McKesson High Volume Solutions (HVS) and Coborn’s are pleased to announce the integration of ExpressRx Track with Coborn’s pharmacy operations. Coborn’s is an employee-owned grocery chain that manages 38 retail pharmacy locations in Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. ExpressRx Track is a compact, cost-effective and expandable prescription processing system that can initially dispense up to 2,000 prescriptions per 8-hour shift with 99.99 percent robotic accuracy. McKesson HVS’s central fill technology enables ExpressRx Track to create a customized pharmacy automation system that accommodates the fulfillment requirements of any pharmacy seeking a high volume prescription processing solution.
When Coborn’s began looking for a central fill system, they wanted a solution that could centralize fulfillment for at least 2,000 prescriptions per day, improve operational efficiency across its stores, and do more with less in a highly competitive healthcare market. McKesson HVS emerged as the obvious choice because it offered proven pharmacy automation technology and expertise with a return on investment in line with Coborn’s expectations. McKesson HVS’s central fill technology also integrated seamlessly with Coborn’s EnterpriseRx pharmacy management system, another McKesson product the chain was already using to run its retail pharmacy operations.
Coborn’s principal objective for the ExpressRx Track implementation was to migrate prescription fulfillment from its local pharmacies to a central fill system as quickly as possible and with minimal interruption to both patients and staff. The chain initially planned for a six-month to one-year integration, but the process went so smoothly that the central fill system was fully implemented and achieving its one-year throughput goal (30 percent of eligible prescriptions) in just 90 days. And, while Coborn’s intended to phase in its pharmacies gradually during the implementation process, the chain in fact integrated nearly all of its pharmacies within the first month.
Since the ExpressRx Track implementation, prescription fulfillment has become much more efficient across Coborn’s pharmacy operations. Fulfillment queues in each pharmacy have been reduced by as much as 60 percent at the start of the day, which creates a less stressful work environment for pharmacists and staff. Increases in fulfillment efficiency also give pharmacists more time to counsel patients on their medication regimens and promote clinical services that enable patients to lead healthier lives.
“We expected that working with McKesson HVS would go well based on our research, but the implementation of the ExpressRx Track system exceeded our expectations,” said Jim Cox, Coborn’s Senior Director of Pharmacy, Liquor & Convenience. “Additionally, our pharmacy staff did an outstanding job supporting the transition. We achieved our desired percent of volume of eligible prescriptions in just 90 days as opposed to our target goal of 6 months to one year. Plus, we were able to bring all of our pharmacy locations online a lot quicker than originally planned.” Because of the early adoption by its stores, Coborn’s plans to expand ExpressRx Track in 2020 to further increase its central fill throughput.
“The ExpressRx Track implementation really was a collective effort,” said Brian Doyle, Vice President & General Manager, McKesson High Volume Solutions. “Coborn’s and McKesson HVS partnered to develop and execute a central fill strategy that meets Coborn’s current business needs, but is also flexible enough to support future expansion. The fact that we were able to implement so quickly and smoothly is a testament to the close working relationship between our two organizations.”
For more information on McKesson HVS’s products and services, please go to www.mckesson.com/hvs. To learn more about EnterpriseRx, please go to www.mckesson.com/enterpriserx.
About McKesson Corporation
McKesson Corporation is a global leader in healthcare supply chain management solutions, retail pharmacy, community oncology and specialty care, and healthcare information technology. McKesson partners with pharmaceutical manufacturers, providers, pharmacies, governments and other organizations in healthcare to help provide the right medicines, medical products and healthcare services to the right patients at the right time, safely and cost-effectively. United by our ICARE shared principles, our employees work every day to innovate and deliver opportunities that make our customers and partners more successful — all for the better health of patients. McKesson has been named the “Most Admired Company” in the healthcare wholesaler category by FORTUNE, a “Best Place to Work” by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, and a top military-friendly company by Military Friendly. For more information, visit www.mckesson.com.
About Coborn’s, Incorporated
Coborn’s, Incorporated operates 120+ grocery, pharmacy, convenience, liquor and other retail locations throughout the Midwest and employs more than 9,000 remarkable people in the communities where we do business. President and CEO Chris Coborn (4th generation) has led the company in their recent expansion throughout the Midwest. The different grocery store formats Coborn’s offers include: Coborn’s, Cash Wise, Marketplace Foods, and Hornbacher’s. Coborn’s also owns and operates 45 liquor stores, under the brands of Coborn’s Liquor, Cash Wise Liquor, and Captain Jack’s. In addition, our fuel and convenience division, pharmacy division, in-house grocery warehouse and distribution center, in-house Central Bakery and Tops Cleaners are significant assets to our operations. We also have a handful of entities in the markets where the fit is right: Ace Hardware, Caribou Coffee, Country Floral, Dunn Bros Coffee, Erbert and Gerbert’s and Subway.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200131005041/en/