Takeaways from the PDS Conference
Independent pharmacy is changing rapidly, but independent pharmacy owners can thrive by taking advantage of emerging trends in pharmacy technology and pharmacy services. Without a doubt, the best forum for the forward-thinking pharmacy owner is managed by Pharmacy Development Services (PDS). Recently, RxSafe was honored to serve as Grand Event Sponsor of the PDS All-Star Super Conference, which took place Feb. 23-25 in Orlando, Florida.
The PDS All-Star Super Conference
The 2017 PDS All-Star Super Conference focused on helping pharmacies maximize their business and streamline their services. Pharmacy professionals who attended were able to network with other independent owners and pharmacists, as well as learn about opportunities for new innovations at the forefront of the industry.
Whenever RxSafe participates in a conference, we always come away with new information to implement in our business, as well as new contacts and prospective customers. This year, rather than simply publishing our own perspective on the conference, we asked some of our pharmacy customers to share their “lessons learned” from the event. Below are the top takeaways that industry peers shared with us after returning from PDS.
Joe Romph, Paw Paw Pharmacy
Joe Romph, owner/pharmacist at Paw Paw Village Pharmacy, was impressed with the quality of vendors at this year’s PDS conference. While Romph has observed that many tradeshows allow several unrelated vendors to display their work, PDS had fewer vendors, focusing on highly relevant products and services. Romph was also impressed with PrescribeWellness, an organization that currently has a membership of 15,234 high-performing pharmacies across the US. PrescribeWellness offers software solutions for pharmacies to address customer “star” ratings, medication adherence, and customer loyalty. The company also helps its customers identify revenue opportunities, streamline workflow, and sustain additional services. Romph enjoyed attending the conference with his wife this year, and next year he also plans to invite his business partner.
Amjad Abukwaik, Sheefa Pharmacy
For Amjad Abukwaik, owner/pharmacist at Sheefa Pharmacy, attending PDS is an easy choice. In fact, if it weren’t for the PDS conference, Abukwaik wouldn’t have an RxSafe solution in his pharmacy now. While many of the industry tips that were discussed at the conference were ones that Sheefa Pharmacy has been putting into practice for several years, Abukwaik said they still enjoy attending and learning. He would recommend the PDS All-Star Conference to anyone new to the pharmacy business, as well as those who are members of PDS. Abukwaik thought the speakers were “phenomenal,” and was especially impressed by presentations by Dr. Nido Qubein and Joel Weldon on how to build yourself and your business, and how to be a more productive person.
Matthew Maker, Donlon Pharmacy
Matthew Maker, owner/pharmacist at Donlon Pharmacy, felt that the clinical services material was most useful. As clinical services appears to be the wave of the future when it comes to pharmacy growth, Maker was impressed with the classes and breakout sessions available and felt that he learned a lot about these new trends. Like Joe Romph, Maker was impressed with the vendor quality at PDS compared to other tradeshows. He also enjoyed connecting with other PDS vendors and finding out what is working for them, as well as learning about the data mining program at PDS.
A Final Word from RxSafe
The entire team at RxSafe thoroughly enjoyed spending time with current and future customers at at the PDS All-Star Conference. It’s always a pleasure to conduct product demos and answer questions about our complete pharmacy automation services. If you were unable to attend the conference but would like to learn about what RxSafe can do for your pharmacy, please get in touch with us at 877-672-4956. Our team would be pleased to give you a demonstration of our automation products and how they can help your pharmacy thrive in 2017.