EMIS Group acquires PharmOutcomes operators

EMIS Group has acquired Pinnacle Health Partnership and Pinnacle Systems Management– owners and operators of the PharmOutcomes platform.

The acquisition aims to drive widespread improvements in medicines management and to support pharmacy in providing more clinical services.

Shanel Raichura, clinical director at EMIS Health, said: “This is an exciting acquisition for EMIS Group. It will enable us to provide new services more quickly to our pharmacy customers – supporting them in their changing role.

“By joining up the technology, we will make it easier for pharmacy to deliver a wider range of patient services – including referrals from NHS 111 and from GP practices – and to fulfill the requirements of the new contract.

“There will also be the opportunity to develop new services, for example in response to the Patient Group Directions initiative.”

The deal will see PharmOutcomes become seamlessly embedded in EMIS Group’s ProScript Connect software – a leading community pharmacy system.

System improvements will also be made available to the wider marketplace and to non-EMIS Health customers, in line with EMIS Health’s commitment to interoperability.

Gary Warner and Kevin Noble, managing partners at Pinnacle Health Partnership LLP, will remain in charge post acquisition – along with their management team.

Gary Warner, who is also a practicing pharmacist on the Isle of Wight, said: “We created PharmOutcomes to help commissioners to understand and better engage with pharmacy.  Becoming part of EMIS Group will open up a host of new opportunities for us to build on our success and to further support pharmacy in its future role. It’s an exciting time.”

“We are reassuring all PharmOutcomes customers that our services will continue unchanged and the future developments will benefit EMIS Health and non-EMIS Health customers alike.”

PharmOutcomes is a web-based service management solution used by over 11,000 community pharmacies to record and manage nationally and locally commissioned patient services such as: flu vaccinations, the community pharmacist consultation service, and hospital discharge referral management.

It allows local and national level analysis and reporting on the effectiveness of commissioned services, helping to improve the evidence base for community pharmacy services.