Insight: Winter 2021

Winter 2021 | 12 Customer Spotlight Richard Edmund, Staff Writer While the focus of vaccination discussions has shifted heavily toward COVID-19, independent pharmacies should not overlook the importance of offering other vaccinations to their patients. Just ask Marianne McElveen, R.Ph., co-owner of Kempson Rexall Drugs. The pharmacy dates back to the late 1940s in Inman, SC, a growing town not far from the North Carolina border. Until a year ago, the pharmacy had been hesitant to offer vaccinations as a service to its patients. Kempson Rexall Drugs: A Shot of Success “We weren’t thinking outside the box; we were doing what we had always done and got stuck in a rut,” Marianne said. “Ed Vess, from QS/1, kept telling us we were missing huge opportunities to not only better serve our community, but to also help grow our business.” Ed even offered a nugget to Kempson Rexall Drugs: start an immunization program and become a pilot partner with QS/1 and OmniSYS ® to track vaccinations and billing. Finally convinced, Marianne began implementation in the summer of 2020. The process started with applying for a Medicare billing number and getting connected to the South Carolina immunization registry. “The process was a lot easier than I thought,” Marianne said. “We simply went online and completed the application.” Starting in late August, Marianne didn’t have a lot of time to ramp up the program before the onslaught of flu season. For years, they had referred customers who