McKesson e-nables community pharmacy patient-, peer-engagement through social, mobile and web technologies

LAS VEGAS — McKesson, one of the largest healthcare services companies in the country, on Monday extended its technology solutions to change the way community pharmacies collaborate, communicate and share information with customers and peers.



The new offerings, which debuted at McKesson’s annual ideaShare Conference, here at Las Vegas’ Venetian Resort — including the rapid adoption of the McKesson Connect Community, a professional networking site for pharmacy staff, as well as the new mobile capabilities of ScriptAlert and Health Mart’s new digital offering Your Pharmacy Online — give community pharmacy owners additional tools to help improve the way they run their business and enhance the way they care for their patients.



“Retail pharmacists are quickly realizing that social, mobile and Web platforms enable them to become more efficient while delivering better care to their patients,” said Brian Tyler, president of McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical. “Community pharmacy owners continue to turn to McKesson to help them achieve better business health. By focusing on innovation and delivering technology solutions that are tailored for community pharmacy, our customers can connect with their patients and peers in entirely new ways.”



Taking a closer look, the new digital and mobile capabilities include:



• ScriptAlert: A new, robust direct-to-patient text messaging and mobile application that help independent pharmacy owners improve medication adherence, strengthen patient relationships and drive additional revenue with cost-effective technology. ScriptAlert provides patients with text-based refill reminders, refill notifications and auto-fill options, as well as a mobile prescription-management application that feeds directly into the pharmacy’s dispensing system.



"As we launch the ScriptAlert mobile application to give community pharmacies the ability to offer the convenience of on-the-go prescription management, we are very excited to highlight the pilot results, which show that patients using ScriptAlert could refill between one and two additional prescriptions a year*,” said Darren O’Neill, senior director of McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical.  “Not only does this demonstrate strong potential to improve patient adherence, but also represents a lift in prescription revenue.”



“I have patients of all ages who are embracing the convenience of technology,” said Shelley Bailey, owner of Central Drugs in Portland, Ore. “ScriptAlert will allow me to provide my patients with choice and convenience built on advanced technology that is easy to implement and cost-effective.”



• McKesson Connect Community: Since launching in fall 2011, McKesson Connect Community has connected more than 1,500 members, including community pharmacy owners, pharmacists and technicians. Members gain access to the McKesson Connect Community through McKesson Connect, McKesson’s online pharmaceutical-ordering portal.



Members from across the country have participated in more than 500 discussions on McKesson Connect Community, leveraging the platform to share knowledge on such key pharmacy issues as protecting their reimbursements, finding new sources of revenue with additional clinical and pharmacy services, and growing their customer base.

“I had been looking for a fast, easy way to connect with other Health Mart and independent-pharmacy owners to share information and best practices, as I have many ideas, but few peers nearby to ask questions and share feedback with,” said Tom Wullstein, Pharm.D., Brandon Health Mart in Brandon, S.D. “I jumped onto the McKesson Connect Community immediately after it was launched and was probably one of the first 20 pharmacists to join. Now, I regularly respond to inquiries from other members and post questions — the answers to which have generated several new marketing ideas that have dramatically improved my business. McKesson Connect Community is a great destination for pharmacists seeking answers and knowledge from a community of their peers.”

• Your Pharmacy Online: Health Mart’s new consumer-facing online platform enables pharmacy owners to stay better connected with their patients, while still allowing each Health Mart pharmacy owner to showcase their own pharmacy’s distinctive personality and services. Through Your Pharmacy Online, Health Mart owners can attract new customers by customizing their online presence to promote events and promotions; maximize the value of existing customers by giving them more options to connect and refill prescriptions from their mobile devices, and giving the pharmacy more ways to connect with them via text messages and email refill reminders; and enhances business efficiency by feeding online refills directly into their pharmacy-management systems.



For more information on all of McKesson’s announcements from McKesson ideaShare 2012, please visit McKesson’s online newsroom at www.mckesson.com/newsroom.



* SOURCE: McKesson Clinical Analytics 2012. Based on 596 enrolled patients.