our pharmacies deliver and be recognized for top clinical performance. In addition, our innovative solutions and implementation support help members level the playing field against the chains and grow their business. This week, we introduce Health Mart’s Pathway to Better Pharmacy Performance and Profit, a step-by-step approach to help members navigate the changes in today’s retail pharmacy market and stay ahead of the curve, as well as myHealthMart, a proprietary online portal that enables pharmacies to proactively manage their business,” said Steve Courtman, president of Health Mart.

As the industry continues to go through rapid change, Health Mart helps pharmacies to stay ahead of the curve with the Health Mart Pathway to Better Pharmacy Performance and Profit. The pathway offers a strategic road map to help independent pharmacies shift the way they approach their clinical and financial performance and pharmacy operations. It details a pharmacist-approved, realistic process for members to make practical changes to their business to enhance their profitability. The Pathway also recommends the resources, tools and expert advice pharmacies need to build a successful future. Building on the established success of its peer-to-peer Town Hall format, Health Mart will host a unique peer-coaching session during ideaShare where attendees will share best practices to help them create an action plan to accelerate their movement along the pathway.

MyHealthMart, which launches in conjunction with the Health Mart Pathway, is an online portal that enables pharmacies to proactively manage their business by providing access to personalized, up-to-date data, programs and insights for their pharmacy. The tool provides a complete picture of their pharmacy’s clinical and business performance and one-stop access to Health Mart programs and resources. Personalized reports and dashboards enable pharmacies to see how their decisions are impacting their business, and setting custom goals helps track their progress toward business growth and performance targets. MyHealthMart provides centralized, one-click access to educational, clinical and marketing resources and allows customers to explore new opportunities for their pharmacies in the program store. In addition, real-time notifications keep customers up to date on the information they need to know to deliver better patient outcomes and strengthen their competitive position.

Med Sync is a central component to the Health Mart Pathway to Better Pharmacy Performance and Profit, which establishes the work-flow foundation to offer more robust patient care and revenue-generating services. Med Sync allows independent pharmacies to improve efficiency and increase capacity without adding staff, and the set medication pickup enables pharmacists to identify additional patient needs. With the ability to proactively manage their work flow, pharmacists have more time to uncover causes of patients’ nonadherence and then address them with medication therapy management and provide other services that generate additional revenue and improve patient outcomes.
Throughout McKesson ideaShare, Health Mart will showcase educational resources and support designed to help pharmacies learn how to implement and maximize Med Sync. From town hall meetings and Health Mart University’s Learning Experience to a “Get In Sync Playbook” and discussions with experienced pharmacists via “Med Sync Masters,” Health Mart provides resources and hands-on tools to improve patient outcomes and free up time to offer additional profitable clinical services.

“Med Sync is not the end goal but rather the vehicle to enable our pharmacies to transition their business model from prescription-based to patient-based profits by extending their patient-centric approach to the entire pharmacy with vaccinations, health screenings, performing more adherence interventions or adding specialty pharmaceutical capabilities. Ultimately, the foundation of Health Mart’s strategy is to help our members perform their best clinically and implement innovative business practices that support efforts to increase adherence and deliver quality patient care,” added Courtman.

As more adults get their vaccinations in the pharmacy setting, McKesson and Health Mart are making sure independent pharmacies can take advantage of this service to retain and gain new patients and generate revenue by creating the Vaccination Nation pavilion at this year’s McKesson ideaShare. This one-stop shop of immunization resources makes it easy for attendees to speak with manufacturers, get questions answered and pre-book flu vaccine. To complement McKesson’s vaccine and immunization portfolio, Health Mart also offers a comprehensive set of resources to help pharmacies start and grow their immunization services.

Health Mart’s Guide to Pharmacy Immunizations, available to all McKesson customers, guides stores through the key aspects to establish a pharmacy-based immunization program, including reimbursement, standing orders, emergency planning and adverse events, storage, and handling. With the Health Mart Vaccine Starter Kit, pharmacies get the next level of support that includes 12 months of step-by-step personal coaching to get their pharmacy’s vaccine program up and running, marketing their services and generating revenue.

At ideaShare, Health Mart is announcing the broad expansion of its physician-signed Collaborative Practice Agreement (CPA) program to cover nearly every state that requires a CPA to prescribe and administer eligible immunizations to patients in their community. By extending the CPA program nationwide, Health Mart helps more of its pharmacies save time and stay competitive.

McKesson continues to make significant investments to help Health Mart and independent pharmacies gain access to preferred networks, improve their bottom line and plan for their future.

As a market leader in managed care solutions and support for independent pharmacies, McKesson AccessHealth provides the education, expertise and tools pharmacies need to gain access to, and compete in the right preferred networks. At McKesson ideaShare, AccessHealth is sponsoring a special Sunrise Session where attendees will hear firsthand from a national pharmacy benefit manager about the activities and outcomes critical to maintaining access to lives. In the exhibit hall, attendees will explore AccessHealth’s contracting and performance programs that help independent pharmacies understand and navigate the managed care landscape, deliver best-in-class medication-related performance outcomes, and optimize their reimbursement.

McKesson’s RxOwnership will host the annual Ownership Transfer Luncheon, featuring a panel discussion with industry experts experienced in buying, selling and starting pharmacies. In the past year, McKesson has assisted over 440 owners start new pharmacies and has helped more than 3,000 pharmacies through the ownership-transfer process since 2008.