Northwind Pharmaceuticals

Northwind Pharmaceuticals is proud to support student health centers.  The student health center is a unique environment.  Serving a very large population within a very narrow geography, student health professionals have to be flexible in their approach to care and get to know their patients in very short order.  Some student health centers focus on treating very general conditions at the most basic level; the school nurse model.  Other student health centers are mini-hospitals offering a variety of outpatient procedures to their large patient population.  The student health center is managed by nurses operating under the direction of a Medical Director.  Smaller centers may be staffed by one nurse and an assistant; larger centers may have a dozen or more nurses, multiple physicians and a support staff.

Our student health center customers are mid-sized clinics that want to provide the convenience of on site medications to their patients without the cost of opening a full-blown pharmacy.  We support clinics that offer six medications as well as clinics offering 40 or 50 medications.  Many student health centers charge their students a co-pay for services while others include health services as part of a "student services" fee paid with tuition.  From dispensing birth control to antibiotics, these clinics become a life support center for their student patients. 

Many student health centers are members of the American College Health Association.  The ACHA supports Student Health Centers with professional development opportunities, information resources, a magazine and an annual meeting.  The ACHA also bridges Federal health initiatives and college health by facilitating communication of trends and data to student health centers.  Almost all of our student health center customers belong to the ACHA.  This year's ACHA Conference will be held May 31 - June 4 in Phoenix.  We will be exhibiting on June 2nd & 3rd - look for Booth 305.

Northwind Pharmaceuticals supports student health centers by enabling pharmaceutical dispensing and providing medical supplies.  We provision these clinics with prepackaged pharmaceuticals, lotions/creams/ointments, injectables, liquid medications, medical supplies, drug information, specialty packaging options and labeling.  Some of our clinic customers work with third party payers for reimbursement while many others focus on cash pay or no-charge services to the patients.  We work to support their efforts by making ordering easy, sharing information and delivering within expected time frames.

The valuable service provided by student health centers ensures quality care for our student population.  Student health centers offer a wonderful extension of hometown primary care as these students transition to full independence.

One major benefit of clinic dispensing is that it helps address the problem of patient medication compliance.  An article in the Journal of Applied Research shares the following facts:

• Approximately 125,000 people with treatable ailments die each year in the USA because they do not take their medication properly.
• 14% to 21% of patients never fill their original prescriptions.
• 60% of all patients cannot identify their own medications.
• 30% to 50% of all patients ignore or otherwise compromise instructions concerning their medication.
• Approximately 25% of all nursing home admissions are related to improper self-administration of medicine.
• 12% to 20% of patients take other people's medicines.
• Hospital costs due to patient noncompliance are estimated at $8.5 billion annually.

A study published in The Journal of Rural Health, "The Effect of Physician Dispensing on Visit Compliance and Blood Pressure Control in a Rural Family Practice Clinic", found that 79% of patients in the dispensed group met criteria for visit compliance versus 49% of patients in the prescribed group.  This only serves to support the potential influence of in-office dispensing on patient behavior.

Physicians offering medications from their office are in a unique position to help address the problem of non-compliance.  Pharmaceutical dispensing at the point-of-care allows the drug conversation to happen in real-time.  Not only can the practitioner describe the purpose and use of the medication, the patient can literally have the product in hand during the conversation.

Northwind Pharmaceuticals provides prepackaged medications and manufacturer labeled pharmaceuticals for physician dispensing within the clinic. Northwind also provides medical supplies to clinics. We ship nationwide and specialize in working with student health centers, community health centers and independent medical clinics.

Northwind's dispensing system encompasses labeling and tracking tools to make the medication dispensing process as easy as possible for the clinic.  Pre-labeled bottles display all required pharmaceutical information and provide four peel-off labels for use on patient medical records, receipts or insurance documentation.  Our dispensing log enables the clinic to write the patient's name and medication instructions on a label that is placed on the bottle.  The labels are on a carbon sheet that retains an image of the label so the clinic has a record of all dispenses.

Northwind also offers software (RxTracker) that automates the pharmaceutical dispensing process.  RxTracker allows clinics to capture dispensing information electronically and print the prescription label from any office printer.  RxTracker will also track drug inventory and automate reordering.  Northwind offers both of these dispensing solutions at no additional charge.

Clinics seeking to learn more about in-office pharmaceutical dispensing are encouraged to visit the Northwind Pharmaceuticals website or call us at 800.722.0772.

Reimbursements continue to shrink.  Pressure is on to see more patients. Pharmacies begin to offer "quick clinic" services.  The government passes far-reaching health care legislation creating a  host of new certainties and uncertainties.  As an independent practitioner, how do you survive in this crazy environment?

Keep the faith!  Demand for the services of good physicians continue to grow.  The growing aging population is creating the need for more and more care.  New technologies and techniques continue to evolve and present new opportunities for services to patients.  A health system in flux also means new opportunities as niches are created and patients find it more difficult to navigate the landscape.

As financial pressures continue to mount, we see more and more physicians turning to clinic dispensing as a means to supplement practice revenue.  Dispensing pharmaceuticals from your office provides convenience for your patients, revenue for your clinic and another point of differentiation for your practice.  Competitive pricing is possible with access to wholesale medications and using prepackaged medications streamlines the dispensing process.  Simple-to-use dispensing software is readily available as are the tried and true dispensing logbooks.  It is easy to implement, easy to administer and easy to maintain.  A single doctor can easily generate $20-$30k of additional profit; focused efforts can reap much more.

As frustrating as many things are for physicians these days, there are still many opportunities.  A little creativity and a willingness to focus on the business elements of your practice can reap unexpected benefits.  Blending medication dispensing, quality care and new services will continue to set your practice apart and keep your patients, and you, healthy.

Medically-directed weight loss has become a necessity for many people.  One element of a physician-directed program is medication.  Bariatric practices that offer medication dispensing are able to bring another tool to the battle against obesity.  Northwind Pharmaceuticals helps bariatric clinics implement pharmaceutical dispensing by providing prepackaged pharmaceuticals, labeling and tracking systems as well as guidance through the process.   

One mistake clinics often make is feeling that they need to count pills and package them within the clinic.  Our service takes the pill counting risk off of the physician and staff by providing options for medications and packaging.  Some commonly dispensed medications within clinics offering medically-directed weight loss services include: 

• Phentermine
• Phendimetrazine
• Metformin
• Fluoxetine
• Furosemide
• Metoprolol

Northwind Pharmaceuticals offers clinics different packaging options for these products.  For example, some clinics will dispense Phentermine 37.5mg in a 30 count bottle and schedule patient follow ups on a monthly basis while other physician's will extend the count to accommodate a longer interval between visits.  Our clinics view themselves as providing weight management solutions and medications are simply another element of the overall solution.

Clinic business models will vary and we try to be flexible to our client's requirements.  As a wholesale pharmaceutical distributor, Northwind provides a wide variety of medications.  As  dispensing consultants, we help you figure out how best to use them in your practice.  Call us today at 800.722.0772 to learn more about dispensing in your practice.

Here we are again, the end of another year!  We've seen a lot happen in 2010 and 2011 promises to be equally intense.  Tired of hearing about Obamacare?  Well, get used to it! The battle for and against this monster legislation will rage throughout 2011 and all of us will have to be savvy in managing in and around whatever form it ultimately takes.  My suggestion?  Focus on what you can control; your practice, your operation.  As you assess 2010 and look forward to 2011, here are some things to consider that sit within your span of control:

1) What are your plans for growing revenue in 2010?  Downward pressure on reimbursements continues.  Now, more than ever, physicians are being forced to look beyond typical medical services to expand their base of revenue.  Are you evaluating pharmaceuticals, nutri-ceuticals or other products as practice enhancers?  New or existing dispensing systems may enable you to easily add products to your mix.

2) What are the biggest threats to your practice?  Are your medical supplies prices increasing? Are your referrals decreasing?  Many hospitals and physicians are reporting a decrease in procedures.  Physicians need to actively track these trends and look for ways to address them proactively.  Trends may be avoidable but you are not helpless; there are always options.

3) Who's on your team?  Does your staff mix bring additional value to patients through enhanced services or extended hours?  Clinics carrying non-value added resources need to carefully consider their options.  Many clinics are leveraging physician time with nurse practitioners and physician assistants.  Reimbursement rates may affect the viability of these resources but they should still be considered. 

4) What are you doing to be different or enhance your practice? Are you doing anything with nutrition, anti-aging, disease management or weight management?  Procedures may be down but there are people looking for specific treatments. Do you continually evaluate new options and procedures for your practice?  No time? Can you afford not to?

5) Who are your competitors? Quick clinics in pharmacies?  Practice buy-outs by hospitals?  Government funded clinics? Evaluate their value-propositions and determine if there are elements of their offer that could work in your practice.  Are there expansion risks you could take that would enhance your business?

6) If you offer medications, what is the mix of products?  Do you evaluate products on an ongoing basis?  What is moving, what isn't?  What products are moving to generics that will be viable for clinic-dispensing?  Are you carrying items that are losers for the practice?  Are you charging enough?  What worked last year might not work this year.  Don't be afraid to change it up.

Though I remain biased towards physician dispensing as a low-cost, low-risk way of enhancing your practice.  There are many alternatives.  The winners in 2010 will find ways to extend their services, add extra value to existing patients and attract new ones.  Will that be you?

I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal today entitled "When the Doctor has a Boss".  The article discusses the trend toward more physicians going to work for hospitals as opposed to opening/running their own practice.  The article states that the percentage of hospital-owned clinics hit 55% last year; up from 50% in 2008 and 30% five years ago.  Why?  Hospitals have become more aggressive in consolidating practices to ensure their own revenue and many physicians are opting out of the business-side of owning a practice in favor of simply taking a pay-check.  I contend that part of what's driving is this trend is the difficulty independent physicians are having with generating an acceptable income.  Some docs are simply better at building a business.

In our world, about 65% of our clinics fall under the category of physician-owned.   Our clinic clients are medical entrepreneurs; dedicated to serving patients while building their practice/business.  In addition to offering pharmaceutical dispensing services, these practices provide an array of ancillary services that provide additional value to patients and revenue for the clinic.  Services and products mix to support the patient and the clinic.  Physicians that struggle with the notion of providing additional products and services to their patients will find it increasingly difficult to stay independent. 

I'm very encouraged by our clinics as they find new and creative ways to serve their patients, differentiate their practices and grow in spite of government interference, a tough economy and a host of other challenges that face these medical entrepreneurs.  Medication dispensing is not for everyone; but neither is owning your own business.  I salute all of our practitioners who continue to defy these trends and set their own path in these turbulent times.  Keep up the great work!

The days are growing shorter, temperatures are slowly coming down and the kids are back in school - can it really be September?  With school season comes the inevitable sicknesses caused by piling groups of students together into small areas.  Flu, coughs, colds, allergies, rashes etc. will be coming your way in droves.  Hopefully you've pre-ordered your flu vaccines and have a healthy stock of remedies on hand to deal with all of the acute ailments that announce the changing of the seasons.

As you prepare for the season, the CDC always has some good suggestions:  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/1011season.htm Clinics providing medication dispensing services have an opportunity to treat many of these seasonal ailments conveniently within the office environment. 

For an interesting perspective on flu trends, check out Google's Flue Trend page.  This page tracks the trends based on the use of search terms that Google has identified as being indicators of flu activity in a geographic area.  Right now, Google says intensity is low but past trends indicate a burst of activity in October and then again towards February.

In addition to the usual suspects, this year also presents the issue of bed bugs.  Though we don't offer services for treating bed bugs, we do support the clinics that may see patients due to discomfort or lesions from bed bug bites.  Treatment is normally focused on reducing allergic reactions and inflammation from repeated bed bug bites.  Click on http://identify.us.com/bed-bugs/frequently-asked-questions-/do-bed-bugs-cause-harm-or-s.html to learn more about these pests.  Concerned student health centers should make sure they have antihistamines and corticosteroids on hand to address allergic reactions.

It's crazy out there!  Good luck to all of our clinics on the front line!

We frequently receive calls from physicians considering pharmaceutical dispensing.  A common theme among these calls is frustration with what it is often described as "a lack of professionalism and responsiveness" from various companies offering physician dispensing options.  Quite often, websites for groups offering to help implement dispensing systems for physicians are merely fronts for individuals selling part-time with no organization behind them.  I often hear folks say that Northwind Pharmaceuticals was one of the only companies to respond in a timely fashion.  There are a number of things a clinic/physician can do to avoid upfront difficulties:


1. Recognize that many websites are posted by brokers who are actually selling products for other suppliers.  These "firms" are often ran part-time by one individual who simply makes commission by marketing others' products.  Look for additional substance on the site geared to helping customers with the dispensing process.

2. Ask the firm if they distribute products form their own facility or just sell for a repackager.  As in any business, if there is a middleman, you are paying more.

3. Verify that they are licensed to distribute in your state. Many state pharmacy boards allow you to verify wholesaler license numbers online.  The DEA also verifies licensure for wholesalers.

4. On their website, look for an indication of how long they've been in business. There are a few repackagers that have been around for 20+ years and are proud to say it.  Northwind Pharmaceuticals has been around since 1981.

5. When you talk to the supplier, ask them about their business. How do they go about helping their customers? Do they offer software?  How do their labels work?  Do they make recommendations for a start up formulary?  You want to find a supplier that can get you the products you need but will also be a good fit for you and your practice.  Talking to them is the only sure way to make sure there is a fit.

Medication dispensing offers wonderful possibilities to a clinic and does not have to be rocket science.  Focus on finding a good partner, asking basic questions and getting a "feel" for the company before you buy.  A little diligence goes a long way.  Good luck!

It is estimated that about 7-10 percent of U.S. physicians currently dispense pharmaceuticals to their patients. These doctors come from every clinical perspective:

• Student Health Centers
• Community Health Centers
• Occupational Medicine Clinics
• Surgery Centers
• Family Practice
• Bariatrics
• Pediatrics
• Podiatry
• Dermatology
• Urgent Care

Physicians see dispensing as a mechanism for providing convenience to the patient while supplementing practice revenue.  Physician dispensing is a proven way to generate revenue in a world of shrinking reimbursements.  Many clinics charge nominal fees for dispensed medications and offer a variety of prepackaged pharmaceuticals in counts ranging from 6-90 pills per bottle. 

The trend continues with Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants.  Looking to supplement the traditional physician-led practice, NP's and PA's provide a range of services to patients including prescriptions and dispensed medications.  Broader services enhance the clinic's value to the patient and simplifies their healthcare experience.

Medication dispensing remains a high value service for clinics looking to extend their service proposition to patients.

Over the last few months, the DEA has stepped up efforts to address the growing trend of prescription pain killer abuse.  In addition to addressing the issue at the clinic level, the DEA has decided to focus on stopping the situation at the wholesale level; part of this process has involved a number of wholesalers losing their DEA registrations.  As this occurred, we began receiving calls from clinics, brokers, pharmacies and other wholesalers looking for CII and CIII narcotics  As with so many other things in life, the products themselves are not the problem - it comes down to people.  The abusers always make it worse for the folks that follow the law and abide by good practices.

Some examples of ongoing issues:

• Clinics opening as "pain management" specialists that dispense hundreds of bottles of Oxycodone on a daily basis to questionable patients visiting from all over the country.
• Patients receiving their medication and mixing it into an injectable in the parking lot outside of the clinic and driving away under the influence.
• People posing as patients to receive prescription narcotics and then illegally selling their prescription to addicts.
• Online pharmacies dispensing pain killers without prescriptions

I was recently told by a DEA agent that 80% of the Oxycodone purchased in the United States was going through Florida.  A staggering statistic when you consider the size of our country.  As a wholesaler, we have always been careful to screen our new clinic customers and follow a clear set of practices when distributing all products, especially controlled substances.  The abuse is creating challenges for all suppliers ranging from increased governmental scrutiny, new laws and the need to be suspicious of everyone.  The end-result is higher costs and restricted trade.

We work with hundreds of clinics around the country.  Our customers are law-abiding physicians dispensing pharmaceuticals as an enhancement to their practice.  Patients appreciate the service and everyone wins.  Abuse is bad for everyone.  The clinics and pharmacies that choose to be pain killer "pill mills" are pursuing a dangerous and short-sighted path that can only end badly.  You know who you are; I hope you'll heed the warning signs and stop.

For our part, Northwind Pharmaceuticals will continue to reject suspicious orders and report them to the appropriate authorities.  My hope is that reputable wholesalers, physicians and pharmacies will join together to stop the abuse.

Early in May, Northwind Pharmaceuticals transitioned to our new location.  With our new warehouse, we are positioned better than ever to enhance our services to all of our customers.  Though we have always offered logistical support services, we can now offer additional support for companies needing a pharmaceutical warehousing, kitting and fulfillment partner.  Based in Indianapolis, Northwind's central location enables us to ship product anywhere within the United States in a few days.

As part of our logistics operation, current services include:

• Pharmaceutical warehousing
  
• Medication drop ship
  
• Pharmaceutical kitting
  
• Medical supply kitting

Northwind's drop ship fulfillment services allow us to act as a "back-end" for our partners by warehousing the medications and shipping directly to end customers.  This let's our marketing partners focus on selling without worrying about logistics.

As an Indianapolis medical products and pharmaceuticals distributor, Northwind supports our partners with national licensing, just-in-time fulfillment and technology to manage the process.  Give us a call at 800.722.0772 to learn more.

With our move and name change, there are a few new services being offered by Northwind Pharmaceuticals:

• Pharmaceutical warehousing - NWP now offers pharmaceutical storage for companies needing some extra space for their medications.
• Pharmaceutical fulfillment - for companies using our warehousing services, NWP also offers fulfillment services.  We can ship pretty much anywhere in the country and have gotten very good and managing the tracking and logistics associated with these transactions.
• Pharmaceutical kitting - part of the new Northwind Pharmaceuticals is helping our partners put together multiple products in a package for fulfillment to their customers or locations.

These services don't change what we've always offered our clinic customers.  We are simply extending our services to enable larger organizations to benefit.  Whether you use Northwind as your supplier of prepackaged pharmaceuticals or as your pharmaceutical 3PL partner, you will get the same great value and responsive service.

Drop us an email at info@nwpharma.com or give us a call at 800.722.0772  to find out more.

Over the last couple of weeks, we've been undergoing a name transformation from PCA to Northwind Pharmaceuticals.  Though nothing is changing organizationally or operationally, there is a profound sense of possibility that comes with a new name.  Like the spring weather that has finally found us, a name change creates a sense optimism for new opportunities and a fresh start.  We've watched the economy go topsy-turvy and continue to watch the unfolding of the health reform saga so any sense of optimism is very much welcome.  With our name change, we are also moving to a new facility taylored to our business and our customers.  These changes do bring new possibilities and the entire team at Northwind Pharmaceuticals is very excited about them.

What's in a name? Not that much.  We can see that the real essence lies in the people who choose to work under that name and the customers who depend on those people every day.  PCA may be disappearing from our letterhead, but the 30 years of investment in the clinics we serve and the people that make it happen lives on in Northwind Pharmaceuticals.  Stay tuned!

I recently had customer call me to place an order for prepackaged pharmaceuticals.  This dispensing physician was getting ready to leave on vacation for a week and asked to have the order arrive at his office on a specific day.  I gladly took his order, recorded the details and sent it to the team for processing.  In his case, he likes to personally receive medications and make sure everything matches up.  No problem.  I didn't think anything about; in fact, we frequently accommodate these requests from our dispensing clinics.

A week later, I was interacting with the faceless, impersonal machine of one of my vendors and my customer came to mind.  Schedule an order with a giant company for delivery on a specific date?  If they had it in inventory, I might get it on a specific date with overnight shipping.  Call my rep to ask a question?  Not unless I could wait 3-4 hours for him/her to get back with me.  It is easy to forget the power of the little things.  I still have clinic staff that call me on my cell phone or email me directly for all of their medication orders.  I don't mind; in fact, I'm quite thankful that they did call or email.  Pharmaceutical wholesalers can be notoriously unresponsive or slow.  I want my medical clinic customers to know that we really value them - even with the small orders.  Physicians, nurses, dentists and staff from our clinic customers are very busy serving their patients.  We need to be ready when they are.

Well, I have to go...a customer is calling.

As one of the only pharmaceutical wholesalers specializing in clinic dispensing, PCA offers a collection of products and services to help you serve your patients. Our bariatric clinic customers offer a suite of services including medication options for patients looking to lose weight.  PCA offers prepackaged products like phentermine, phendimetrazine, metformin and tretinoin cream to provide to your patients.

Tracking dispensed medications can sometimes be a challenge.  PCA offers medication tracking software and a dispensing logbook solution to make it easier to keep track of inventory and dispensing activities.  Easy-to-use reporting features make it simple to create reports for regulatory submission or clinic management purposes.  Cost for the software?  None.  We provide the software to our clinic customers as part of our solution.

Part of the PCA service difference is maintaining inventory of the medications you use so we can ship them the day you order.  Our centralized location allows us to get shipments to any corner of the United States in a few days and next day delivery to many locations.  Give us a call and let's talk about how we can help you make dispensing work in your clinic.

All things considered, 2009 was a very good year for PCA.  I would like to thank all of our partners and clinic customers for their continued trust.  We deeply value the relationship we have with each of you.

Since 1981, PCA has served clinics around the country.  We offer prepackaged pharmaceuticals for clinic dispensing, injectable drugs, health clinic supplies and dispensing software.  PCA ships across the United States, typically having your order en route within 24 hours.  We offer an extensive array of medical clinic supplies and wholesale pharmaceuticals.  We work closely with all of our clinic customers to make sure they are getting the products they need as well as any additional services that will help them better serve their patients.    Though we offer a large number of medications prepackaged in standard sizes, we will also provide custom repackaging services to meet individual clinic needs. 

Having difficulty finding a particular product?  PCA's large network of suppliers enables us to find hard-to-get items in a timely fashion.  We provide value by meeting your unique requirements.  Not sure how to get started with clinic dispensing?  Give me a call.  I will work with you to identify legal considerations, develop your formulary, brainstorm ways to promote your services to your patients and successfully implement dispensing in your clinic.  I'll also help you get set up with PCA's services: online ordering, medication tracking software, worker's comp claims adjudication etc.  We are most successful when you succeed.

The bottom line? PCA will help you with yours.  Best wishes for an awesome 2010!

For the fifth time this year, I find myself in a medical waiting.  I guess that isn't completely accurate - one of those times involved multiple visits to the same waiting room.  Two urgent care visits, an ER visit, ICU visits and now a diagnostic visit.  It has been an unfortunate record this year given some of the outcomes.  As I wait, Mister Mister plays softly in the background, "Take These Broken Wings" - is it a message?  a prayer?  I wait here with a collection of strangers; each waiting for their own outcome.  From routine checkups to anxiety ridden surprises this little room has it all.  There is no silence here; phone calls, insurance discussions, payment questions, responsible party inquiries, a coffee spill here or there, greetings and various other background noises.  As I look around, I wonder at the story lines: all backgrounds, colors, creeds and perspectives collected right here before me.  It is a drama played daily right there are your local ER, ICU, Mammography Center, Cancer Center, __________ you insert the place.  Despite all of our differences, we all end up here at some point.  As predictable as "death and taxes", we all become patients of one sort or another.  The fact that we sit here on December 31, 2009 only adds an introspective, philosophical element to the whole story.  I wonder how many of these people before me will walk out of here with life-altering discoveries.  Will I?

Well, time to count blessings.  I wish you all a very Happy New Year and the best of health.  See you in the waiting room.
 

It is a great time to take a breath and count blessings.  We feel very fortunate for our customers and partners across the country who give us the opportunity to work with them.  We have also been blessed with the opportunity to provide support to many community health centers that serve those less fortunate than us.  In serving those around us we find our true purpose and discover the best within ourselves.

All of us at PCA Pharmaceuticals wish you a very Merry Christmas!

PCA, offering prepackaged pharmaceuticals, dispensing software, health clinic supplies, work comp claim filing, warehousing and fulfillment services.

We are often asked about work comp dispensing.  Serving patients that fall under the workers compensation umbrella can be a great opportunity for medical clinics.  Reimbursement is dictated by state regulation but is generally very fair for the practice.  The only trick is to make sure that you file accurate HCFA claim forms in a timely fashion to speed the reimbursement process.

A key element to successfully managing workers compensation dispensing is having a good medication tracking system.  Though clinics can certainly track dispenses and file claims without medication tracking software, having an electronic system streamlines the process and reduces errors.  PCA offers dispensing software to manage this process.  PCA will also manage the entire workers comp reimbursement process for clinics that want additional support.

The good news is that clinics can integrate workers compensation dispensing with traditional cash and carry dispensing to serve a broader population.  Give us a call and we'll be glad to discuss the possibilities with you.