DUBLIN, Ohio — Cardinal Health Inc. has partnered with the American Society of Consultant Pharmacies (ASCP) to offer Medicine Shoppe and independent pharmacies training, tools and guidance to help them enter the fast-growing market for long-term care.
The number of U.S. adults requiring nursing home or assisted living care is expected to reach 20 million by 2050, Cardinal reported. According to Jay Williams, vice president of market management and product development at Cardinal, the long-term care market is a great opportunity for retail pharmacies that want to expand their businesses and their health care footprint in their communities.
"Many independent pharmacists want to start serving the high-growth long-term care market, but doing so requires a specialized knowledge base and skill set," Williams said in a statement. "That’s why we’ve partnered with ASCP — the recognized expert in geriatric pharmacotherapy — to provide our customers with the education and building blocks they need to immediately start serving the medication needs of the long term care facilities in their communities."
The distributor’s Long Term Care Specialized Care Center, launched this week at its Retail Business Conference in Denver, provides independent retail pharmacists with access to a long-term care field specialist as well as discounts on ASCP’s policy and procedure manuals and on more than 20 ASCP continuing education courses
The center also offers pharmacies market analysis of local opportunities to serve the long-term care market, including local prospect target lists; business and marketing plan templates and customizable marketing materials, including presentations, brochures and flyers; and discounts on medication carts, packaging, electronic medical record systems and other infrastructure needed to target the long-term care space.
Cardinal said the Specialized Care Centers are available to all independent retail pharmacy customers and to Medicine Shoppe franchisees. At last year’s Retail Business Conference, the distributor introduced Specialized Care Center solutions for the diabetes care, home health care and immunizations segments.
"Independent retail pharmacists can play a very important role in delivering personalized, quality health care to older patients in their communities," stated John Feather, executive director and chief executive of ASCP. "We’re pleased to partner with Cardinal Health to help independent retail pharmacists enhance the care they provide to patients living in the growing number of long-term care facilities that care for seniors nationwide."
