Pharmacy alliance targets marketing indies' Rx data

Drug Store News, Nov 5, 2001 by James Frederick

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The National Community Pharmacists Association has struck two key alliances aimed at boosting the marketing clout of the roughly 25,000 independent and small chain pharmacy owners in its membership.

The first involves a new partnership with four regional independent pharmacy organizations representing some 5,000 drug store owners, virtually all of whom also are NCPA members. Its purpose: to wrest control of prescription data and other marketable information from third party plans and restore it to locally owned pharmacies.

That partnership is called the Independent Pharmacy Marketplace Alliance. It includes the Georgia Pharmacy Association's Academy of Independent Pharmacy, the Independent Pharmacy Cooperative, PACE Alliance--a buying group of 14 state pharmacy or service groups--the Pharmacy Providers of Oklahoma. It will "pursue a wide range of collaborative marketplace opportunities" to help independents boost their profitability and the quality of care by their pharmacists, according to NCPA.

"Independent pharmacies have been forced to stand by while all manner of intermediaries have taken control of the vital prescription and other information accumulated by pharmacies across the United States," said NCPA executive vice president Cal Anthony, who has been elected chairman of the IPMA. "It is our goal to take back control of that data and to do so in a way that is fully compliant with HIPAA [the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] and the dictates of patient confidentiality."

Along those lines, IPMA has endorsed two companies it said have "the resources and the expertise to aggregate and market non-patient-specific pharmacy data." Those firms are ArcLight Systems and the Hamacher Division of NonStop Solutions. "Both of these companies have been screened very carefully by the founding partners of the alliance," said IPMA vice chairman Steve Niebauer. "We are convinced that they have long-range business plans that will enable independent pharmacies to convert their data into tangible asset."

In another move announced Oct. 11, NCPA has allied with the Federation Pharmacy Networks, a group of 20 independent pharmacy buying groups representing more than 12,000 independents. The deal calls for FPN buying groups to participate in an incentive program promoting NCPA membership and membership renewal to their own affiliates. Among those participating are Legend Pharmacies, Keystone Pharmacy Purchasing Alliance, American Pharmacy Services Corp., Pharmacy Group of New England and United Drugs.

A preferred NCPA membership program for FPN affiliates is the first of several joint NCPA-FPN initiatives, according to the organization. NCPA also will offer its library of online continuing education programs to FPN buying groups.

"We believe that by joining forces with NCPA we can provide added benefits not only to our members, but to all independent community pharmacies," said FPN executive director Sue Farrell.