How McKesson Helps Health Systems Balance Effectiveness and Cost

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By: McKesson Editorial Team

Health systems can benefit from working closely with their primary vendor to address the upcoming requirements to the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). In fact, partnering with a trusted company like McKesson not only helps health systems meet key compliance requirements, it can also help balance effectiveness and cost.

In 2013, Congress enacted the Drug Supply Chain Security Act to enhance patient safety by preventing counterfeit, adulterated, or stolen drugs from entering the pharmaceutical supply chain. Since then, DSCSA has implemented several milestones, including product tracing requirements and serialization requirements.

November 27, 2023 marks the deadline for manufacturers, repackagers, distributors, and dispensers to comply with enhanced drug distribution security requirements. The requirements include enhanced verification of product identifiers; the use of an electronic. Interoperable system exchange of serial DSCSA Transaction Information; quarantine and investigation of suspect products; and verification of authorized trading partners.

As your trusted partner, McKesson is ready to address the needs of your health system to help you stay DSCSA compliant, while also balancing effectiveness and cost. Furthermore, Scott Mooney, VP Distribution Operations at McKesson, is nationally recognized for his expertise on DSCSA actions and requirements.

How McKesson Can Help Balance Effectiveness and Cost

Streamlined Supply Chain: A primary vendor like McKesson acts as a single point of contact in a health system's pharmaceutical supply chain, precluding the need to order from multiple manufacturers and distributors. This reduces the administrative burden of managing multiple relationships and orders. It also helps to ensure compliance with DSCSA requirements, such as product tracing and verification, by centralizing data and documentation.

Enhanced Visibility and Traceability: DSCSA requires pharmaceutical products to be traced and verified throughout the supply chain to ensure their authenticity. McKesson can provide health systems with enhanced visibility and traceability by utilizing advanced technologies to accurately capture and record product information at each point in the supply chain.

Cost Savings: By consolidating orders and leveraging economies of scale, McKesson can negotiate with manufacturers and suppliers, resulting in potential cost savings for health systems. This can help health systems optimize their pharmaceutical procurement processes, reduce costs, and improve their overall financial performance while ensuring compliance with DSCSA requirements.

Operational Efficiency: McKesson can also help improve operational efficiency. With a single point of contact, health systems can streamline their procurement processes, reduce paperwork, and minimize the time and effort required to manage multiple vendor relationships.

Expertise and Support: McKesson is a trusted voice in the industry with extensive expertise in pharmaceutical supply chain management and DSCSA compliance. We can provide health systems with valuable guidance, support, and education on best practices for DSCSA compliance, including training on product tracing, verification, and other regulatory requirements. This helps health systems stay compliant with DSCSA while minimizing the risk of non-compliance penalties or other legal and financial risks.

By working closely with a primary vendor like McKesson for DSCSA, your health system can balance effectiveness and cost by streamlining the supply chain, enhancing visibility and traceability, achieving cost savings, improving operational efficiency, and leveraging the expertise and support of a specialized partner. This can allow your health system to optimize your pharmaceutical procurement processes, ensure compliance with DSCSA requirements, and focus on delivering high-quality patient care.

Is your health system DSCSA ready? Read the key compliance requirements or contact us to learn how McKesson can help you achieve more.