Drug Fix

04/05/2013 - 1:47pm
Walmart in-stocks: same story, different decade

Empty shelves at Walmart are getting a lot of attention these days, but the situation isn’t new and can’t be blamed entirely on store staffing levels.

Reports in Bloomberg and The New York Times have both detailed Walmart’s shortcoming when it comes to keeping products on shelves. And both reached the same conclusion that the issue is related to a reduction in staffing levels. It is a convenient and easily understood explanation because if there are fewer associates working there is less time available to perform the essential functions of running a retail business, namely keeping shelves stocked and accepting payment from customers.

03/29/2013 - 3:29pm
Retailers go all out for omnichannel

Google has officially unveiled its testing program for Google Shopping Express, its new online delivery service in the San Francisco Bay area, signing up with retailers like Target, Walgreens and Raley's to allow customers to receive items directly from store shelves at their homes within a day.

The program has been widely described as an effort by Google to compete with e-commerce giant Amazon, but what sets Google Shopping Express apart is its sourcing partnership with brick-and-mortar retailers, particularly Target, which itself has made significant investments in omnichannel retail, most recently with its purchases of two online cooking-equipment retailers. As a whole slew of developments over the past couple of weeks has shown, omnichannel is becoming a key component of many retailers' business.

03/29/2013 - 3:27pm
Expect flurry of legislative, provider activity on heels of new Calif. bills

Three bills that were introduced in California would recognize pharmacists as healthcare providers and would enable pharmacists, nurse practitioners and optometrists to practice to the full extent of their education and training.

The reality is that industry observers can expect to see more states considering similar measures as they all prepare a roadmap to lower costs by allowing pharmacists and NPs to practice at the top of their professions.

03/29/2013 - 2:21pm
Removing Affordable Care Act provision restricting use of FSAs for OTCs would save taxpayers money

A representative and a senator, both Republicans, recently introduced legislation that would repeal restrictions on health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 that prohibit the use of HSA and FSA account dollars for the purchase of over-the-counter drugs without a prescription.

One of the sponsors of the Family Health Care Flexibility Act, Sen. Mike Johanns of Nebraska, called the restrictions "government overreach and interference." But they're more than that: They're simply wasteful. The whole point of healthcare reform is to expand access to health care while reducing cost, and requiring an expensive and time-consuming doctor visit to get a prescription for an OTC drug fails at both goals.

03/22/2013 - 4:07pm
Walgreens, Alliance Boots and AmerisourceBergen help redefine economies of scale

Walgreens and Alliance Boots entered into a 10-year contract with wholesaler AmerisourceBergen on sourcing pharmaceuticals last week. But that's not all. Besides the long-term contract, Walgreens and Alliance Boots will have the option on a potential 23% equity stake in ABC in three years.

The deal takes pharmaceutical buying leverage to the stratosphere and changes the face of more than one health service industry. As Adam Fein, president of Pembroke Consulting, noted in a live television interview on Fox Business' "Money With Melissa Francis": "Three of the largest companies in the pharmaceutical industry have come together and built the single largest buyer of prescription drugs in the world," he said.

03/22/2013 - 2:47pm
New site for diagnosing, treating UTIs speaks to rise in telehealth-type services

TreatMyUTI.com is an online service founded by a group of physicians that offers online access to physician diagnosis and treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections with no office visit, exam or lab test required.

This is important because it speaks to a much larger trend within health care, and that’s the continued rise of telehealth-type services as patients and providers increasingly battle a crisis of access and affordability of health care.

03/22/2013 - 2:42pm
Change the channel: More consumers opt for mobile, online shopping

Google is dogfooding a service called Google Shopping Express, which would offer same-day delivery from brick-and-mortar stores in the San Francisco Bay Area to the Internet giant's employees. Target and several other retailers have been named as possible partners.

With Google now looking to compete with Amazon — not to mention Target's growing attention to online and mobile commerce — a growing body of consumer studies and industry trends shows that the most important emerging consumer demographic isn't men, women, old people or young people — but multichannel consumers.

03/15/2013 - 3:25pm
NACDS RxImpact Day comes at a critical time for industry

Hundreds of community pharmacy executives, pharmacy students and other pharmacy advocates representing 41,000 chain pharmacies took to Capitol Hill last week for the 5th Annual NACDS RxImpact Day and conducted more than 400 meetings with U.S. senators and representatives.

With implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2014, Congress desperately needs to hear from a stakeholder that can actually save the system money. There is growing awareness on the Hill that for every $1 invested in MTM, you save $10 to $12 — the bill introduced this week by Sens. Pat Roberts and Kay Hagan to expand MTM is a strong demonstration of that.

03/15/2013 - 3:00pm
Spotlight on clinic model gets brighter as accessibility, lower cost proves to be universal healthcare need

MinuteClinic president and SVP/associate chief medical officer of CVS Caremark, Andrew Sussman, attended two separate healthcare events in London last week to discuss how MinuteClinic is improving care and access at substantially lower cost.

This is important because, regardless of whether a country has universal healthcare or not, someone has to pay for it and accessibility can still be an issue. Interestingly, a British supermarket began testing the concept of an in-store physician-staffed clinic back in 2008 in an effort to improve access. 
A key reason: Its supermarkets are often situated in a convenient location with public transport links and ample parking.

03/15/2013 - 2:35pm
Self-care a good space to be in for 2013, 2014 and beyond

The OTC industry is well-positioned to seize opportunities across the self-care space, executives at the recent Consumer Healthcare Products Association Annual Executive Conference shared with attendees. Those opportunities will be driven by greater consumer engagement and the growing realization around how much healthcare value can be drawn from expanding OTC access.

That sets the stage for some pretty favorable growth across a $38.3 billion industry. According to an Edelman in Health survey, use of over-the-counter medicines is already prevalent among Americans — almost 85% of Americans reported regular use of an OTC remedy. Convenience, efficacy and value were three of the key factors behind that prevalence, as noted in a special report compiled by DSN.