PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--McKesson Business Performance Services (McKesson) announced today that it will lease a call center in Port St. Lucie, Fla. McKesson currently employs approximately 300 customer service representatives in Port St. Lucie and plans to hire a number of employees over the next several months.
The new call center, located at 300 N.W. Peacock Blvd., is planned to open on May 23, 2016. The 50,000 square foot facility is being leased from QVC, which operated a contact center in the building. Cindy Mazur, director of operations for McKesson Patient Access Solutions, said McKesson has already hired 31 new employees locally, including individuals from the QVC contact center, and anticipates bringing on another 80 to 100 over the next six-to-eight months. Within 18 months the facility could employ as many as 700 as McKesson’s patient support business continues to grow.
A job fair to support staffing of the facility — McKesson’s third since December — is scheduled for February 11 in Port St. Lucie.
“We are very excited about this opportunity and enormously grateful for all those who helped put it together, including officials with the city of Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County, and QVC,” Mazur said. “This is a situation that will truly benefit all of the parties involved.”
McKesson Patient Access Solutions is a fast-growing, four-year-old business that provides centralized physician scheduling, physician and employee referrals, patient portal support, pre-registration, and data conversion to patients on behalf of physician offices nationwide. The business currently serves 72 practices representing more than 900 doctors. The operation is currently expanding to include prescription refills services and expects to add clinician-driven case management in the months ahead.
Mazur said the employees who have already been hired are in the process of completing a comprehensive, six-week training program. She said all are proving eminently qualified to provide a range of patient services on behalf of McKesson.
“I can’t say enough about the high level of professionalism demonstrated by our new employees,” Mazur said. “They are truly some of the most engaged people I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with. It is clear that they are committed to personal integrity, customer-first service and respect for others in the workplace, and we feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to enlist them in helping us get our patient services center off the ground.”
Mazur added that an area not-for-profit, CareerSource Research Coast, has been instrumental in supporting job fairs in Port St. Lucie., and even opening a facility adjacent to the new McKesson patient services building to accommodate large numbers of interviewees during the job fairs. CareerSource works to support critical workforce needs in the state and help displaced employees find new jobs.
Daniel Holbrook, assistant city manager for Port St. Lucie, said the city was excited about being a part of McKesson’s expansion in the region. “We are committed to growing our local economy,” he said. In the late 1990s, the city played a pivotal role in attracting a number of businesses to Port St. Lucie in an effort to address the area’s chronically high unemployment rate.
Pat DeAngelo, McKesson’s SVP Operations and CIO, said the new call center represents a major win both for McKesson and the community of Port St. Lucie.
“We feel fortunate that this situation presented itself, and we appreciate all the hard work done by many to get us to the point where we can make this a reality,” DeAngelo said. “Being able to step into a state-of-the-art facility and draw from a highly qualified workforce is enormously beneficial for McKesson, since it gives us a running start in supporting an important business opportunity. At the same time, we are pleased that our new operation is bringing employment opportunities to the community of Port St. Lucie. We look forward to a long and beneficial relationship with the people of the Treasure Coast.”
About McKesson Corporation
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 11th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to making the business of healthcare run better. We partner with payers, hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and others across the spectrum of care to build healthier organizations that deliver better care to patients in every setting. McKesson helps its customers improve their financial, operational, and clinical performance with solutions that include pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management, healthcare information technology, and business and clinical services. For more information, visit www.mckesson.com.