Shoppers Drug Mart launches new physician portal in an effort to improve patient care

Shoppers Health Care Portal the first of its kind in Canada

TORONTO, June 13, 2012 /CNW/ - Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation today launched the Shoppers Health Care Portal, a website designed to provide Canadian health care professionals with access to drug reimbursement information and clinical tools with the goal of improving patient care.

The first of its kind in Canada, the Shoppers Health Care Portal, is a web-based application, available to physicians, nurse practitioners and registered nurses. The portal will give registered users access to drug coverage reimbursement and clinical eligibility criteria for more than 200 special authorization medications, as well as patient assistant program information.

"As a patient-focused organization, Shoppers Drug Mart / Pharmaprix is dedicated to making health information and services available to the communities we serve," says Dr. Dorian Lo, Executive Vice-President, Pharmacy & Healthcare. "The Shoppers Health Care Portal will help to provide physicians and extended health care teams with key reimbursement information and requirements needed to ensure their patients receive the most appropriate medications for their condition."

In addition to drug coverage information, subscribers registered users will also have access to the British Medical Journal's Clinical Assessment Tool Best Practice, which provides information on more than 10,000 conditions, Lexi-CALC™ medical calculators, the Lexi-Interact™ drug interaction database, printable patient handouts by condition, links to allied health resources and much more.

"Drug reimbursement guidelines can be complicated and can require lengthy interpretation and advocacy for patients who require medications that are subject to restrictions," said Dr. John Esdaile, Scientific Director of the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada and Professor of Medicine, University of British Columbia. "The introduction of this portal provides improved access to the information and resources needed to determine the clinical and reimbursement requirements that should result in a greater number of Canadians receiving optimal treatment at an affordable cost."

"There are significant gaps in treatment and care for people living with arthritis," says Cheryl Koehn, Founder and President, Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) and JointHealth. "One of these gaps lies in the lack of clarity and information provided to the patient required for appropriate reimbursement for prescription medications related to the treatment of the disease. The launch of this portal will give physicians the information they need at their fingertips to help their patients with medication reimbursement, which will ultimately lead to improved patient care and health outcomes."

Physicians and other health care professionals can register for the Shoppers Health Care Portal by visiting www.shoppershealthcareportal.org.

About Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation

Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation is one of the most recognized and trusted names in Canadian retailing.  The Company is the licensor of full-service retail drug stores operating under the name Shoppers Drug Mart (Pharmaprix in Québec).  With more than 1,206 Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix stores operating in prime locations in each province and two territories, the Company is one of the most convenient retailers in Canada.  The Company also licenses or owns 57 medical clinic pharmacies operating under the name Shoppers Simply Pharmacy (Pharmaprix Simplement Santé in Québec) and six luxury beauty destinations operating as Murale.  As well, the Company owns and operates 63 Shoppers Home Health Care stores, making it the largest Canadian retailer of home health care products and services.  In addition to its retail store network, the Company owns Shoppers Drug Mart Specialty Health Network Inc., a provider of specialty drug distribution, pharmacy and comprehensive patient support services, and MediSystem Technologies Inc., a provider of pharmaceutical products and services to long-term care facilities.

Tammy Smitham
Vice President, Communications & Corporate Affairs
Shoppers Drug Mart
416-490-2892
[email protected]