Tuesday, December 23, 2008

PCA wants rules to play by

From the Financial Post:
In all businesses, entrenched interests -- "the club" -- can and do play a large role in ensuring life isn't made easy for a bunch of newcomers, as existing players protect their interests by any and all means.

Enter Peter Suma and Don Waugh, founders of PCA Services, which regards itself as "an innovator of hardware and software for the dispensing and ongoing management of patient drug therapy." PCA (PharmaTrust) recently launched its second dispensary at Toronto's Sunnybrook hospital.

Getting to that stage hasn't been easy. The 40-person company has invested $9-million in a kiosk that allows patients to talk to a pharmacist via video conferencing and enables the pharmacist to monitor and control each step of the dispensing process from a video call centre. Medication is dispensed from the kiosk by the pharmacist in a few minutes. And PCAS has fought numerous battles with the club. "Only a wet baby likes change," said Suma, whose MBA from the University of Chicago makes him a supporter of free and open markets. PCA wants rules to play by

No comments: