The annual awards are presented to companies recognized for their use of technology to improve productivity and customer satisfaction. The new features will be introduced as part of Bergen's Manufacturers' Exposition on Friday, July 13.
iBergen.com, BBDC's customer Internet portal, gives customers convenient and continuous access to a single source for information and productivity enhancement tools, including a wide array of online products and services. iBergen delivers to pharmacists and other healthcare professionals a range of comprehensive and cost effective business management solutions that improve productivity by streamlining processes and increasing operational efficiencies.
"iBergen reinforces BBDC's commitment to become a preferred strategic partner with current and emerging health systems, retail customers, manufacturers and payors for the delivery of innovative products and quality services," said Rhonda Michalski, vice president of marketing, BBDC. "This site ultimately allows pharmacists to spend less time with administrative tasks and more time interacting with consumers."
The Catalog & Order Entry application provides online access to Bergen's complete catalog enabling customers to get detailed information on items, check availability, allocate product and place orders directly with their servicing Bergen distribution facility. Since it is Internet-based, all information on the system is maintained real-time, and transactions occur immediately.
"Catalog & Order Entry stands as an example of how emerging E-commerce technologies can be successfully applied to established business models resulting in enhanced efficiencies," said Linda Burkett, Chief Information Officer, Bergen Brunswig Corporation. "It provides account inquiries and transactions on their own time and in their own way, a convenience only now possible with recent advances in Internet technology."
Linda Strain, a purchasing technician with CVS ProCare, said, "The iBergen Catalog & Order Entry System has made me more productive because I spend less time checking availability. I am confident that I am accessing true cost and average wholesale price, whereas with other systems I've had to rely on [weekly] updates. Catalog & Order Entry provides real-time cost and pricing, with confirmations given within seconds of ordering."
Ahmed Atallah, owner and director of Fox Drug in Torrance, CA, finds similar advantages, "Catalog & Order Entry on iBergen is easier to use in terms of item search and item look-up. It is a much more precise system, with accurate information and the wild-card function is particularly beneficial when I am not sure of the exact product name."
Last year, Bergen received the 2000 HDMA Technology Award for its InterLinxT Reporting System and joins a list of prestigious past winners, including 3M Pharmaceuticals, Mylan Laboratories, Glaxo Wellcome and Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation.
The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) is a leader in stimulating innovations that enhance the distributors' role in health care. Formerly the national Wholesale Druggists' Association (NWDA), HDMA secures safe and effective distribution of healthcare products, creates and exchanges industry knowledge affecting distribution management, and improves standards and business processes that influence healthcare commerce.
Bergen Brunswig Corporation, headquartered in Orange County, California, is a leading supplier of pharmaceuticals and specialty healthcare products, as well as information management solutions and consulting services. Bergen's customers include the nation's healthcare providers (hospitals, nursing homes and physicians), drug stores, manufacturers and patients. Through its subsidiaries, Bergen provides product distribution; logistics; pharmacy management programs; and Internet fulfillment strategies designed to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes across the entire healthcare spectrum.
Bergen Brunswig press releases are available on the company's website at www.bergenbrunswig.com.