Community Pharmacy Goes Digital

NCPA partners with RxWiki, Inc. to deliver social media and mobile solutions to community pharmacies and patients

News provided by

National Community Pharmacists Association

May 29, 2013, 10:00 ET

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 29, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and RxWiki, Inc., the leading pharmacy media network, announced today a new partnership that will offer digital solutions to over 23,000 community pharmacies across the country. Through this strategic partnership, NCPA will incorporate RxWiki's Digital Pharmacist™ offering as a new, cost-free benefit for its members. The Digital Pharmacist suite includes website, social media, and mobile solutions for pharmacists to deliver medication information to patients.

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"With pharmacists becoming more involved in the delivery and management of patient care, there is a valuable opportunity for greater collaboration with patients to improve overall health outcomes," said NCPA President Donnie Calhoun, RPh, a pharmacy owner in Anniston, Ala.

"The strategic goal of this partnership is to empower community pharmacists with world-class medication information and digital solutions to better engage patients within the pharmacy and from any digital device," said Donald W. Hackett, CEO and Publisher of RxWiki.

RxWiki's digital solutions enable community pharmacists on any scale to connect and engage with patients on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Additionally, patients will be able to leave the pharmacy with a mobile app customized for their needs.

"RxWiki's Digital Pharmacist program has delivered measurable results for my pharmacy," said Mark Newberry, PharmD, owner of Tarrytown Pharmacy in Austin, who tested the program earlier this year. "Within the first two months, Tarrytown Pharmacy's Facebook audience more than doubled, our customer reviews on Google+ earned us a ranking of excellent, and we received more than 300 online requests for driving directions to our store. That digital visibility translates to new patients coming through our pharmacy's front door."

"At NCPA, we are constantly seeking new ways to help our members become more successful business owners," said Calhoun. "I am confident NCPA members will find this new Digital Pharmacist program to be a valuable addition to their NCPA membership that will help to attract new customers and increase profitability at their businesses."

"As health care delivery shifts toward an age of accountable care, RxWiki's solutions are supporting community pharmacists transition into a new role as the 'primary-care-pharmacist,'" said Hackett. "In partnering with NCPA, RxWiki will have the opportunity to connect thousands of community pharmacies and their patients to timely, trusted medication information and digital tools to improve patient medication management."

To learn more about these solutions and how to enroll, please visit http://www.ncpanet.org/digitalpharmacist.

About NCPA
The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA®) represents the interests of America's community pharmacists, including the owners of more than 23,000 independent community pharmacies. Together they represent an $88.5 billion health care marketplace, dispense nearly 40% of all retail prescriptions, and employ more than 300,000 individuals, including over 62,000 pharmacists. To learn more go to www.ncpanet.org or read NCPA's blog, The Dose, at http://ncpanet.wordpress.com/.

About RxWiki, Inc.
RxWiki, Inc. is an innovative media company that publishes medication content, deploys eHealth applications and patient engagement services. RxWiki's Social Media-as-a-Service offering enables pharmacists to distribute medication information and health news within social media channels and mobile applications. RxWiki.com publishes the only digital medications encyclopedia for patients, created and edited exclusively by licensed pharmacists.

SOURCE National Community Pharmacists Association