"Game change." That's the theme leading up to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association's 2012 Annual Executive Conference given the shifts in consumer demand and legislative focus. DSN caught up with CHPA's president and CEO Scott Melville before the meeting to get a sense of where the business of consumer healthcare products stands today, and what the association is working toward tomorrow.

CVS Caremark has grown from a go-getting New England-based regional player to a nearly $100 billion pharmacy healthcare giant known for its vertically integrated pharmacy-PBM model via the 2007 acquisition of Caremark, its highly successful loyalty card program and its innovative beauty concepts. Now, the industry trailblazer embarks on a new chapter with a new leader and an eye on driving medication adherence, curbing healthcare costs and improving the health outcomes of its patients.

CVS Caremark, through its All Kids Can program, announced on Thursday a partnership with Cedars-Sinai to expand the medical center's Coach for Kids and Their Families program to provide health services to more vulnerable children in South Los Angeles who otherwise would not have access to health services, including immunizations and dental screenings.

Target has announced its plans to open new Target Clinic locations at four Target stores in northern Virginia and four Target stores in North Carolina, marking the first Target Clinics to open in these states.

Social media opens many new opportunities for healthcare organizations to engage consumers and is changing the nature of healthcare interaction, according to a new report by Pricewaterhouse­Coopers’ Health Research Institute.


The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has emphasized the commitment of NACDS and the chain pharmacy industry to partner with policy-makers and others to improve quality and lower costs in the healthcare delivery system in a statement sent to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

I am the 99%. And thank God for that. But it’s not what you think. This isn’t about radical politics and class warfare. I’m not looking to tax the 1%. I just want them to take better care of themselves. And I’m definitely not the only one. More and more, payers, insurers and big government are all looking at ways to get this group to live a little healthier. 


With state-led Medicaid redesign and federal healthcare delivery reform under way in New York state, the demand for nurse practitioners, physicians assistants and other healthcare professionals is anticipated to continue to increase, according to a recent report by the Healthcare Association of New York State, which is a statewide hospital and continuing care association.

The CRN Foundation’s “Life…supplemented” consumer wellness campaign on Monday launched its new blog, "the Supplemental," which will provide consumers with fun, fresh, new perspectives to educate and inform consumers on combining healthy diet, supplements and exercise to optimize one’s health and well-being.

E-prescribing owes a debt of gratitude to meaningful use. Without the Office of the National Coordinator’s inclusion of the capability as a core measure, enabling physician technologies may not have taken off with such vigor. But where MU’s e-prescribing requirements — such as two-way transmissions, complete active medication lists and formulary information — leave off, real innovation — characterized by real-time transactions, automated requests and responses, and Intelligent Routing like Emdeon provides — begins with many valuable benefits for providers, pharmacies and patients.

With epidemic levels of whooping cough reported in the state of Washington that are creating the need for more immunizations resources, Walgreens on Tuesday announced that it is offering immunizations that provide protection against the highly contagious respiratory infection (tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis-Tdap vaccine) at all of its 129 locations statewide.