News Archive
2003
05.12.03
Pharmacy Entrepreneur Network debuts in Australia
Ken Lee, CEO of Health Information Pharmacy (HIP), has announced the launch of a new group dedicated to business training and eduction for pharmacists in Australia.
The aim of Pharmacy Entrepreneur Network (PEN) is to provide a forum for entrepreneurial pharmacists to exchange ideas and learn more about the business side of pharmacy – an area which is sadly lacking in the pharmacy academic course. PEN will be holding a range of events in association with HIP in the first half of 2004 – to find out more about PEN or the 2004 program click here.
04.12.03
Tony Abbott expresses support for Australian pharmacy
Tony Abbott – Federal Health Minister – has expressed support for Australian pharmacy at a meeting with journalists and reporters recently.
At the Pharmacy Guild e-dispensing standards launch Mr Abbott explained he thought there was nothing wrong with the current system of ownership of pharmacies in Australia “We are all in favour of competition but it’s got to be appropriately qualified competition and we don’t want to bring in competition in the name of economic theory in ways that damage a system which has served Australians well for many years… as far as the Federal Government is concerned it’s a good system and we don’t see any need for it to be changed” he said.
02.12.03
HIP launches 2004 Workshop series in association with Pharmacy Entrepreneur Network…
Health Information Pharmacy (HIP) has announced a workshop series to run in early 2004 aimed at pharmacists interested in learning how to combat future threats to the pharmacy sector such as deregulation, supermarkets entering the market and discounters...
The series has been launched after a successful pilot workshop held recently in Perth where more than 20 people came along to share their experiences and ideas and discuss the challenges ahead. HIP will be running the series – which will see workshops in NSW, VIC, QLD and ACT between January and March 2004 – in association with a new body devoted to business education for pharmacists – the Pharmacy Entrepreneur Network To register for the workshop series click here
08.09.03
Ken Lee HIP CEO wins mybusiness magazine Young Entrepreneur 2003 award…
This month Ken Lee, founder and CEO of Health Information Pharmacy, received the My Business ‘Young Gun of the Year’ award in the annual My Business magazine awards.
The award recognises the achievements and impressive growth of the company, which now turns over more than $15M per annum. Ken has successfully taken his philosophy of combining best practice pharmaceutical care with best practice business by developing by developing a franchise system that allows other pharmacists to replicate his model. In four years the original store has grown to 8 in NSW and Victoria. Ken originally founded Health Information Pharmacy with the goal of providing personalised advice, information and education to the community and to help reduce the 140,000 or so hospitalisations caused each year by problems with medication.
05.04.03
HIP wins Quality Care Pharmacy of the Year NSW/ACT 2003…
While the ‘health information’ concept is not uncommon within Australian community pharmacy, Ken Lee and his team at Castle Hill have taken this service aspect further than most.
Situated within and adjacent to a very busy medical centre, the pharmacy is not only very busy from a dispensing viewpoint (two pharmacists and a dispensary assistant) but has adopted workflow protocols that allow them to manage the prescription business and in-depth patient contact as required.
This ‘process-driven’ approach flows over to the other areas of the pharmacy as well, in particular the areas of human resource management and relationships and retail skills. The focus on improving staff performance is underpinned by strict adherence to standard operating procedures and, interestingly, is organised in such a way as to create a staff incentive game.
The pharmacy’s loyalty club is growing in leaps and bounds as a result of an innovative approach. Loyalty club initial membership prompts a donation to one of a number of nominated local charities, giving the pharmacy, the customer and the charity all a benefit, and underlining the pharmacy’s carer role in the community.
