|
Click to Download Spring 2010 Newsletter
Here!
Maier Family Pharmacy In The
News!
Maier Family Pharmacy sometimes finds itself in the local news
headlines. You can read some of our latest news stories on
this page.
Health Mart transition complete - time for an
Open House
 Maier
Family Pharmacy has been undergoing a transition over the past
few months to become a Health Mart pharmacy. Yes, Ed
Maier, still owns the pharmacy, but out looks and many products
have changed.
As a Health Mart pharmacy, Maier Family Pharmacy can offer our
patients a better selection of products at a more competitive
price. Be sure to check out our selection of 'Sunmark'
brand products and save even more!
To celebrate the changes, Maier Family Pharmacy is holding an
Open House on Friday, August 27th. Stop by for a FREE Hot
Dog and drink between 11am-1pm and check out our specials
through-out the pharmacy and Gift Gallery.
Don't miss out on our special 1¢
Sale on August 27th and
28th - watch for these specials in the Grapevine, Budget Booster
and Mapleton Press. At Maier Family Health Mart Pharmacy,
you get the products and service you expect at a price you can
afford!
Rain doesn't dampen spirits at 4th of July
parade
With the threat of an afternoon rain shower looming after a
morning of showers and thunderstorms, area resident's patriotic
spirits weren't dampened with hundreds of people attending and
participating in the Mapleton 4th of July Parade.
Maier Family Pharmacy, a long-time parade participant, adorned
their float with Dr. Comfort diabetic shoes this year and pulled
the float with the new MFP Drug Buggy. Riding atop of a
transport chair on the
 float
was Shelby Hagerdon, daughter of Darin Hagerdon, Home Healthcare
Coordinator for Maier Pharmacy. She tossed candy to the
crowds from a commode located right in front of her. Along
the sides of the float were samples from Dr. Comfort's wide
selection of diabetic shoes for men and women. Leslie,
wife of Darin, also tossed candy to onlookers from the Drug
Buggy during the parade.
Pictured is the Maier Family Pharmacy float for the 2010 4th
of July parade in Mapleton. Shelby Hagerdon is seated on
the float and Leslie Hagerdon is in the Drug Buggy.
Maier HHC attends MedTrade convention in Las
Vegas
 Maier
Family Pharmacy Home Healthcare Coordinator attended the Spring
MedTrade convention in Las Vegas, May 11-13, 2010. The
convention, held at the Sands Convention Center, featured
hundreds of product vendors from all over the world and included
dozens of educational seminars and certification / training
sessions.
"It's a great experience to see all the new products and
services available to assist patients with everyday living tasks
that allow those patients with special needs to live comfortably
in their own homes as long as possible," said Darin Hagerdon,
HHC for Maier Pharmacy.
"I was able to speak directly with the manufacturers of many of
the products we offer to our customers. Dr. Comfort and
Orthofeets had demos of the new shoes for both men and women
that they will be releasing this year. Pride and Golden
Technologies had several examples of their new lift chairs and
fabrics. ResMed and Respironics both had their new
respiratory equipment on-hand to look at and test out.
From Canes to a wheelchair accessible motorcycle, all the
vendors were eager to show us what they had to offer," Hagerdon
continued.
 "Sigvaris,
a major compression hosiery manufacturer, was offering an
educational session and fitting certification course for fitting
and educating patients on compression hosiery. I'm proud
to say that Maier Family Pharmacy now has a certified
compression hosiery fitter on staff," Hagerdon added.
"We encourage our employees to further their education and
require them to make sure they have the necessary training and
educational requirements to be able to perform at the highest
level of competence in their assigned job responsibilities,"
said Ed Maier, R.Ph., Owner.
"Having an accredited home healthcare department in our pharmacy
is a great asset to not only our pharmacy, but to the
communities we serve. It's part of our mission to provide
the best healthcare options to our patients and I believe that
our pharmacy team-members are providing those healthcare
options," Maier added.
"I'm looking forward to sharing the information I learned at the
Sigvaris compression hosiery fitting course with fellow staff
members to increase their knowledge about the health benefits
this type of hosier offers to patients with or who are prone to
various leg conditions and/or diseases," said Hagerdon.
Maier Family Pharmacy holds staff training sessions every other
month to educate staff members in the latest equipment, policies
and procedures, etc.
Maier Family Pharmacy says goodbye to Good
Neighbor and hello to HealthMart
On April 1, 2010, Maier Family Pharmacy said goodbye to its Good
Neighbor Pharmacy brand and welcomed in their new HealthMart
Pharmacy brand. Physical changes such as new products,
different signage and more competitive pricing will be taking
place over the next few months.
Patrons will be happy to know that the pharmacy is still locally
owned by Ed Maier, R.Ph., and that this change of suppliers will
in no way change the great service that Maier Family Pharmacy
has provided to its patients for over 130 years.
The most visual change in inventory will be the integration of "Sunmark"
private label merchandise. Sunmark products, HeathMart
Pharmacy's private label products, will replace the Good
Neighbor Pharmacy private label products that Maier Family
Pharmacy has carried for several years.
"We're planning on holding an Open House later this spring or
early summer to showcase the changes to the community," said
Darin Hagerdon, Home Healthcare Coordinator, "I think our
patients and patrons will be pleased with the changes."
"Our relationships with HealthMart and McKesson give us a
greater selection of products in the pharmacy and a greater
selection of products that are available with our 'next-day'
service," added Ed Maier, Owner of Maier Family Pharmacy, "this
change will help us remain competitive in the marketplace while
still providing the best products and services to our patients."
Maier Family Pharmacy receives accreditation
nod and Oxygen award
With a Medicare accreditation deadline of September 30, 2009
looming for suppliers of home medical equipment, Maier Family
Pharmacy and their ConvaCare Services franchise have both passed
their accreditation site visits.
 Medicare
is requiring that all home medical equipment suppliers that file
claims to Medicare Part B insurance be accredited by the end of
September or lose their supplier status. The purpose of
accreditation is to ensure patients that their supplier meets
all of Medicare’s supplier standards. Maier Pharmacy chose the
Community Health Accreditation Program, Inc. (CHAP) to provide
their accreditation services. CHAP has been an accrediting
organization since 1965 and is based out of Washington, D.C.
“It took a lot of time and effort to meet the 400 plus CHAP
requirements for accreditation,” said Darin Hagerdon, Home
Healthcare Coordinator for Maier Pharmacy. “We had to do a few
minor construction projects, write and enact several new
policies and procedures, and have several staff training
sessions,” Hagerdon continued.
“Our patients have noticed some of the new changes,” stated Barb
Pederson, Health Care Consultant for the pharmacy. Pederson
continued, “The accreditation process forced us to rethink many
of our policies and required us to add additional patient and
safety documentation in the delivery process.”
“The CHAP site visitor spent three days going through paperwork,
quizzing pharmacy staff members and visiting with patients about
the quality of care they receive from our home healthcare
department, said Ed Maier, R.Ph., owner of Maier Family
Pharmacy.” “The site visitor was very impressed with the level
of service we’re providing to our patients and recommended to
the review board that we receive accreditation without
additional follow-up visits,” Maier continued.
Maier Family Pharmacy will be visited by a CHAP site visitor
again in three years for a renewal of their accreditation.
Pharmacy receives Golden Gas Award
Maier Family Pharmacy received a Golden Gas Award from ConvaCare
Services, the pharmacy’s home healthcare franchise, for growth
in 2nd quarter Oxygen sales.
“We’re all proud of the new home healthcare products and
services that Maier Family Pharmacy is now providing. Home and
portable Oxygen systems are a cornerstone of our business and in
these uncertain economic times, it’s nice to see some positive
sale numbers,” said Hagerdon. “We take the time to get to know
our patients, their needs and answer any concerns that they or
their family members may have… and they seem to like that
personal service,” Hagerdon continued.
“This is the pharmacy’s 4th Golden Gas Award in the
last 2 years,” stated Pederson. “We put a lot of work into
making sure our patients receive the best possible care and it’s
nice to be recognized by the franchise for our efforts.”
Maier Family Pharmacy contracted with ConvaCare Services, Inc.,
based out of Bloomington, Ind., in November, 2006. ConvaCare is
a subdivision of Lincare, a nationwide provider of home
healthcare equipment.
Maier Pharmacy updating to meet new Medicare
standards
Maier Family Pharmacy, in an effort to serve our patients better
and meet all required Medicare standards, had undergone a
construction project to add a cleaning and storage area for the
Home Healthcare department. In September of 2009, all
providers of durable medical equipment to Medicare Part B
patients must be accredited by an official Medicare approved
accrediting organization.
Maier's DME (durable medical equipment) franchise extended it's
accreditation for their products and services at the end of
January. CHAP (Community Health Accreditation Program) was
notified that MFP was now ready for a site visit and was meeting
and/or exceeding the requirements set forth by both Medicare and
CHAP to ensure quality products and service to our patients.
"It's been a challenge to complete the required changes, but
it's been worth the effort to make sure that we are in
compliance to continue to serve our patients in Monona,
Crawford, Woodbury and Ida Counties," stated Darin Hagerdon,
Home Healthcare Coordinator. "I would like to apologize to
any inconvenience our recent re-modeling may have had on
anyone's shopping experience at the pharmacy," Hagerdon
continued.
"We also have a new desk and reception area in the pharmacy to
better 'meet and greet' our patients," said Barb Pederson, Home
Healthcare Consultant. Pederson was hired in January to
assist in home healthcare operations and compliance.
MFP invites you to stop in and see our new changes and we look
forward to serving the home healthcare needs of our patients in
Mapleton and all our surrounding communities.
Maier Family Pharmacy wins back-to-back
‘Golden Gas’ awards
 ConvaCare
Services, of Bedford Ind., Maier Family Pharmacy’s home
healthcare franchise, has awarded the pharmacy back-to-back
‘Golden Gas’ awards for the 4th quarter of 2007 and
the 1st quarter of 2008 for their exceptional growth
in home and portable oxygen
business.
Maier Pharmacy’s oxygen patient list grew by 50 percent in the 4th
quarter of 2007 and 83 percent in the 1st quarter of
2008. “As more and more patients find out that we have home
oxygen and other home healthcare equipment available, we find
they are requesting that their prescribers call us to service
their needs,” said Darin Hagerdon, Home Healthcare Coordinator
for Maier Pharmacy in Mapleton. “I attribute our growth in
oxygen business to our fast response time, availability of
equipment and word of mouth advertising,” continued Hagerdon.
“Elderly patients are realizing that with only minor
modifications to their home and lifestyle, they can live
independently in their homes a lot longer than ever before. As
we celebrate our 130th year in business this year, we
want our patients to know that we’re committed to providing the
healthcare products and services they need to get the most out
of life,” said Ed Maier, Owner of Maier Family Pharmacy.
Maier Family Pharmacy also won a ‘Golden Gas Award’ for the 2nd
quarter of 2007 when they recorded a 150 percent growth in
oxygen business.
The pharmacy has also recently updated their website to include
information about their home healthcare products and services.
Visit
www.maierpharmacy.com for more information or prescription
refills.
Shingles vaccine covered by Medicare Part-D
 Medicare
Part-D prescription drug plans now cover the cost of getting
immunized against Herpes Zoster (Shingles.) Depending on the
prescription drug coverage selected by the patient, there may be
a small co-pay associated with the vaccination.
Shingles, a painful skin rash often with blisters, usually
appears on one side of the face or body and lasts from 2 to 4
weeks. Its main symptom is pain, which can be quite severe in
some cases. Other symptoms can include fever, headache, chills
and upset stomach. Very rarely, a shingles infection can lead
to very serious problems including blindness, brain inflammation
or even death.
About 20 percent of all patients that develop shingles will
continue to have severe pain even after the rash has cleared
up. This is called post-herpetic neuralgia.
Shingles is far more common in people 50 and older than in
younger people. It is also more common in people whose immune
systems are weakened because of a disease such as cancer. At
least 1 million people a year in the United States get shingles.
Locally, Medicare Part-D patients can get a single immunization
shot at Maier Family Pharmacy with a prescription from their
physician. Ed Maier, R.Ph, was
recently certified by the Iowa Pharmacy Association through the
American Pharmacists Association to give immunization shots.
A single shingles vaccination
shot lasts a lifetime and shouldn’t need to be repeated. More
information about this vaccination can be found at
www.cdc.gov/nip or at
www.maierpharmacy.com.
|
411
Main St.
