Chain Drug Review, July 9, 2018

Delivering Better Health to All RXOwnership fuels new opportunities IRVING Texas Independent pharmacies are the lifeblood of the communities they serve and making sure they continue to survive in an increasingly competitive industry is the heart of the mission for McKessons RxOwnership program Independent pharmacists fill a specific niche in the community and health care Theres abundant information out from National Community Pharmacists Association NCPA on the significance that the independent pharmacy owner plays in the overall picture of health care says Chris Cella national vice president of McKesson RxOwnership and the success of health care as well as the personalized service or the additional health care service that theyre promoting to keep their patients healthier McKesson through its RxOwnership program helps independent pharmacies stay in the profession and helps new owners enter it in numerous ways Cella says guiding independent owners and prospective owners through the process of ownership transfer or starting from the ground up At the grassroots level Cella and his team speak at pharmacy colleges throughout the country We do various presentations on how to start a pharmacy he says We host presentations on finance 101 We teach the pharmacy students how to look at a small business profit and loss statement and then whats important in the statement information Through the program the RxOwnership team also teaches the basics of a business plan and offers presentations on the wholesalers role in independent pharmacy ownership and what the wholesaler can bring to the table During these presentations McKesson also sponsors what Cella calls an owners panel featuring practical insights from independent pharmacy owners This really resonates with the students Cella says They actually see somebody thats living it talking about it talking about the good things the bad things why they like it Another significant part of McKessons RxOwnership services is the companys Women in Pharmacy Own It program which provides essential resources designed for women to excel in independent pharmacy creating a community of women helping other women grow and exceed expectations The program is built on four pillars Mentorship in which women owners share keys to their success and learn from others Leadership which helps the owners to develop and fine tune skills needed for success Ownership which provides instruction on how to begin manage and expand a business Work life balance a critical component for women helping them to prioritize goals expectations and responsibilities Independents fill a specific niche in health care The idea to focus on women ownership sprung from these presentations when it became clear most of the students taking part were female We did some research and found through the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy by the year 2020 six in 10 pharmacy school graduates will be women Cella says adding that despite a predominance of women pharmacy students the majority of independent owners are male Based on the programs four pillars McKesson created a database of mentors and mentees in which women looking for help about independent pharmacy ownership are matched up with current women pharmacy owners Its been very significant for us right now Cella says Chris Cella 16 Chain Drug Review July 9 2018