GNP’s ThoughtSpot 2018 touts services, advocacy

7/20/2018
AmerisourceBergen and Good Neighbor Pharmacy are using the annual ThoughtSpot tradeshow in Orlando, Fla., as a spot to debut program enhancements to help its pharmacists serve patients better.

At ThoughtSpot 2018’s general session, Good Neighbor Pharmacy executives outlined a new tiered-program structure for its independent pharmacy solutions. Its offerings are now organized into four value centers — in-store experience, marketing, managed care and business performance. Taken together, the company said the suite of solutions is designed to help simplify an independent pharmacy’s operations and amplify its brand while building profitability.

“We firmly believe that this is an incredible time to be an independent community pharmacy,” said Brian Nightengale, president of Good Neighbor Pharmacy and AmerisourceBergen senior vice president of community and specialty pharmacy. “Our belief stems from what we see in communities nationwide and in changing consumer demands and demographics. Whether it is expanding their role to meet growing primary care needs or improving population health through drug therapy management, independent pharmacies continue to deliver significant value. We are confident that their role will continue to grow and that their value will be increasingly recognized, which is why we continue to increase our investments and augment our programs.”

Leaders from AmerisourceBergen also discussed how it is working to bring about new value-based payment models focused on health outcomes as a way to grow pharmacists’ role beyond dispensing. Part of that is participation in the Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network, with which AmerisourceBergen is partnering to launch a readiness program that will allow 70 CPESN pharmacies to offer interventions for congestive heart failure. The readiness program will explore a scalable outline for a community pharmacist-provided model of care for the disease state.

CPESN is part of the ways that pharmacies are working to grow their role in the healthcare landscape, but U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., discussed how independent pharmacists can grow their voice on legislation that impacts them.

ThoughtSpot 2018 also saw the naming of the Good Neighbor Pharmacy 2018 Pharmacy of the Year award winner. Douglas, Wyo.-based Frontier Drug rose to the top of a pack of nearly 60 nominees through its commitment to ensuring patients have their medication, even if it requires driving 60 miles to pick up a medication that wasn’t in stock.

Additionally, AmerisourceBergen and Good Neighbor Pharmacy hosted a seven-member panel focused on women in pharmacy.
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