VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — AmerisourceBergen Corp. has recognized Accardi Clinical Pharmacy, a community pharmacy in Orange City, Fla., with its Good Neighbor Pharmacy of the Year award.
The pharmaceutical distributor said Monday that Accardi Clinical Pharmacy, a member of its Good Neighbor Pharmacy drug store franchise, was honored for top-notch patient care and community leadership, as well as executing innovative marketing and branding practices and successful business operations that help deliver a better bottom line.
"Accardi Clinical Pharmacy is a stand-out example of an independent community pharmacy that is not only surviving but thriving in today’s changing health care landscape through innovation and diversification," A.J. Caffentzis, senior vice president of sales and marketing at AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp., said in a statement. "Owner Roger Accardi, Pharm.D., is a true patient champion who believes the pharmacy should be centered around the patient and not the prescription."
AmerisourceBergen noted that Accardi Clinical Pharmacy features a living room-like waiting area, extensive reading library, readily available staff nurses and patient counseling rooms, making it appears more like a doctor’s office than a drug store.
In addition, owner Roger Accardi employs a consultative approach with his patients to review their pharmacy regimen to optimize the efficacy of their medication, potentially reduce the number of prescriptions they need and counsel them on managing their health, the company said. Through such a holistic, wellness-based approach, Accardi is changing the face of patient care by implementing clinical protocols in a pharmacy setting and identifying additional areas to expand his pharmacy practice, the distributor added.
This year’s Good Neighbor Pharmacy of the Year winner was determined by peers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and AmerisourceBergen associates via text messaging voting during the general session of the company’s ThoughtSpot 2013 conference in Las Vegas.
"The entire team at Accardi Clinical Pharmacy should be especially proud that not only were they recognized for their efforts by AmerisourceBergen, they were also selected by their independent community pharmacy and industry peers," Caffentzis add
Other finalists for this year’s award were Bryan’s Family Pharmacy in Lebanon, Ohio; Newhard Pharmacy in Northampton, Pa.; and Ordway Drug Store in Monterey, Calif.
In other news from ThoughSpot, AmerisourceBergen announced that Good Neighbor Pharmacy stores can now provide immunization services to patients without a doctor’s prescription under the Good Neighbor Pharmacy Provider Network’s (GNPPN) new Collaborative Practice Coverage program.
The new program allows independent pharmacists to benefit from GNPPN’s Collaborative Practice Agreements, which it now has in 19 states. The contractual agreements, between pharmacists and physicians, enable pharmacists to determine the need for vaccines in accordance with protocols and standing orders. The contracts eliminates the need for a prescription for vaccines, removing a potential barrier for patients and giving them greater access to immunizations, AmerisourceBergen said.
"Many independent community pharmacists have experienced difficulty finding a physician willing to engage in collaborative practices. Our Collaborative Practice Coverage is designed to help these pharmacies attract and retain patients, increase their revenue and remain competitive," stated Chuck Reed, group vice president of pharmacy technology and solutions at AmerisourceBergen.
More than 100 pharmacies have enrolled in GNPPN’s Collaborative Practice Coverage program as early adopters, the company reported. Pharmacies in the program receive a Collaborative Practice Agreement signed by a physician licensed by the state in which the pharmacy is located, as well as standing orders and protocols for vaccination administration and medical management of adverse reactions.
AmerisourceBergen also reported that pharmacies participating in its Good Neighbor Pharmacy Business Coaching program realized an average 5% increase in sales per employee.
Pharmacies in the coaching program realized the increase via store-hour adjustments and/or reallocating labor costs to boost efficiency, AmerisourceBergen said. Besides improving sales, coached pharmacies were found to have decreased inventory by increasing the turns by 1.4 turns. A pharmacy that is turning their inventory 1.4 more times annually limits their exposure to losses in expired returns, according to the company.
Coached pharmacies, too, decreased their incidents of "usual and customary claims" by an average of 61% year over year and were half as likely to override or discount a pricing formula, enabling them to provide consistent pricing to patients.
"Independent community pharmacies continue to be challenged to keep their doors open while struggling with reimbursements and suffering from declining profits," commented Caffentzis. "Yet, as many top-performing pharmacies have proven, these challenges can be met head on and conquered with the right tools and support. We are proud to support independent community pharmacies with programs like our Business Coaching solution."
