Walgreens to pull stores from Washington’s Medicaid program
Citing continued cuts in pharmacy reimbursements, Walgreen Co. is set to pull about half of its pharmacies in Washington from the state’s Medicaid program next month.
Retail News
Duane Reade provides H1N1 shots for Hunter College
Duane Reade is making it easier for students, faculty and staff at Manhattan’s Hunter College to receive H1N1 flu vaccinations.
Rite Aid campaign takes aim at shingles
Rite Aid Corp. is launching a national vaccination and education campaign for shingles, a painful nerve disease that the pharmacy chain said strikes 1 million U.S. adults annually.
New Walgreens wellness program targets chronic conditions
At select drug stores, Walgreen Co. is rolling out a self-care educational program for people with chronic conditions. Called Walgreens Optimal Wellness, the program initially will focus on people with type 2 diabetes, the drug chain said Wednesday.
NACDS letter to HHS touts pharmacy’s role as vaccine provider
With drug chains now in full rollout mode for H1N1 immunizations, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores trumpeted community pharmacy’s role as a vaccine provider in a letter this week to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
Walgreens to buy Snyders stores from Katz
Walgreen Co. plans to acquire Snyders Drug Stores’ 25 company-owned stores in Minnesota from Katz Group North America. Under the agreement, announced Wednesday, Walgreens has agreed to buy the pharmacy business and certain other assets of the corporate-owned Snyders stores from Katz.
Pharmacy Outlook 2010: Industry readies for reform
Pharmacy industry leaders say health care reform will form the backdrop of whatever course the sector takes in 2010. Indeed, as the Obama administration approaches the end of its first year in office, health care reform heads the president’s domestic agenda.
CVS Caremark boosts dividend
CVS Caremark Corp. is raising its quarterly dividend by 15%, citing its robust financials and positive growth outlook. The drug store and pharmacy benefit management company said Tuesday that its board of directors has approved a dividend of 8.
Jean Coutu generates 3Q revenue, earnings gains
Jean Coutu Group Inc. posted robust sales growth and improved earnings and operating results for its fiscal 2010 third quarter. The Canadian drug store retailer said sales in the quarter ended November 28 rose 9.3% to $678.1 million (Canadian) from $620.3 million a year earlier.
CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid turn spotlight on H1N1 flu shots
The nation’s biggest drug store chains are touting their broad availability of H1N1 vaccine as National Influenza Vaccination Week gets under way. CVS Caremark Corp., Walgreen Co. and Rite Aid Corp.
MinuteClinic earns reaccreditation from The Joint Commission
CVS Caremark Corp. said its MinuteClinic subsidiary has become the first retail clinic to be reaccredited and earn The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for consecutive evaluation periods by demonstrating compliance with the commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety.
Supervalu names new merchandising chief
Steve Jungmann has been hired as executive vice president of merchandising at food and drug retailer Supervalu Inc. Jungmann fills the vacancy left by Duncan Mac Naughton, who resigned from Supervalu in late September and joined Wal-Mart Canada as chief marketing officer.
NACDS welcomes designation of flu vaccination week
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has praised the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for designating January 10 to 16 as National Influenza Vaccination Week.
GAO report shows Rx reimbursement rates fall short
A new study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) provides major support for community pharmacy in its effort to achieve reform of Medicaid pharmacy reimbursement rates. The study was undertaken at the request of Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa).
CVS Caremark to migrate e-prescribing to Allscripts
CVS Caremark Corp. plans to move to a new electronic prescribing platform under an agreement with health information technology provider Allscripts.
Walgreens launches Rx history downloads via HealthVault
Walgreen Co. is now enabling pharmacy customers to download their prescription histories to a personal Microsoft HealthVault record.