PrescribeIT™: New e-prescribing service offered by McKesson Canada

McKesson Canada has recently signed an agreement to offer a not-for-profit electronic service, PrescribeIT™, to help its pharmacy network connect prescribers and pharmacies.

About McKesson Corporation

McKesson was founded in 1833 by Charles M. Olcott and John McKesson in New York City. The corporation began as an importer and wholesaler of botanical drugs. They set standards for the healthcare industry and its supply chain by importing and selling therapeutic drugs and chemicals wholesale.  

In 1855, McKesson Corporation became one of the first firms to manufacture drugs in the wholesale industry. Their pioneer work consisted of tinctures, fluid extracts, pills, and tablets. In the 1900s, they became one of the largest distributors of pharmaceutical drugs, alcoholic beverages and chemicals, in the United States of America.

Over time, they have acquired many different companies and have invested their focus on the betterment of the healthcare industry.

McKesson Today

In 2010, McKesson acquired US Oncology and Celesio and became a global healthcare leader with more than $179 billion in annual revenue. US Oncology is a network of community oncologists supported by McKesson. They are a network of independent physicians that help to provide quality and value-based care.

McKesson Corporation has over 75,000 employees in more than 16 countries. It supports more than 15,000 independent pharmacies, and delivers about ⅓ of North America’s prescription medicine. McKesson Corporation has many subsidiaries, including McKesson Canada. 

About McKesson Canada

McKesson Canada, a subsidiary of McKesson Corporation, was founded in 1906 with its headquarters in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Montreal. For over 100 years, McKesson Canada has been partnering with different organizations in the Canadian healthcare industry in order to create efficient health systems in the country.

The populations are getting older, chronic diseases are now more common, consumers are starting to have more power, and healthcare is starting to become more technology-based. McKesson Canada has recognized this change in the healthcare industry as new technology transforms the way services are offered. McKesson is at the forefront of this shift in the industry to make healthcare smarter and accessible to everyone with the use of technology.

McKesson’s Pharmacy Technology Solutions

McKesson has a network of independent pharmacies that use different forms of technology in their businesses. Offered through McKesson’s Pharmacy Technology Solutions, which is a division of McKesson Canada, PharmaClik Rx is an innovative and integrated technology solution to any pharmacy. It is an internet-based system that allows a pharmacy to manage their orders and returns online.

Services offered by PharmaClik Rx

This dispensary software allows the pharmacy to manage their tasks so that the pharmacy can focus on other things like patient care. This modern application allows a pharmacy to:

• Automatically bill your service transactions and process refill requests
• Contact patients when prescriptions have to be refilled
• Count and package medications
• Maintain patient records
• Create an all-around business management system

PharmaClik Rx is easy to use with its touch screen technology, allowing pharmacies to easily order and control inventory with its integrated operational management system.

Enhancing PharmaClik Rx With a New E-prescribing System

On October 16th, 2018 McKesson Canada announced that it will offer PrescribeIT™ to its pharmacy network. This agreement is with Canada Health Infoway in hopes of promoting a future where all Canadians have online access to information regarding their health. PrescribeIT™ is Canada’s only not-for-profit electronic prescribing service.

Domenic Pilla, the CEO of McKesson Canada said, “Today’s customer wants a seamless digital experience that enhances convenience, while protecting the privacy and security of their health information,” She continued by stating, “PrescribeIT™ delivers on that promise. We are pleased to be one of the first national pharmaceutical health providers in Canada to support the expansion of its digital offerings, so we can continue to improve our customer experience.”

This partnership will present new digital experiences to independent retail operators for pharmacies that are currently affiliated with McKesson and use PharmaClik Rx. It will eventually offer this service to pharmacies through Nexxsys.

“PrescribeIT™ has had tremendous momentum since the initiative was launched just a short time ago,” said CEO and President of Canada Health Infoway. “McKesson Canada has been an important partner for us since the beginning and we’re pleased to be able to count on their support and leadership.”

More about PrescribeIT™

PrescribeIT™ initially launched in mid-2017.  By the spring of 2018, prescribers and pharmacists were able to use this service. PrescribeIT™ is the only electronic prescription system offered in Canada. Physicians and nurse practitioners can be connected with this service to provide a safer and effective medication management system in the healthcare industry. This can be done through existing electronic medical records (EMR) to allow the transmission of prescriptions to take place.

How PrescribeIT™ works

PrescribeIT™ is an electronic system that allows electronic medical records and prescriptions to be submitted online. The service begins by creating a new prescription profile. Once this is done, pharmacists can send renewal requests to the prescriber. Through the prescription status, the prescriber is able to see whether their prescription has been dispensed. This system creates a secure messaging environment between the prescribers and pharmacies to support an efficient collaboration. Some of the features of  PrescribeIT™ include:

• Patient-directed approach that allows prescriptions to be transmitted directly from the patient to the pharmacy of their choice
• A unique barcode on the prescription that allows the prescription information to be retrieved by any pharmacy that has PrescribeIT™. Pharmacies without PrescribeIT™ can use a paper copy and prescribe as normal.
• If a prescription is not picked up by the patient, PrescribeIT™ receives a cancel dispense notification.

E-Prescribing medications has many benefits in the healthcare industry. Millions of prescriptions are lost and damaged by Canadians which can increase the costs for the healthcare system. With e-Prescribing services, there is less risk of losing prescriptions since they are all stored electronically. Especially with PrescribeIT™, prescriptions are kept safe to protect the privacy of the patient.

You can learn more about PrescribeIT™ and the services it offers here.