Dear Colleague,
What did we do before YouTube? A refresher on cleaning my car engine air filters? Or trying to fix the diverter on a Moen 90-degree bathtub spout? Those two projects were my weekend's latest immersion in YouTube DIY-land. Thankfully, someone on YouTube posted How-To videos. You can learn how to do almost anything. How about those dingy yellow headlights on your kid's 2012 clunker? Yup. There's a guy on YouTube who can show you how to take them out and install new ones. Despite being so prolific, however, there's not a YouTube how-to video for everything.
The NCPA Annual Convention this year is like YouTube because we're emphasizing it being the "how-to" convention for independent pharmacy owners. There will be dozens of independent pharmacy business education courses taught by the most successful pharmacy owners and operators in the country. These are your peers. Whatever problem you're trying to solve, or whatever solution you're trying to implement, they've been there and done that. Technology, artificial intelligence, billing, contracting, purchasing, marketing, and whatever else you want to know will be part of the lineup. As a bonus, you can earn up to 12 continuing education credits by coming to the NCPA Convention.
Our Shoot the Breeze® sessions are among the most popular activities because they focus on your specific questions. Want to know what's working in other pharmacies and how to bring those ideas home? Shoot the Breeze is where you'll find out.
And there's no more efficient use of your time than our Take Five sessions. That's where an independent pharmacy owner/operator talks for five minutes about revenue-generating or money-saving ideas they have implemented in their pharmacy, and you get 10 minutes to ask questions. These quick-hit sessions are packed with information and easy on your calendar.
The Expo Hall this year will be a bonanza of how-to opportunities. In addition to the hundreds of companies there with products and services to make you more successful, we'll have problem solvers stationed throughout hall, ready to answer your questions on specific issues, practices, and business solutions. Everywhere you turn, there will be someone ready to get you through whatever project or problem is waiting back home.
What about your pharmacy team? This is the year to bring them along. With so many solutions and so much ground to cover, you'll want to divide and conquer. It's a great way to get your team excited about the ideas you'll be bringing back, a chance for them to engage directly with the experts, and an opportunity for them to take ownership of an idea and bring it to life in your pharmacy.
There's lots of networking events so you can catch up with old friends and make some new ones. A reception every night where you can have some laughs and unwind. Great music, plenty of good food (we're in Kansas City this year, so I hope you like barbecue!), and a chance to trade ideas with independent pharmacists from across the country.
Registration for the how-to convention opens on Monday. Keep an eye out for the announcement in qAM, our morning newsletter, follow us on social media @commpharmacy, or visit www.ncpa.org.
See you in Kansas City.
Best,
B. Douglas Hoey, Pharmacist, MBA
NCPA CEO
