Med-Box meets growing medical need

CROSS ROAD: White Cross Pharmacy has grown into a third-generation, family-owned business serving clients in three states by constantly working to meet the changing needs of customers. Pictured above, from left, are: Beth Brown, business director; Robert J. Iacobucci, pharmacy director; and Robert L. Iacobucci, company president and CEO. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
CROSS ROAD: White Cross Pharmacy has grown into a third-generation, family-owned business serving clients in three states by constantly working to meet the changing needs of customers. Pictured above, from left, are: Beth Brown, business director; Robert J. Iacobucci, pharmacy director; and Robert L. Iacobucci, company president and CEO. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

White Cross Pharmacy began in the Depression era as a family-owned store, and has matured into a third-generation business by knowing when to abandon old ways of thinking.
Most recently, that has meant embracing “the pouch.”
Two years ago, the North Providence-based company responded to a demand among customers for more-efficient, reliable packaging for multiple medications.
A simple idea, but as it turned out, a transformative one. As recently as five years ago, nurses or caregivers dispensed medications by popping out the individual pills sealed on “blister cards,” then hand-grouping the pills by the time or date they needed to be taken.
White Cross, whose clients include assisted-living facilities and group residential homes, started doing this task for its customers, manually packaging batches of medications, sorted by time and date, and placing them into clearly labeled pouches, said CEO and President Robert L. Iacobucci.
The idea was simple: increase efficiency, and reduce time demands on caretakers. “Wouldn’t it be a good thing if a nurse or a caretaker had all the medications in one package?” said Robert J. Iacobucci, the company’s vice president and pharmacy director.
Soon, it was the fastest-growing part of the business, he said.
By 2012, the company invested in a robotic system that automated the process. The medications are sealed in pouches for clients, one for each dosage time, then placed into a portable container, called a “Med-Box,” and delivered free to customers. The pouches also are portable. If a customer is leaving for the weekend, they know exactly how many to take, explained the younger Iacobucci.
No need for the old-fashioned pill organizer.
Deliveries are handled in-house, and can be made quickly depending on need, usually a few times a week, said Robert L. Iacobucci, whose father co-founded the company. Because the delivery drivers are employees, with regular routes, they get to know the customers, he said. It adds another level of security for customers, he said.
It’s an important part of the business. Although White Cross remains a full-service pharmacy company, the Med-Boxes accounted for much of the 35 percent increase in sales over the past two years, said the younger Iacobucci. The company does not disclose sales figures. It wasn’t the first innovative turn for the company.
In 1999, more than 60 years after its founding, White Cross had stores in Providence and North Providence but faced competitive pressure from national pharmacy chains. The family made the decision to sell the two retail locations to focus on long-term care clients, including nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and group mental health facilities, according to the CEO.
The company’s retail pharmacies, initially sold to Brooks, were later turned into Rite Aid locations. By the late 1990s that consolidation trend was clear. “We knew we couldn’t compete,” said the senior Iacobucci.
Now, with the new packaging and delivery of medications, the company focus has become more centered on medication management. This is an important growth area nationally in health care, said the younger Iacobucci.
The number of home-based customers has increased dramatically, explained Beth Brown, White Cross’ business director. Caretakers, including the sons and daughters of elderly parents, want an organized, efficient plan for medications.
Out of the company’s 1,400 customers, about 800 are in their own homes, she said. “It’s really growing by leaps and bounds,” Brown said.
Because the process is automated, medications can be adjusted on demand and delivered quickly, she said. The company works with both Medicaid and Medicare participants, she added. Deliveries are made to either the facility director, or a designee, in the case of a group facility, or to the patient.
The company has expanded its market into southeastern Massachusetts and Connecticut, but will remain in Rhode Island, according to the CEO. Over the summer, it moved into a larger facility on Mineral Spring Avenue. It is pursuing a trademark for “Med-Box.”
While other companies in the country are experimenting with similar models, so far the company has found its niche in southern New England. “Sustainable growth” is the goal, said Robert L. Iacobucci, while continuing to operate as a family centered business. •

COMPANY PROFILE
White Cross Pharmacy
OWNERS: Beth Brown, Robert L. Iacobucci, Robert J. Iacobucci
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Pharmacy
LOCATION: 1057 Mineral Spring Ave., North Providence
EMPLOYEES: About 30
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1933
ANNUAL SALES: WND

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