Program to help independent pharmacies foster greater collaboration with physicians and attract more patients
McKesson ideaShare Conference - San Francisco - June 30, 2011 - McKesson is changing how independent pharmacies increase new-patient traffic into their stores by helping them identify and build relationships with prescribing physicians in their local communities. This unique solution - The McKesson Physician Outreach Program - empowers independent pharmacies to more effectively reach out to and collaborate with local physicians, attract new patients, and promote the value of the personalized services and clinical knowledge they provide.
"Gaining new customers and increasing prescription volume is a top priority for independent pharmacies," said Rex Catton, senior vice president, McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical. "With the Physician Outreach Program, independent pharmacies can easily connect with high-volume prescribers in their geographic area, which in turn can help them not only attract new customers, but also extend their reputation in their communities as a trusted source for clinical services and ongoing support."
The first offering of its kind, the Physician Outreach Program combines a simple-to-use Web application and timesaving communication tools to help pharmacists identify and build relationships with relevant physicians in their area:
- Web Application: Linked through the McKesson ConnectSM pharmaceutical ordering portal, participating pharmacists can leverage an easy-to-use Web application that maps prescriber locations near the pharmacy and identifies key data on prescribing physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants including total prescription counts for each prescriber, medical specialty and contact information. This feature enables pharmacists to identify high-volume providers in their geographic area, determine the share of scripts they are receiving from each provider and track how this share changes over time to determine if their physician outreach efforts are delivering results. The tool also provides pharmacies with valuable data, such as DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) and NPI (National Provider Identifier) numbers, which help pharmacy staffs fill scripts more efficiently.
- Suite of Marketing Tools: To facilitate outreach efforts, pharmacists can take advantage of a complete set of customizable marketing tools to communicate their value and promote their pharmacy's services to targeted physicians and healthcare providers. These marketing tools are designed to help pharmacists refine their messages and develop a targeted campaign that builds valuable prescriber-pharmacist relationships. Additional marketing support and consulting are also available to pharmacists who are looking for enhanced and personalized services from McKesson.
"McKesson's Physician Outreach Program is a valuable new tool that can help me connect with local physicians and grow my business," said Craig Kueltzo, RPh., Lombard Health Mart Pharmacy (Lombard, IL). "By incorporating this program into my overall business strategy, I've gained new scripts and can effectively market to physicians the services my pharmacy offers that can support the health of their patients."
The Physician Outreach Program will initially be made available to Health Mart pharmacies, followed by general availability to McKesson's independent-pharmacy customer base.
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About McKesson
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 15th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to making the business of healthcare run better. We partner with payors, hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and others across the spectrum of care to build healthier organizations that deliver better care to patients in every setting. McKesson helps its customers improve their financial, operational, and clinical performance with solutions that include pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management, healthcare information technology, and business and clinical services. For more information, visit http://www.McKesson.com.
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