From IVRs to PHRs, more technologies beckon pharmacies

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores Pharmacy & Technology Conference, held in Boston last month, offered pharmacists one of the best opportunities to see emerging trends in new technologies. Among the wares on display were those designed to remind patients about their drug regimen, help pharmacists comply with regulations, and improve patient safety and outcomes. Here's a sampling of the new products and services exhibited at the show.

Enhancing medication adherence

McKesson Corp. is one vendor that's getting into this business through a new unit called McKesson Patient Relationship Solutions. According to Stefan Linn, senior VP of marketing for McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical, the wholesaler will "leverage all its assets to drive adherence." Among the San Francisco company's assets is RelayHealth, which connects more than 90% of the nation's pharmacies to payers, physicians, manufacturers, and others. RelayHealth announced the launch of NotifyRx, a real-time messaging notification and intervention tool for pharmacy businesses, at the meeting. An example of NotifyRx's capabilities is that it recently alerted pharmacies to Omacor's name change to Lovaza (omega-3-acid ethyl esters, Reliant Pharmaceuticals). RelayHealth also launched a tool for medication reconciliation called IntegrateRx, which provides healthcare organizations with patients' medication histories for seamless continuity of care. McKesson revealed that Duane Reade is among the pharmacies that have agreed to make their patients' drug records available to hospital emergency rooms.

Improving security

Another solution, focused on counterfeit detection, was also on display at the show. Xstream Systems' XT250 Material Identification System uses basic X-ray technology to examine powders, pills, or even entirely sealed bottles to determine whether they are legitimate or counterfeit. Scanned medications receive a pass/fail grade. The machine can scan inside opaque plastic, cardboard, or even metal packaging. The results can be printed, stored, or sent to a server.

EMRs versus PHRs