HEALTH | NEWS
PPOk, Ideal Protein Partner on Weight Management Program
New higi Partnership Opens Doors to Patient Data Population health-enablement company higi has unveiled a partnership with Bridge Connector, a company that offers streamlined integration solutions for healthcare organizations. The partnership, the companies said, will allow for integration between higi health stations, using Health Connect and any electronic health record or hospital health system using Bridge Connector. “The power in our platform comes when we remove the friction between connecting the consumer with their trusted healthcare provider to allow the consumer to consent and share their data in real time to enable additional touchpoints and timely interventions,” said higi CEO Jeff Bennett. “With Bridge Connector, we continue to make it easier for consumers to be their healthiest by making health care better connected.” Bridge Connector and higi said that the collaboration opened the door for higi’s platform to connect with providers, payers, employers, retailers and others looking to manage patient data. Patients use higi’s roughly 11,000 health stations in retail locations close to a million times weekly, higi said.
P&G Closes Buy of Merck KGaA’s Consumer Health Business Procter & Gamble now has a larger
consumer brand portfolio and geographic scale. The company has closed its 3.2 billion-euro acquisition of Darmstadt, Germany-based Merck KGaA’s consumer health business. The acquisition increases its footprint in most of the world’s top 15 OTC markets. Top brands that join the Cincinnati-based company’s portfolio include Neurobion, DoloNeurobion, Femibion, and Nasivin, among others, which are sold largely in Europe, Latin America and Asia. Merck KGaA’s Uta KemmerichKeil — formerly president and CEO — now joins P&G, leading P&G Personal Health Care International,
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which includes he newly combined OTC business in Europe, Latin America and Asia, as well as India, the Middle East and Africa. “Today marks the beginning of an exciting new era for P&G Personal Health Care, as we now move forward to realize the great potential of our combined businesses,” said Tom Finn, president of P&G Global Personal Health Care.
The Pharmacy Providers of Oklahoma, or PPOk, announced a partnership with Ideal Protein that would offer a weight management program to community pharmacies. “The program’s clinical results are outstanding, and the business model aligns with the focus of our RxSelect CPESN network, which is to provide profitable, high impact, enhanced pharmacy services for patients in the community,” said John Crumly, PPOk’s executive director.. The Ideal Protein Protocol lets pharmacies augment their income outside of medication sales, and focuses on helping patients achieve healthy weight loss. “Our combined efforts will help make Ideal Protein available to more pharmacies, and in turn align with our company mission to help as many people attain healthy and sustainable weight loss, and all of the associated health benefits,” said Thomas Barus, Ideal Protein director of pharmacy services. The program includes weekly customer appointments and call-in-coaching sessions to ensure compliance and patient education. “We all got into pharmacy to make a positive difference in our patients lives. Ideal Protein has given us another vehicle to achieve that goal,” said Bill Osborn, PPOk member and National Community Pharmacists Association president.