The NACDS Total Store Expo Rewind | Part Two

The NACDS Total Store Expo was in Boston, MA from August 15-17! Pharmacy owners, pharmacy students, and pharmacists gathered for forward thinking conversations and innovation to create more profit and better outcomes in their pharmacies. The NACDS TOTAL STORE EXPO is the largest gathering of retailers and suppliers in the health and wellness industry. Discover new and innovative products, technology and services and find the partners you need to thrive in an unpredictable consumer environment. In this "on the street" style of interviews, our host Todd Eury, CEO and Founder of the Pharmacy Podcast Network connects with: Stephen Beckman - YARAL Pharma Marzio Pozzuoli - NuraLogix Rob Headman - First Data Bank Justin Hammerling - Infinitrak Matt Gilbert - Medsense Anthony Dragisics - ELOS Thermal Richard Voskoboynikov - Wolters Kluwer Chris Krese - NACDS

• 0:05Speaker 00

  You are listening to the global network of podcasters dedicated to the pharmacy profession. Welcome to the Pharmacy Podcast Network.

• 0:26Speaker 01

  We're here in Boston at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Total Store Expo at booth 2024 First Databank. Are you a pharmacist Jedi or a pharmacist fossil? Master your universe with revolutionary pharmacy tools. More coming from First Databank here with our podcast press coverage. The NACDS Total Store Expo Rewind.

• 0:55Speaker 01

  NACDS Total Store Expo 2026 in Boston here with Steven Beckman.

• 1:01Speaker 02

  Hey Todd, it's always a pleasure to be at NACDS and always a pleasure being on the mic with you.

• 1:06Speaker 01

  I appreciate it. The vibe here is all about our chain pharmacy. The transition between focused on prescription and now adding in other things to the front end, making our pharmacies more profitable. I've talked to several organizations and people who are taking their independence, the two, three stores, and they're starting to combine under larger groups of pharmacies and starting to now put big opportunities to merchandise and to put different products, skincare out front. What have you noticed at NACDS, Steven, that's come an interest to you?

• 1:46Speaker 02

  Well, I think NACDS, you know, I had the opportunity to sit on a roundtable on Saturday and it brought in, you know, members from across the supply chain, from manufacturer down to pharmacy. And I think, you know, NACDS is, is doing a really good job of trying to start to tackle some of the challenges that we have. And, you know, it was a real pleasure for me because you don't get better if you don't listen. And that's what I was there to do. But what I shared with them is that these, these challenges or opportunities that we need to make sure that healthcare flows all the way through from start to finish is better is these are big issues that affect all of us, right?

• 2:27Speaker 02

  So I think we have to learn how we can do it as one voice, not individual voices. So NSCDS can do some great things and they have done some great things in moving things forward at a state level or government level or, you know, all moving towards better patient care and improving the ability for pharmacy to be successful. And I think what I learned a lot about what from that event as, and plus just being here for the week is that the service component of the pharmacy is going to change and can change dramatically. So whether, as you said, the service and product variability or dynamic that changes on the front end, but also the services and the importance that pharmacy is going to play going forward, right?

• 3:11Speaker 02

  We know that it's not too far in the future that we will literally have less pharmacy care physicians to, to treat patients and the pharmacist is going to be on that forefront. And when we bring this all together and figure out how pharmacy can deliver those additional services beyond just filling prescriptions, then they will become what they've always been, but it'll be seen in a brighter light, meaning that they'll be seen as a core part of delivering healthcare. And when that happens, then all the other things start coming together, right? Reimbursement starts to change, things like that change. And now they can be a profitable organization because they're being seen in the right light. They're delivering expanded services. And that's what's really important for a company like us to be here is to hear and

• 3:55Speaker 02

  listen to where that is going because it's coming. And if we're smart enough as an organization, we'll learn how to work even better with the pharmacy community and channel.

• 4:05Speaker 01

  I like the insights and with 2030 being the estimated time in the United States where our population will hit the pinnacle of our baby boomers, there's going to be a lot of need for additional senior care services and also testing services and also very specific like durable medical equipment into the home, long-term care pharmacy at home. There's huge opportunities for pharmacies that are preparing to be, to be the central hub of healthcare in their, in their communities.

• 4:40Speaker 02

  I think that's a really good word, central hub, because I think whether it's a region that doesn't have a lot of services where the pharmacy by definition becomes important. But I think what you're talking about is the fact that pharmacy is many, many different things than what most people think of pharmacy, right? They're doing long-term care, they're delivering at home, and now they're adding in services to go with that. But we have to find that platform, that service and the tools in order to make it efficient, cost-effective, reimbursed correctly so that they can continue to do that. But we're going to have to solve that.

• 5:16Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 5:16Speaker 02

  Because if we don't solve it, those needs are still going to be there, but we're not going to be able to deliver it effectively. And ultimately, I think pharmacy and the pharmacy channel is so important. So for, for us, we just try to continue to listen and learn and know that we are at some tipping points and some dynamic changes are going to happen. And we just have to actually work together to make sure that the service side with the pharmacy side, with the data side, all those things can come together so that we can do what we're all talking about. We're all talking about the same thing, right? That is improving patients' outcome, improving patient lives. And the pharmacy is going to play a bigger role than ever has, as you said.

• 5:57Speaker 01

  Steven, I want to pull out something you just said about data. So in our hometown, the great steel city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of the major things that just took place is Kroger bought Giant Eagle.

• 6:09Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 6:09Speaker 01

  And Giant Eagle Pharmacy and Kroger Pharmacy are both separately doing an incredible job at combining food as medicine, education. For example, the advantage card, which is Giant Eagle's kind of lead, the every time, from a retail perspective, every time a customer goes there and buys their groceries, if you use your advantage card, you know how much vegetables you're, you're buying, you know what kind of processed foods that you're buying. We talked with Humana about two years ago with Best Buy Health and Kroger about using the data to start incentivizing people to eat better and to take care of themselves better.

• 6:52Speaker 01

  I could see pharmacy coming alongside that kind of data and really making some very diverse and personalized treatment plans, depending on what's going on in those people's lives.

• 7:03Speaker 02

  Yeah, that's a really good topic. And it was one that was actually brought up at the roundtable. And I think, look at, I mean, it should be common sense, right? We know that if we exercise and we eat well and we use a combination of prescription and OTC medicines at different times, if we're doing it in a more holistic way, in a more comprehensive way, and we actually understand the dynamics, then we should see better outcome. So why not? And, you know, we do have within, you know, the pharmacy channel, we do have the food channel. So they're actually a pretty interesting channel because most people don't really think a lot in my past experience about pharmacy at the food store or food chain, right? Now all of a sudden, that's a pretty interesting dynamic.

• 7:47Speaker 02

  So as that really starts to take off, then the people that are more true pharmacy are going to have to think about how they're incorporating the stores, how they're designing their stores in terms of the food dynamic. And yeah, I do think that it makes reasonable sense. I mean, I'm an expert in it, but as a, as an average human being, I would say, yeah, it makes sense that if we can understand the dynamic between what we eat, what medicines we take, what things that we do preventively, all that comes together in a better way. And if there's platforms and services like what you just articulated, then we would have to, have to believe that patient outcome is going to be better from it.

• 8:22Speaker 01

  NACDS Total Store Expo 2026. We're really excited to be here. A shout out to the NACDS communications team. Thank you so much for the press pass. A shout out to you, Steven, and your team for having us here at your booth and broadcasting and collecting insights in the future of chain drug and chain pharmacy. So thank you.

• 8:43Speaker 02

  It's a pleasure.

• 8:47Speaker 03

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• 9:33Speaker 03

  That's Y-A-R-A-L-pharma.com and connect with them on LinkedIn.

• 9:47Speaker 04

  Hi, I'm Art Cipolloli, CEO and co-founder of Neurologics, and you're listening to the Pharmacy Podcast.

• 9:55Speaker 01

  Hey, welcome to the NA-CDS Total Store Expo Rewind. Marzio, it's so good to see you. Thanks for being on the show.

• 10:04Speaker 04

  It's a pleasure to be here, Todd.

• 10:05Speaker 01

  All right, we're talking about mass opportunities for pharmacies without revenue having to be connected to just a prescription and really think of holistic health. Talk to me about your technology, because I find it fascinating of what you guys are doing. Share this with our listeners, what you guys are doing here at NA-CDS Total Store Expo.

• 10:28Speaker 04

  So, we created something called a longevity mirror. It's an actual mirror. And if you sit in front of it, in a 30-second scan, it has a little camera built into it, it will then reveal over 30 health insights, health and wellness insights about, for example, your blood pressure, your metabolic health, your heart health, your longevity. We have specific algorithms that we developed that it'll make a prediction over the next 20 years about your likelihood of living a healthy life. We had a funny incident happen when we premiered it at the Consumer Electronics Show, where it was one of the highlights of the show, where some people were afraid that, "Oh, no, no, it's going to tell me when I'm going to die."

• 11:13Speaker 04

  No, no, it's not. Please, it's not going to tell you that. But it will tell you what the next 20 years look like from a health and wellness point of view.

• 11:22Speaker 01

  That is really interesting. And then our consultative pharmacist could have an opportunity to make recommendations based on those outcomes. Also, are you sharing that information with the physician or the other teams that the providers are out there waiting for that data?

• 11:37Speaker 04

  Yeah. The answer is yes. The short answer is yes. All of that, yes and yes. And we have, we give the pharmacist or the company that's putting the mirror in the pharmacy. So, for example, we have Nestle Health Sciences using it, we have Opella using it, we have Bayer Aspirin using it. And when the information comes back, they will share that information with the user, and it'll appear as a QR code and get popped right onto their phone. So, you'll walk away with all those results, and then you can share that. You choose to share that with your doctor or your spouse. Like, in my case, if I tell my wife, then I have to go to the doctor. But, you know, that's what you can do with it.

• 12:20Speaker 01

  That's a really fascinating technology. Do you see this being set up in pharmacies and then announcing to the public that this is an available tool for them?

• 12:29Speaker 04

  That's actually what's going on right now. We have a lot of, and we started in Europe. We have the companies that I just mentioned putting it in pharmacies. We have a beautiful video of it being used by Tofan Makeyou, which is a Greek online pharmacy. And it's lovely, delightful video. If you want to see exactly how the mirror works and how it's being used to promote then health products, right? A particular brand, or to send people for a particular service, to get a checkup, et cetera, et cetera, you can do all of that with it.

• 13:00Speaker 01

  That's fascinating. Tell our listeners where they can learn more. Share your website or something so our listeners listening in says, "I want to know more about this."

• 13:09Speaker 04

  Well, for sure, you can come to our website at www neurologics.com. N-U-R-A-L-O-G-I-X.com. If you're here at the show, come to booth 2213, and we'll measure you and tell you something about yourself. In particular, we have a fun thing in there where we predict your physiological age and your facial skin age.

• 13:35Speaker 01

  Oh, very.

• 13:36Speaker 04

  And I get into lots of arguments with people about that. And I tell them that the facial skin age is never wrong, because what the mirror is doing is it's telling you how old you look. Not your chronological, it's just saying, "Under these conditions of lighting and makeup, you look like this." And you can't argue with it, because it's always right.

• 13:55Speaker 01

  Wow.

• 13:56Speaker 04

  It's like my wife when she tells me things, right? It's always right.

• 13:59Speaker 01

  It's programmed with women intuition, right?

• 14:03Speaker 01

  All right. Hey, this has been a really interesting interview. We appreciate you being here.

• 14:07Speaker 04

  It was a pleasure, Todd.

• 14:12Speaker 01

  Rob Headman here with First Data Bank here at the Total Store Expo. Rob, thanks for being on the show.

• 14:19Speaker 05

  Todd, thanks for having me. Really appreciate it.

• 14:21Speaker 01

  All right, so I've been to, oh my goodness, four, five, six, maybe six conferences so far. This one really drills down into profitability in our chain stores, tools that people are going to be using, expanding on our front end. First Data Bank is leading in technology. E-prescribing is one. I want you to talk about a specific topic and product that First Data Bank has for our pharmacies, and explain kind of what it is and how pharmacies would use it.

• 14:56Speaker 05

  Thanks, Todd. I appreciate that intro. And I will tell you that for 25-plus years in the prescribing world, has all been done through one network, and that is one point of failure as we see it. So, FDB came up with an alternative network about five years ago. We started with pet meds and some innovative things around patient-facing pricing applications, but more so what we became is really that second rail in regards to delivering an e-prescription from a provider into the retail pharmacy.

• 15:37Speaker 05

  And if you think about how many prescriptions a day a pharmacy sees, if you could imagine if that one network went down, what a catastrophic event that would be in the United States. And so, FDB looked at that and said, "There's a glaring issue here. Let's set up another network that will deliver these scripts into the retail pharmacies in the same manner that they're accustomed to." So, if there is an outage in anyone's electronic medical record, the fax machine will not start going off the rails. We're able to deliver those scripts electronically, so a better way to deliver that script into a retail pharmacy.

• 16:22Speaker 01

  Once the prescription reaches the pharmacy management system within the retail pharmacy, what communication if changes are requested, or maybe someone catches something, one of our pharmacists during P2 picks up on an issue? Talk to me about the communications at that point.

• 16:39Speaker 05

  Yeah, so really, one of the value adds of the FDB Vila solution is that it's seamless for a pharmacist. A pharmacist won't have any determining identifier as to whether or not a script came over the existing network that they have been accustomed receiving it for the past 20-plus years, or from FDB Vila. The workflow doesn't change. So, that's really important, that the pharmacists continue the same workflow that they always have. They're not selecting the network as to how it comes in, and they don't need to select

• 17:17Speaker 05

  the network as it goes out from an NCPDP-compliant transaction such as R-Exchange or Cancel that they would start. If it came through on the Vila network, they would simply just click the button, and it would automatically go through the Vila network back to the provider to have that communication if there was anything to be changed about the drug, or if there was a therapeutic alternative, or if they had questions about a PA. All that happens, and the pharmacist is still doing the exact same things and still sees the exact same screens, because we're truly just a network of request and response.

• 17:57Speaker 01

  All right, so what about being here in Boston? How has Total Store Expo been going for you and First Data Bank?

• 18:04Speaker 05

  I just, it's now, what, 3:15, and I've just come out of that meeting room. It has been fantastic. We love coming to TSE. It's just that, you know, all the right people, all the right folks to talk to, or the stakeholders that are in this e-prescribing world. And we're just fortunate to be here and have all these great meetings and all these great partnerships.

• 18:27Speaker 01

  Pharmacy Podcast Network is very grateful to First Data Bank. We're going to be doing some additional work and coverage with you at the NASP in DC this year and focusing on specialty. So, thank you for being our sponsor here for the Total Store Expo. We appreciate you.

• 18:44Speaker 05

  Appreciate you, too. We'll see you there.

• 18:51Speaker 06

  Hi, this is Justin Hammerling with Infinitrak and you're listening to the Pharmacy Podcast.

• 18:59Speaker 01

  Justin with Infinitrak here at Total Store Expo. Thanks for spending time with me.

• 19:04Speaker 06

  Oh, absolutely. Thanks for the time. Appreciate it.

• 19:07Speaker 01

  Bring us to up to date, stop and start, stop and start with DSCSA. You don't know if I'm up. I don't know if I'm down. Infinitrak has been tracking this for years and the technology that you developed is something that every pharmacy in the country should be invested in understanding how it's going to impact their operations. So give us an overview.

• 19:29Speaker 06

  Yeah, absolutely. It's, it is an extension for the small business, of the small business exemption for the FDA. Twenty-five pharmacists or pharmtechs and/or pharmtechs or less, those, those size pharmacies have an FDA exemption until next November. Here's the tricky part about all this that your listeners really need to know is the federal law itself never changed. It actually went into effect November 27th of 2024. So it's like the local cops letting you speed through town for another year. You can do it, but if something happens, you get in a car accident, your insurance isn't going to cover you for speeding and having an accident.

• 20:08Speaker 06

  So this is where it's important for these small pharmacies and even the chains that are, have a solution and are looking at something else to be compliant with our, with our solution because we have the industry leading integrations. We've got Pioneer, we've got Liberty Software, we've got PrimeRx, now we've got Icon as a double check on the pill counting space. So there's really no excuse anymore. The FDA delayed it to get the small independent pharmacies time to be compliant. And now it was really the business imperative to do it.

• 20:41Speaker 01

  All right. Talk to us about how it actually works, how Infinitrak integrates with my PMS system.

• 20:48Speaker 06

  Yeah, so it's all through something called an API, an application program interface. So that API is what our biggest distinction factor from a technology standpoint is, is because we can integrate into all these software systems because our technology is so simple and easy to use. And then we've carried that through the API layer. So homebrew solutions for the larger chains that have their own, own internal system, we can API into those. We've got APIs into the PMS system. So you don't have to leave the system that you're in, your current workflows are in, to be DSCSA compliant in. Or you can do it right through the interface.

• 21:29Speaker 01

  That's nice to subscribe to something and then I'll have to worry about it. And then talk to me about auditing and talk to me about checks. For example, if I am audited as a pharmacy, a chain pharmacy, for example, talk to me about what happens and how Infinitrak kind of gives me some assurance.

• 21:45Speaker 06

  Yeah, absolutely. So we know there's going to be three types of audits that are going to be happening. Two have already started by PMS groups. So one's a date range audit. They were given, some of our clients were given a range of a month to produce all the track trace data for all NDCs that they received. The second is a NDC specific audit. So they were asked to provide their track trace data for all 13 NDCs that they were given. Obviously the higher cost ones, but from back to the beginning of the law in 2024. So this is happening. And then we know the third one, there are going to be bottle audits by the FDA and state boards of pharmacy where they're actually going to pull bottles off your shelf and show me the compliance data for this particular bottle.

• 22:29Speaker 06

  And Infinitrak takes care of all of that. We have full-time audit support. So when you are audited, you've got that assurance that someone that knows the technology will walk you through getting your data and be able to present it to the auditor when it's requested.

• 22:44Speaker 01

  Listeners, if you are tuned in to the NACDS Total Store Expo Rewind here on the Pharmacy Podcast Network, I want to, I want you to take a look. Go to infinitrak.us. Once again, that's I-N-F-I-N-I track, T-R-A-K dot U-S. Or reach out to Justin Hammerling on LinkedIn. Justin, thank you so much for spending time with us here at the Total Expo 2026 in Boston.

• 23:16Speaker 06

  All right. Thank you very much. And thanks to everyone listening.

• 23:22Speaker 07

  Hey, this is Matt Gilbert, Chief Revenue Officer for MedSense Health, and you're listening to the Pharmacy Podcast Network.

• 23:30Speaker 01

  Matt, welcome to the NACDS Total Store Expo 2026 press coverage. It's great to see you.

• 23:37Speaker 07

  Great to see you, Todd. As always, 30 dates, I think we have on the road with each other each year. So it's always good to spend a little quality time with you.

• 23:44Speaker 01

  Yes. The whole vibe here at Total Store Expo is profitability, expanding out your front end, merchandising, having the right products in your pharmacy to engage your community. A part of this that's really a behind the scenes solution that only people in pharmacy really understand is the opportunity that our small and regional chains have to grow out their long-term care pharmacy at home business and using their pharmacies as the platforms to educate people that are coming in. They might be talking about their, their mother or their father or someone senior that is going through a lot of difficulties getting to the pharmacy themselves.

• 24:30Speaker 01

  MedSense has been a catalyst in helping our independent community pharmacies employ and blueprint out the difference between community and long-term care pharmacy at home. So talk to me about the chain environment and what MedSense has been doing.

• 24:47Speaker 07

  Yeah, yeah. Well, we've had a great reception here. I've had, it'll be 50-plus meetings by the time we wrap up today in three days, which I am tired. You could probably hear it in my voice. My dad always said I had a face for radio. Now I don't know if my voice is too shot for radio too. But yeah, it's really, MedSense offers clinical services or go-to-markets pairing with pharmacies, no matter independent chain. The model stays the same. We're letting pharmacists practice at the top of their license. They're helping their patients be healthier through hypertension and adherence programs. And they're making some revenue on the back end of that, all with no capex or any upfront or ongoing cost from us.

• 25:26Speaker 07

  So to go to a chain and say, hey, I need one pharmacist resource, no capex, and we can have you running in seven days, that's pretty huge. And we've had 300 store chains that we're moving forward with out of here. And then we're talking to five or six others that are pretty serious about moving forward in the next few months. So to go from no traction, you know, call it a year or two ago when MedSense was first kind of bubbling to the surface to now going through and meeting with these folks three, four, or five times, they've come around to see that, hey, we mean what we say. We've onboarded over 600 stores already throughout the country, licensed and contracted in all 50 states and bringing real revenue to the bottom line of these chains.

• 26:05Speaker 01

  So when I think of the environment and the knowledge that the, that the communities and that the patients and people have, the public understands Uber driving and Lyft and they, they know about delivery, they get it. So when I think of, I'm going to use Giant Eagle in Pittsburgh as an example. So Giant Eagle has, I don't know, 200, 300, 400 stores. They just got bought up by Kroger and they have a pharmacy division. Imagine we tie in that advantage card. We know what people are buying. We know food as medicine. There's kind of leverage there. We get a clinical pharmacist involved and digging down into hypertension or, or delivering something.

• 26:50Speaker 01

  But now we can deliver groceries, durable medical equipment, medications, being able to do remote patient monitoring. Like there is an evolution in pharmacy driven by pharmacy as the hub of healthcare to really do so much more in collaboration with some of the models that the chain stores, AKA these grocery store chains have really have this amazing infrastructure.

• 27:13Speaker 07

  Yeah. Well, you, you talk about a typical pharmacy, even a mom and pop independent, they're seeing a, a patient, you know, 12 to 14 times a year on average. So a grocery store is seeing them once a week. They're going in, they're shopping, they're popping into the pharmacy. So to have that pre-built in relationship with the patient, a lot of these, especially these grocery store chains, they have that on a regular basis already. So now let's, let's take care of the patient, make them a little more healthier in the home, keep them living at home longer. There aren't enough assisted living skilled beds out in the, in the country to take care of all these people as we keep aging that baby boomer population. So these types of tools are needed. It's not an option. It's something that's needed to make sure we're keeping people healthy.

• 27:56Speaker 01

  Matt, 2020, 2030, 2031, 32 is going to be the height of our baby boomers in population. And that means a lot more people are going to need services brought to their home side, especially if they're not able to get out of their home, just as even an option. Talk to us about some of the planning that, that MedSense is doing to, to assure that people in organizations that are, that are reaching out and asking, you know, what's next? What, what steps should we be taking? What do you guys say to that?

• 28:28Speaker 07

  Yeah, yeah, I mean, we've got, we've got two core programs right now, an adherence program and a hypertension program. We're rolling out constant new programs. So we've got a weight loss GLP-1 program coming out with a digital scale later this year, an asthma program, a diabetes program. We just rolled out on our adherence program, a kind of a device that will monitor in the home, patients blister cards, which were first to market on, fully designed, built all by our own U.S. resources. So you take whatever type of card that card stock the patient's using, drop it in our device, and we're monitoring them when they're punching out the bubbles. And that's a billable service through Medicare. So we're, we kind of think of ourselves as that last mile, right?

• 29:13Speaker 07

  You're looking at a patient and you might med sync them. Okay, that's great. You might put them in blister cards. Well, I used to have 250 patients at my store on blister cards and I would call the patient for a med rec call and a med sync call, and they'd have a week of cards left when we were two days before the pill date. So, you know, it's that last mile, short of, you know, putting a camera on them and making sure the pill goes down their throat, but we're making sure they puncture that pocket. So we're listening to market, reception, feedback, and we're designing products and programs that people want and need.

• 29:44Speaker 01

  All right, a shout out to our operators out there in our micro chains and our regional chains. Reach out to MedSense, reach out to Matt Gilbert. Give us a place and a way to get ahold of you, Matt.

• 29:57Speaker 07

  Yeah, so my email, [email protected]. Can check us out at medsense.health. We'll also be at the Missouri Pharmacy Association Show Thursday and Friday this week. We're doing an hour CE there on RTM and RPM. And then follow up later this year, we'll be at the Jerry Med Show, we'll be at NCPA, we'll be at ECRM Pharmacy Technology. So, like I said, 30 trade shows a year and we're out every month. The checks keep clearing with my wife, so she's okay with it.

• 30:25Speaker 01

  I like it. All right, Matt, thanks so much for being part of the NACDS Total Store Expo 2026.

• 30:31Speaker 07

  Thanks so much, Todd. Appreciate your advocacy as always.

• 30:33Speaker 01

  What's going on? This is Anthony Dragasus. I'm a co-founder of a company called Elo's Thermal, and you're listening to the Pharmacy Podcast Network. Anthony, welcome to the Total Store Expo 2026 here in Boston. It's great to connect with you. It's great to see you as well. All right, so we're talking pharmacy, chain pharmacy, regional chain, we even know of micro chain where we have the independents starting to bring together their three and another six and another 18, and really starting to grow the space. The important thing is, is to constantly have products that you can put in pharmacies

• 31:15Speaker 01

  that now are coupled with healthcare services. Talk to our listeners about your product. I found it really interesting. Right, and you hit the nail on the head there, Todd. I think we've been hearing it all week at all the panels that we've gone to. The front end assortment at, you know, any pharmacy, especially independent pharmacies is becoming increasingly more important. And, you know, a product like ours where we truly bring innovation to a space that, you know, in our opinion, I think to the public's eye as well, has been underutilized on the innovation side. And so with Elo's, what we've, the problem that we've been trying to solve, right, in the foot care category, being a heated insole, is how do we best service the customer in, you know, the core value proposition of this category, which is comfort, right?

• 31:59Speaker 01

  In five to six months out of the year, in cold states and in Canada and anywhere else, you're not, you're not getting that comfort, right? You can buy the, you know, that top end insole, a highly custom insole, but if your feet are cold, it doesn't really do much for you. And so that's the problem that we're trying to solve with Elo's. And we're really excited, this is our first time exhibiting at TSE. And our new partnership with, with New Fabrics is essentially allowing us to, you know, really, you know, meet the right people, get the distribution in place for this category and test the right way. You know, historically being a sporting goods, solely sporting goods product, you know, that, that jump is, you know, obviously complex and a little bit different, but, you know, with New Fabrics and, you know, their current, you know, brokers and distribution in place,

• 32:44Speaker 01

  it should make it a lot smoother for us. I'm gonna give a shout out to the Sports Pharmacy Network, and I'm gonna get you in touch with Dr. Brandon Welsh down in Miami, who helped to start the organization, because there are pharmacists out there who are dealing with athletes, professional and amateur, where there is cold involved in what they're doing, jogging, long distance skiing, cross country, like whatever it is. This product would really make sense to kind of couple it with some of the things that they're focused on. Right, right, exactly. You're, you hit the nail on the head. I mean, it's, the versatility of it is, is where we shine. And, you know, you talk to, you go around the show, you show everyone the product, make

• 33:28Speaker 01

  them feel the heat, and you get a different reaction from everyone on how they could use it, where they would use it for. Oh, my grandma, oh, my kids, oh, on the ski slopes, oh, on when I'm training for my next marathon, right? I think the versatility of it is, you know, why, you know, we exist and why, you know, the Pharmacy Network is a perfect location for us, for sure. All right, so let's talk about other applications, because my wife's a nurse, she's on her feet all the time, she doesn't sit down hardly at all. Then our own pharmacist who are working eight, 10, 12-hour days, they're on their feet all day. How does heat kind of play into comfort where it's not necessarily about temperature, but it's more about comfort? Right. And that's, you know, that's a really great point, Todd.

• 34:11Speaker 01

  I think when you address the problem, it starts with circulation, right? And that's, you know, ultimately, a lot of people, especially as you age, circulation becomes a major issue in the, you know, hands and toes. And so for the everyday person, you know, that's a core problem that is really, as I mentioned earlier, under addressed with the current product offerings. And so for us, you know, as we kind of look at, you know, our current offering, our hero product being, you know, just the standard Elo's heated insole, as we kind of look forward, there's real opportunity for us, and what we're dedicated to do is, is, you know, launch medical lines and, and really address these problems more holistically. But even right now with our current product line, the temperature, you know, the temperature regulation that you get from the insole, that allows you, you know, that obviously services

• 34:56Speaker 01

  that need a poor circulation, right? So anytime, you know, even though we don't have it on the box yet, just yet, but, you know, our customers are already using it for that purpose and, you know, we're trying to really make a stronghold in that space too. All right, shout out to IPC Independent Pharmacy Cooperative, shout out to APCI, another buying group. There's these buying groups that are always looking for new solutions to be able to build programs around, to be able to deliver these interesting products to their community, because sometimes the community doesn't even know this stuff's available. So Elo's, it's good to have you here. Excited that you're first Total Store Expo. If you ever want some insights, where to find the pharmacist, we absolutely know. Our next show that's gonna be very intensive to supporting the future of independently-owned,

• 35:41Speaker 01

  privately-owned pharmacies will be called the NCPA, the National Community Pharmacists Association in Kansas City. That'll be October. Nice conference, even if you guys go to walk around and meet some people. Awesome. But appreciate you being on the Rewind Show. Yeah, no, thanks for having me. I really appreciate it. If you'd like to learn more about Elo's, check out our website, elosthermal.com, or on Amazon. elosthermal.com. Thanks, man. Really appreciate it.

• 36:06Speaker 07

  Hi, this is Richard Voskornikop from Walter's Clure. You're listening to the Pharmacy Podcast.

• 36:18Speaker 01

  Richard here with me at the NACDS Total Store Expo 2024 in Boston. Thank you so much for being part of the show.

• 36:25Speaker 07

  Thank you for your time. Appreciate it.

• 36:28Speaker 01

  Walter's Clure, I remember them way, way, way back in my day, in the usage of Medispan, pulling up all of the clinical information on medications for pharmacists to be able to make clinical decisions, drug-drug interactions, drug allergy. Things have really accelerated. There's more products and services that are coming from Walter's Clure. When we're in a chain environment, really concentrating on profitability, running our operations better, talk to us what you're focused on here at NACDS.

• 37:02Speaker 07

  Yeah, absolutely. So let me start off by giving the background on Walter's Clure. We've been empowering professionals to give them the tools they need to succeed for almost 200 years. And within that, the health division focuses on all types of innovations, technology for clinical decision support, but even across the entire continuum of healthcare. And one of the product lines, if your point is, is Medispan. We've been in the business for over 50 years with the drug intelligence, clinical decision support, empowering innovation. And today, we expand our portfolio into veterinary care.

• 37:43Speaker 01

  All right, so when I think of our pharmacy operators, people trying to build their business, there isn't any insurance involved in that line, there's cash-based opportunities, plus, people love their pets. I have three corgis. I absolutely adore my pets. Treat them like my little furry kids. So, talk to me about that opportunity for our micro-chains and regional chains to really capitalize on building their vet support business.

• 38:13Speaker 07

  Yeah, absolutely. It is a cash business, high margins, definitely a growth opportunity. The veterinary prescription business continues to grow at high gagers. CVS just had a press release that they're providing the prescriptions to the entire family nationwide they've rolled out. So you can imagine from a consumer ecosystem that we are all going to be looking to match that, all the micros as well as the regional chains. Consumer is going to be expected that our pharmacies in our neighborhoods will be able to fulfill these prescriptions, just

• 38:54Speaker 07

  like we get at the, usually at the veterinary clinics. Having said that, there's also laws being passed, for example, in Florida, that require veterinarians to inform that there's a choice to fill your prescriptions. You don't have to fill your prescriptions at the veterinary clinic. You can get your prescriptions filled at the pharmacy of your choice, so you can have yours, your child's, and your pet child's prescription filled, all in one place. We've recently put out a survey to nationwide, and nine out of 10 customers actually prefer, they would like to have their prescriptions filled at their neighborhood pharmacy. And

• 39:35Speaker 07

  nine out of 10 would require that their pharmacist have access to veterinary-specific resources.

• 39:45Speaker 01

  So, talk to us about your gathering that information, the manufacturer resources, the partnerships that you've created with those manufacturers. How are you pulling that information into a database that then can be pushed through the pharmacy management software?

• 40:01Speaker 07

  Yeah. So, we've gathered, building upon the foundation for Metaspan, we've incorporated animal products, as well as human medications that we have and we deliver in our current form, because human medications are dispensed the majority of the time in our pharmacies. So, we're incorporating that, embedding that into workflows, such that our pharmacy operators are able to confidently and safely, responsibly dispense those medications, just like they do with our human medications. And that includes species-specific dosing, interaction

• 40:46Speaker 07

  checks, allergy checks, and any contraindications. Today, when a veterinary prescription is received by the pharmacy, either they get an alert that says, "I don't know what this prescription is," or they get an alert that's not relevant. For example, this dose is too high for a six-year-old child, but in fact, it's a six-year-old, 100-pound dog, or worse. They get no alert at all, and it could be a dangerous combination, or a dangerous product to dispense. So, what we've brought to the market is a vet med screening solution to help install those guardrails, so pharmacists can appropriately dispense to those pets

• 41:30Speaker 07

  without disrupting the workflow.

• 41:32Speaker 01

  Very good. I want to expand upon this. Maybe we'll have someone, you or on your team, talking with some of our pharmacy operator and owners who can make examples of how they've used the information to not only keep the pets safe, but also the education to the pet owner, and really explaining if there's special circumstances, how to follow up with topicals, or giving medication. But, this is a huge opportunity for our community pharmacies to capitalize on this, and build more business through the community pharmacy, like you were saying, for our pets.

• 42:09Speaker 07

  Yeah.

• 42:10Speaker 01

  So, thank you. Thank you for being part of the show.

• 42:12Speaker 07

  Thanks, Todd. Appreciate your time.

• 42:18Speaker 05

  Hi, this is Chris Kress with NACDS, and you're listening to the Pharmacy Podcast.

• 42:27Speaker 01

  Kress Total Store Expo 2026 in Boston. It's so good to see you.

• 42:31Speaker 05

  So good to see you, Todd. We've done this a few years now together, and this is fantastic.

• 42:35Speaker 01

  This is our sixth year. The NACDS, your communications division, has been so good to us, giving us a press pass, reeling, realizing how popular podcasting has become. We're the OG. We released the very first podcast in pharmacy in 2009. We now have 85,000 listeners, and we know that the chain store environment is so important, especially for communities who have suffered the loss of their pharmacies, have closed down with some of the Rite-Aids. Independent community pharmacies are now becoming micro-chains that are actually growing. This has been an amazing conference and experience, Chris. Give us a little bit of an overview of the success of this year's Total Store Expo.

• 43:15Speaker 05

  Well, based on what you just said, Todd, I just need to thank you first. I mean, we always say that NACDS is a force multiplier. That's what we do. Whether we're advocating on behalf of the industry to address some of the things that you just talked about, or whether we're bringing folks together at an event like Total Store Expo, we are the force multiplier. But, in order to be the force multiplier, you need to motivate that force, and that's what you do. I think it's a tremendous service to the profession, to the industry, that you are bringing these issues directly to the people who can make a difference. So, thank you for all you do. This has been a fantastic gathering. I mean, the energy is strong. Clearly, there are challenges, right?

• 43:57Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 43:58Speaker 05

  And there are opportunities, and that's what this is all about. We often talk about the programming of NACDS, and what we do throughout the year, but you just can't underestimate the power of bringing people together to meet the challenges, to address the opportunities. And that's what's happening here with every single meeting that takes place at, you know, Meet the Market, or whether you're in here, in the exhibit hall, and just seeing all these people getting together in these meetings, and you just know that every one of those, you know, 10-minute blocks, 30-minute blocks, that is going to be a force multiplier in the lives of those companies and those individuals, and thus, the people they serve, and the communities that they bring services to. So, it's just invaluable to what this profession

• 44:42Speaker 05

  and what this industry's all about.

• 44:44Speaker 01

  We've seen, how do we strengthen the front end of our stores? How do we strengthen the profitability of our micro-chains and regional chains? It's been so important. So, talk to us about things that you've seen and you wanted to highlight today here at TSE.

• 44:59Speaker 05

  Well, I'll tell you what, in our business program on Sunday, I thought that our chair, Dave Warner, with KPH Healthcare Services, and NACDS President and CEO, Steve Anderson, they did a fantastic job of laying out the strategic framework that really is going to help guide NACDS moving forward. And the board has done tremendous work in identifying those opportunities, identifying those challenges, and really mapping out the ways that NACDS can help transform the industry, and can continue to drive that value to chain members, and associate members, and all of their teams. And that really is going to be the priority now, is executing on that strategic framework, putting a little more meat on the bones,

• 45:43Speaker 05

  continuing to listen to the membership, because this entire framework was built on listening to the members, like everything that NACDS does that's successful. So, we're going to continue to do that, and we're going to drive that strategic framework into the future. It's a very exciting time.

• 45:59Speaker 01

  All right. So, give us some numbers of how we did this year at Total Store Expo, because it was crowded over the last two days, and the exhibit hall has been pumping. This is our second day, and it's still busy.

• 46:12Speaker 05

  Well, you know, anytime you're bringing together nearly 4,000 people from 800 companies, and when you have the power of the pharmacies and of the suppliers, the suppliers are so, so critical to everything that's going on. You know, you're talking about suppliers of products and services and technology, and just all the insights that they bring. So, you have the retailers, and you have the suppliers here doing business, and that matters. But, when you think about just those ideas that are firing, as I say, with every 10-minute block of meetings, 30-minute blocks of meetings, those insights that are firing are going to ignite something into the future, and you just know that that's happening throughout this exhibit hall. And, you know, here we are, Todd, on, you know, the last day of

• 46:57Speaker 05

  the event, nearing the closing bell, if you will, and this place is still energetic. And the meetings are still happening, the exhibit hall is still buzzing, and that really is symbolic, I think, of the energy of this industry, the energy of this event, and of NACDS.

• 47:14Speaker 01

  Yeah. Going into 2027, knowing how seniors are going to be reaching the pinnacle of the demographic in 2030, with baby boomers reaching that top, it's going to be a cry to the, it's going to be a cry to the community pharmacies and to the chain pharmacies to back up other healthcare services that are needed. We're seeing testing happening. We're seeing pharmacists more engaged in disease date management. It's so good to see suppliers here, not only supplying their products and services, but it's the mindshare, it's the insights that's infusing, like, what's the next thing we're going to do to stay profitable in pharmacy?

• 47:52Speaker 05

  Todd, I'm glad you brought that up, specifically the seniors. This is, I think, a great opportunity to talk just a little bit about how the NACDS Total Store Expo and the advocacy agenda of NACDS really do align. Right now, NACDS and many others are advocating for an incredibly important piece of legislation in the US Congress. It's the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act. And this is all about seniors. It is, it's almost unthinkable that while many states have taken action to allow pharmacists to provide more and more services to their customers, to their communities, that seniors, because of a shortcoming in

• 48:33Speaker 05

  public policy, seniors in Medicare are not able to participate in many of those services. Well, this legislation would fix that. And, you know, you talk about how pharmacists, pharmacies are constantly Ranked as the most accessible healthcare destinations and certainly among the most trusted. We've been polling on these issues for about 20 years. And while pharmacies and pharmacists are so highly regarded by the American people, by the American voter, you pretty much have to add 10 percentage points to all of those positive stats when you're looking at how seniors perceive the pharmacists and pharmacies. They, you know, they need these services. They want to get them from their trusted pharmacy.

• 49:18Speaker 05

  It really has to happen. We're closer than ever. You know, in May, the Key House Committee passed the legislation for the first time. Now we have to give it over to the finish line.

• 49:27Speaker 01

  Chris, I love how NACDS holds the hands of other associations, your partnership with NCPA, your partnership with the ASCP, posting on our consultant pharmacists, the APC focused on compounding. NACDS has always done an amazing job of being collaborative, so I very much appreciate seeing that.

• 49:48Speaker 05

  Todd, I think what you just said does need to be underscored because collaboration and speaking with one voice is simply not a nice to have when it comes to public policy success. It's a must have. I can't tell you how many members of Congress have said, if you had not been aligned, the entire pharmacy community, if you had not been aligned on PBM reform, pharmacy benefit manager reform, those reforms would not have been enacted in February of 2026. And that certainly was a, you know, a long time effort. You know that as well as anybody. We've talked about it for quite some time. It wouldn't have happened if the independents, the chains, people throughout the profession,

• 50:31Speaker 05

  if they hadn't been aligned on what reform means and just how important it is for the future of all Americans and their pharmacies. So that's what got it done. We need to stay united.

• 50:42Speaker 01

  I love it. All right. NACDS Total Store Expo 2027. Tell us where we're going to be.

• 50:49Speaker 05

  We are going to be in beautiful San Diego. You know, Boston sets up fantastically for this meeting. San Diego does as well. And it has really become a powerful duo for this industry and for this association. We can't wait to be in San Diego. We look forward to welcoming everybody back. We can't wait to hear how everybody's built on the progress of the 2026 Total Store Expo. So we're looking forward to rolling, you know, right from this into the new year, the regional chain conference, the annual meeting, and then right into 2027 Total Store Expo in San Diego.

• 51:24Speaker 01

  We'll be there. East Coast, West Coast, we'll definitely be there, Chris. Thank you so much for being on the Rewind Show covering the Total Store Expo.

• 51:32Speaker 05

  Todd, thanks for all you do. You're pivotal to this profession, to this industry, and to NACDS. We really appreciate you.

• 51:39Speaker 01

  Thank you.