Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/709458
C h a i n D r u g s t o r e D a i l y 7 7 Tu e s d a y, A u g u s t 9 , 2 0 1 6 Pharmacy Automation (NGPA) product line. Already being used by the second largest pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom and by the Department of Veterans Affairs Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacies (CMOPs) in the United States, this pharmacy automation equipment is the first of its kind. CASI designs, manufactures, installs and services pharmacy automation solu- tions to retail store, mail order, long-term care and correctional pharmacies. CASI addresses all production functions including bulk drug ordering and receiv- ing, pre-packaging, on-demand packag- ing, pill canister replenishment, dispens- ing, picking, labeling, sorting, documen- tation printing, bagging, boxing, weigh- ing, shipping and more. The NGPA advances state-of-the-art technology and does for prescription assembly what the robotic car production line did for automobile assembly. The modular platform, which handles all aspects of pharmacy production, is posi- tioned to revolutionize the pharmacy industry. It is the foundation of a dis- pensing model for which the U.K. gov- ernment suggests could potentially cover up to two-thirds of England's dispensing volume. It is also the common platform for which the U.S. government envisions to dispense 100 percent of all U.S. Veteran mail order refill prescriptions. C o rnersto ne (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) The NGPA product line handles bottles, vials, single-dose cards, multi- dose cards and unit of use (UOU) items. It can pre-pack pills or package pills on demand. Additionally, through advanced technology, packaged product can be automatically patient labeled without the need for pharmacist verifi- cation. If full or sample pharmacist ver- ification is still desired, prescription validation, label checking and canister fill verification can all be virtually inspected by pharmacists at remote workstations. Additionally, CASI Technology has 100 percent pill count accuracy to avoid oral solid dispensing shortages and overages. CASI also offers total functionality pharmacy software, called SolidSuiteRx, which interfaces with any Pharmacy Information System, logistics provider, shipping company or other pharmacy control software to seamlessly tie in the product line. SolidSuiteRx directs, con- trols and tracks every operation within the pharmacy production arena, from forecasting bulk demand to verifying delivered patient prescriptions. With the most advanced technology on the market, Cornerstone Automation Systems is slat- ed to revolutionize the pharmacy automation market with its new NGPA product line. Visit Cornerstone Automation Systems at booth #2925. your company. DS: R&S Northeast is a family owned and operated pharmaceutical wholesaler with a niche focus on 340B and contract administration. With headquarters in Kentucky and a distribution facility in Philadelphia, we can provide competi- tive services to 90 percent of the U.S. R&S is an authorized vendor of Premier and Med Assets GPOs as well as work- ing with APEXYS, PHS and AFAXYS contracts. We also offer a variety of services through our family business portfolio. CDD: What is your role at R&S Northeast? DS: As Vice President of Business Development and Vendor Relations and one of four family principals, I have a vision to offer market services and fill "gaps" where a customer need can now be a competitive strength. CDD: What makes R&S different? DS: R&S is family owned and a smaller market supply chain provider. We have a desire for all customers, not just large ones, to be on a level playing field. By offering a variety of services in a niche R &S No rtheast (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) market and superior customer service, we position ourselves to carve out market share and sustain longevity within the market place. We offer flexible payment terms, web-based ordering system and no minimum financial or quantity order requirements. Audit and compliance assis- tance programs are also available. We believe having a strong alternative phar- maceutical and medical products supply chain is vital to consistent patient care. CDD: What are your products and serv- ices? DS: Our products are mainly brand and generic pharmaceuticals with limited offering of medical supplies. However, with our affiliate family businesses, we offer an array of services including Apace Packaging (oral solid packaging), R&S Solutions, our newest addition offering 3PL (third party logistic) servic- es from Jackson, Tennessee, and AvKare, our marketing company with emphasis on government markets including AvPak which focuses on Hospital Unit Dose. R&S focuses on your pharmaceutical and medical supply needs so that you can focus on patient care. Visit R&S Northeast at booth #2432. For more information, go to www.rsnortheast.com. brands David works with tend to be health and beauty, OTC, personal care, oral care, first aid, health and wellness, etc. David Biernbaum is President of David Biernbaum & Associates LLC. David is "hands-on" in all phases of marketing, retail sales distribution, strategic branding and more, and has a national network of independent retail brokers. David's involvement through the years are with clients are as large as international giants like P&G, GSK and Gillette, but also start-ups, entrepreneurs, inventors, celebrities and more. When you walk into a typical store, you are likely to find more than 200 products that David has developed or influenced. Two of David's most passionate branded clients today are Australian Dream Arthritis Creams and Back Creams, and SmartMouth Oral Rinses. David describes how both meet the spe- cial criteria for his most successful brands: innovation, category expanders, far above average price points, high pro- ductivity indexes and price intensively. With the Australian Dream brand, Biernbaum explains that success is driv- en largely by the above, but also with constant but efficient TV and radio com- mercials, with Chuck Woolery as the spokesperson. Australian Dream offers consumers 4-ounce and 2-ounce jars of Australian Dream Arthritis Cream, and same for Australian Dream Back Cream, and now available also with 2-ounce D avid B iernbaum (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) tubes, while other new incremental line- expanders are coming very soon. David Biernbaum is very proud of the progress being made with SmartMouth Oral Rinses since he took over as master-broker of national sales this past January, and was also given responsibility for the brand's marketing, re-branding and business development. Already since January sales are up nearly 30 percent year over year, and this is even before new package designs and enhanced branding-message upgrades were put into full gear. Part of David Biernbaum's rebranding strategy includes a stunning new design and mes- saging upgrade for the "Gum & Plaque" SKU which now will become an "Advanced Clinical DDS" SKU, and also brand new Dry Mouth SKU that also offers all day and all night bad breath prevention. The upgrades will be on the shelves by September. SmartMouth oral rinses are in acclaimed and award-winning dual- chamber single pour bottles. David and his SmartMouth marketing team have strengthened the brand image to become all about the science, with new advertising and graphic designs to show the consumer immediately how the activated science works to offer the all day and all night benefit of bad breath protection. For more information, contact David Biernbaum at david@biernbaum.com or go to www.davidbiernbaum.com. been on the cutting edge of technological change, being among the first to embrace automation, such as automated refill, order ready and vaccination reminders. But medication adherence plans are becoming more complex, and pharma- cies need additional technology solu- tions. This approach must be patient cen- tric, personal and driven at the medica- tion or therapeutic class level to help empower the pharmacist as a provider. Here, Robert J. Dudzinski, Pharm.D., Executive Vice President of the West Corporation Healthcare Practice answers some frequently asked questions on the role of technology in medication adherence. Dr. Dudzinski received his doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and has more than two decades of experience in pharmacy ben- efit management, mail order pharmacy, home care and information manage- ment systems. How can communication technology help meet medication adherence goals? New communication technology tools have been developed to extend existing investments in pharmacy notifications and to help execute on broader medica- tion adherence strategies. When consid- ering such tools, look for these attributes: Patient-centric: communication is delivered in the patient's channel of choice (phone, text, email, web or medical device), maximizing patient activation. Proactive: patient communications are planned and scheduled to align with care plans or clinical guidelines. Efficient: offers convenience to patients around simple reminders and tasks. Consistent: ensures patients receive the same relevant information or education. Integrated: minimizes disruption to Medicatio n adherence (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) existing workflows. Can the same technology help improve staff productivity? Pharmacies face increasing customer volume and greater demands to expand their menu of services. Appropriate and integrated use of technology can ease workloads and increase staff productivity by minimizing the amount of manual calling they do each day, offering a com- plete library of automated Communication Interventions which are used to complete common tasks that don't require a human touch, prioritizing manual interventions that enable staff to visualize which patients are engaging with automation and which ones are not, and supporting the fast growing, two- way SMS communication channel. What is unique about West Corporation's patient engagement solution? West developed its TEC Pathways™ product as a patient engagement solution that leverages Technology Enabled Communications, already in use at four of the top 10 retail pharmacies in the United States. TEC Pathways enables pharmacies to deliver the right balance between empathetic automation and the pharmacist touch by aligning automated communication interventions with phar- macy workflows and MTM Services. This approach helps keep doctors, phar- macists, nurses and caregivers connected and engaged with their patients between visits. TEC Pathways can drive more rev- enue, improve Star Ratings, promote pharmacists as frontline caregivers and enhance patient loyalty. TEC Pathways can deliver greater scale and capacity across medication adherence programs and MTM Services, to ultimately pro- duce better patient outcomes. Visit West Corporation at booth #2619.