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Chain Drugstore Daily Sunday, August 26, 2018 4 2 Performance-Based Networks and Trends in Value-Based Pharmacy Reimbursment By Dave Halter, Senior Vice President, Strategic Finance Operations. The U.S. spends more than any other country in the world on healthcare. Nearly $1 out of every $5 – 17 percent of the GDP – is spent on healthcare, accord- ing to government and CMS reports. But there's a huge gap between the expense and quality of outcomes. Our nation's unsustainable health- care costs continue to fuel the industry focus on lower-cost, high-impact inter- ventions to reduce costs and improve quality outcomes. While past efforts con- centrated on decreasing individual pieces of the healthcare puzzle, the industry now recognizes it's more effective – from a cost and patient outcomes perspective – to move toward a healthcare delivery model based on performance, value and outcomes. As the industry migrates away from fee-for-service reimbursement models and moves toward pay-for-performance, pharmacies will no longer get paid sim- ply for providing services like dispensing drugs. Instead, performance on achieving quality improvement like increased adherence will drive results. For example, CMS provides sub- stantial financial bonuses to health plans based on their ability to measurably impact performance. While public and government programs lead the shift to outcome-based reimbursements, all mar- kets seek tangible changes in how our healthcare systems are incentivized. Performance-based reimbursement positions pharmacies and plans to maxi- mize savings and improve care. Research reveals that every $1 invested in pharma- cist clinical services results in nearly $5 in cost savings. Nonadherence costs $100 billion to $289 billion annually – 13 percent of total U.S. healthcare expenditures. Improving outcomes is a major impetus behind the shift from volume, or service-based models, to value, or performance-based models in pharmacy. Driving High-Performance Pharmacy Networks PBMs can help improve outcomes and reduce costs by offering high-per- forming pharmacy solutions that drive quality care by influencing behavior change, increasing clinical value and improving adherence, safety and member service. Pharmacists can help improve adher- ence and avert downstream adverse events by performing comprehensive therapy reviews to resolve medication- related problems. Research reveals that retail pharmacists are the most influential healthcare "voice" for getting patients to take medicine as prescribed. High-performance networks like MedImpact's MedNetwork ® help improve care, coverage and quality while reducing costs across all channels. Pharmacies can maximize outcomes and differentiate their pharmacies with enhanced clinical consultative services beyond dispensing to improve adherence and enhance member experience. Transparent, data-dri- ven performance metrics in com- parison with non-participating or low-performing networks can increase sales and volume. Members can increase adherence and improve outcomes with deeper phar- macist engagement. Health Plans can improve outcomes – quality, financial and member – with transparent pharma- cy performance reporting. MedImpact's MedNetwork perform- ance solution allows pharmacies to max- imize quality care while reducing costs. Similar to CMS Star Ratings, MedNetwork scores and ranks pharmacy performance for both pharmacies and plan sponsors. Based on advanced integrated quali- ty and financial performance analytics, our Pharmacy Q-Card™ closes gaps in care, improves adherence by identifying improvement opportunities to help phar- macies achieve higher ratings and better manage quality and costs. For more information, visit booth #1712. Unique Energy Drink: Built with Health in Mind The energy drink category has been growing fast for many years now. Yet, it seems to be commonly understood that these drinks aren't exactly good for you. Yet again, people keep purchasing them. The question is, why? The answer is quite simple. In the world in which we live, there's no short- age of the drive for success. The need to work harder, longer and more efficiently than the next guy. Coffee and tea have been the world's booster, or pick-me-up for … well, forever! But the fact is, it's just not good enough. Not enough bang for the sip, or kick for the drip. Then came energy drinks. First one, then many. Energy drinks seemed to be the perfect solution for those who needed just a bit more pick me up and fit perfectly for those who prefer cold, soda type beverages rather than the same old cup of coffee. Energy drinks are a great solution. That is, until you feel like your head is going to explode or your heart's going to jump out of your chest. Right? Most would agree that rapid heart rate and sometimes headache experienced with the consumption of energy drinks is not what they're looking for. What is it people are looking for? How about a mental boost focused on cognitive energy rather than a physical over-boost feeling? Is that possible? Introducing Unique Energy Drink. Unique's founder experienced heart pal- pitations while at work from consuming an energy drink. First, he couldn't believe that something as simple as an energy drink could cause such a reaction. That is, until he began doing research on energy drinks, their ingredients and why the body can react the way his did. His research inspired the creation of Unique Energy with the objective of creating a drink that is safe for everyone. He began by removing all the pri- mary ingredients virtually all energy drinks utilize: guarana, taurine, niacin, yohimbe and ginseng, while keeping vitamin B but at a modest, safe level (100 percent FDA recommended daily value or lower), then adding Reishi mushroom and green tea to provide cognitive enhancement. Reishi, though not very popular in the U.S., has been utilized heavily within Asian culture for more than 3,000 years due to its association with an extensive list of medicinal benefits. Finally, flavor. Unique found that most energy drink consumers don't find energy drinks to be enjoyable due to the flavor. They tend to put up with the fla- vor, given it is a functional beverage. Unique challenged that by developing a proprietary fruit flavor that has an incred- ibly high likeability rate. Imagine an energy drink that is built with health in mind and tastes amazing. It sounds like the land of unicorns and dragons, right? For more information, go to www.unique energy.com or call 818.280.6327. Reliability, Reputation Built and Sustain MIGHTY FLAME An interview with Jonah DiSanto, Chief Executive Officer, MIGHTY FLAME. CDD: Tell our readers about your com- pany. JD: The DiSanto family is very proud of our family-owned business. Four genera- tions of DiSantos have worked, lived and raised our families in the historic Erie Canal Village of Clyde, New York, in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region. From the beginning, the mission statement of MIGHTY FLAME has been to deliver the most convenient, cost-effective and reliable way for folks to exchange their empty BBQ cylinder for a fresh, full BBQ cylinder. In 1986, the DiSanto family intro- duced the MIGHTY FLAME Propane Cylinder Exchange Program to the mar- ket. Even after three decades, the MIGHTY FLAME Propane Cylinder Exchange Program is relevant for today's brick-and-mortar convenience stores, with locations 'right on the way home' to hundreds of neighborhood propane grills. These c-store operators understand the importance of turning their store exterior into a productive profit center. CDD: What is your company most proud of? JD: Today, the MIGHTY FLAME brand is recognized as an energizing force behind the growing American propane cylinder exchange market. We believe that service and reliability is the corner- stone of all long-term relationships, and we're proud of our commitment to each and every MIGHTY FLAME retail out- let. We're recognized as suppliers of the highest-quality product in the industry, and we're proud to stand behind our MIGHTY FLAME guarantee: the retail store will never run out of propane. Ever. MIGHTY FLAME stands behind our Replenish Point Guarantee to ensure that MIGHTY FLAME retailers never run out of propane, your MIGHTY FLAME cylinder inventory never falls below 40-50 percent full, and MIGHTY FLAME delivers cylinders to retail out- lets. Automatically. CDD: Are there any new products being launched? JD: The MIGHTY FLAME Propane Cylinder Exchange Program is the high- est quality program available in the mar- ket today. We continue to produce the highest quality products and supply the best propane to the market. The MIGHTY FLAME reputation for 100 percent reliability is the backbone to our business, and the MIGHTY FLAME rep- utation for 100 percent reliability is what we are marketing. In addition, the MIGHTY FLAME Tamper-Resistant Shrink Wrap Sleeve is produced with meticulous attention-to- detail and designed to guarantee the integrity and quality of every MIGHTY FLAME cylinder purchased. Our state- of-the-art propane Cylinder Refurbishing and Safety Inspection guarantees that each and every MIGHTY FLAME propane cylinder is clean and freshly painted, precision-filled, leak-tested, fully inspected and certified and MIGHTY FLAME branded for delivery to retail partners. CDD: How do your products or services help your customers compete in their marketplace? JD: MIGHTY FLAME increases profit margins for our retail partners. With auto- matic delivery of MIGHTY FLAME cylinders, the customer is guaranteed a fresh, full BBQ cylinder, resulting in happy, repeat customers. Our current retail partners recognize and appreciate the high-quality MIGHTY FLAME product. CDD: Who are your target customers? JD: Convenience stores and the MIGHTY FLAME brand complement each other – the perfect partnership. For more information, go to www.mightyflame.com or call 877.438.6444.