SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MCKESSON IDEASHARE-- Marble City Health Mart® Pharmacy, located in Sylacauga, Ala., has been named the 2015 Pharmacy of the Year grand prize winner by McKesson Corporation. McKesson’s Pharmacy of the Year award recognizes independent pharmacies that are best-in-class in a range of areas including innovative approaches to their business and outstanding service to their community.
Marble City Health Mart Pharmacy has been a McKesson customer and a member of Health Mart® since 2003. Pharmacy founder Danny Johnson and his sons, owners Jared and Jacob Johnson, were honored in a special awards ceremony during the Opening General Session at the McKesson ideaShare 2015 conference.
Marble City Health Mart Pharmacy provides their customers with exceptional customer service, and the pharmacy staff are active participants in their community. Pharmacy staff hold diabetes education classes, a diabetes fair twice a year, regularly visit four local senior citizen facilities and low-income housing units, and conduct community outreach and health presentations. Their efforts show the community that Marble City Health Mart Pharmacy is committed to providing better outcomes to their patients. “When you are out in the community, you gain the confidence of potential customers,” said Jared Johnson.
“Marble City Health Mart Pharmacy and all of our regional winners are dedicated to providing their customers with extraordinary service that also improves patient care and shows why community pharmacies continue to thrive,” said Mark Walchirk, president, McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical. “McKesson will continue to invest in new programs and clinical services to help independent pharmacies improve their patients’ health and better serve their communities.”
In 2014, the Johnsons launched Marble City Vital Care, becoming the first pharmacy in the area to offer home infusion services. Residents previously had to travel nearly an hour to Birmingham for home infusion supplies, which led to many hospital readmissions.
To keep physicians informed of developments in new generic drugs or changes in medication regulations, the Johnsons send a brief “fax blast” to more than three dozen local physicians. The pharmacy provides continuing education classes for doctors and nurses and partners with the insurance program for state and local government employees to provide health screenings, which can save state and local government employees $25 a month on their insurance costs.
The pharmacy owners rotate carrying a store mobile phone so they are always available to their customers 24/7. “We want Marble City Health Mart Pharmacy to be a part of the community and to give our customers the peace of mind that we will do everything we can to take care of them. We are a truly family-owned business; I have passed on the responsibility to my two pharmacist sons, Jacob and Jared. Our customers love and appreciate the family atmosphere,” said founder and owner Danny Johnson.
The pharmacy has also been successful in growing their business with innovative marketing efforts developed using Health Mart’s local marketing support. Their marketing efforts include printed brochures, television advertising with other Health Marts in their area, radio spots, and social media through Facebook and Twitter. They also customized Health Mart Your Pharmacy OnlineSM to create a mobile and search-friendly pharmacy website at marblecitypharmacy.com and offer a mobile app for customers.
McKesson recognized three additional pharmacies as Pharmacy of the Year regional winners for their innovation and outstanding contributions to their communities. This year’s regional winners are:
- The Prescription Shop Health Mart Pharmacy in Montebello, California, owned by Shushma Patel. Patel dedicates every Wednesday to community outreach visiting three or four physicians in the morning, often accompanied by a technician so physicians and their practices have a connection to the entire pharmacy team. Additionally, she attends Rotary luncheons and even sees patients in their homes to administer immunizations if they are unable to go to the pharmacy. Patel also has a strong focus on education, conducting monthly diabetic classes and writing a monthly column focused on health for the local community newspaper.
- Towncrest Health Mart Pharmacy in Iowa City, Iowa, owned by Randy McDonough and Michael Deninger. The pharmacy developed custom software called “Pharmclin” that pulls real-time information from the dispensing system and transforms it into a usable clinical record. At a glance, the pharmacist can see everything that needs to be addressed, such as interventions that have been completed and are pending, and can flag the patient for follow-up and transmit notes and recommendations to physicians. McDonough and Deninger also actively maintain a social media presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, McKesson Connect Community, Twitter, and their personal blog, the “Thriving Pharmacist.”
- First State Health Mart Pharmacy in Wilmington, Delaware, owned by Chas McCormick. McCormick made the decision to take a more proactive role in helping patients with compliance and adherence issues by purchasing a Parata® PASS™ compliance packaging machine. To grow the compliance program in his community, McCormick began to market to assisted living facilities, home nursing associations, and discharge coordinators and social workers at a local hospital group. These efforts resulted in additional compliance program participation. Each month, 50 to 60 customers use First State Health Mart Pharmacy’s compliance program for their prescriptions. Additionally, First State has engaged in grassroots efforts to build its presence in the community, including sponsorship of little league and high school sports teams, and a summer camp program for the United Cerebral Palsy organization.
For more information on McKesson and Health Mart’s announcements from McKesson ideaShare 2015, please visit McKesson’s online newsroom at www.mckesson.com/newsroom.
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About Health Mart®
Health Mart, which won the 2014 Pharmacy Innovator of the Year Award from Chain Drug Review, is America’s fastest-growing independent pharmacy franchise with more than 4,000 locally owned community pharmacies across all 50 states. Health Mart pharmacists provide personalized care and take the time to help patients understand their prescription-drug coverage, how to safely manage multiple medications, and how to take advantage of lower-cost medication options. As an important member of the healthcare team, Health Mart pharmacists possess strong clinical knowledge and partner with their patients, and their patients’ other healthcare providers, to help them manage and improve patients’ health. The Health Mart franchise is owned by Health Mart Systems, Inc., which is an affiliate of McKesson Corporation. To find a locally owned Health Mart pharmacy near you, visit www.healthmart.com, where you will also find comprehensive online health and wellness information.
About McKesson
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 11th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to making the business of healthcare run better. McKesson partners with payers, hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and others across the spectrum of care to build healthier organizations that deliver better care to patients in every setting. McKesson helps its customers improve their financial, operational and clinical performance with solutions that include pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management, healthcare information technology, and business and clinical services. For more information, visit www.mckesson.com.