Drug Topics Examines the Emerging Arm of Innovation at Retail Pharmacies

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Radical changes are on the horizon for America’s retail pharmacies, according to this month’s cover story in Drug Topics, retail pharmacy’s leading news magazine. In the story, Drug Topics takes a close-up look at how changes in our healthcare system are dramatically transforming one of America’s most time-honored healthcare institutions.

The bottom line is that more people are taking more prescriptions with fewer pharmacists to fill them; a situation that will require pharmacies to adopt more innovative business models, implement new technologies to handle dispensing and train pharmacists for more patient-centric care, according to the story’s author, Reid Paul.

Paul, a technology and business writer, spent six months researching pharmacy trends and technologies, and met with industry analysts, consultants and pharmacists. The July 14 cover story, “Designing the Pharmacy of the Future,” chronicles these and other findings.

Innovative Business Models

The magazine’s cover photo speaks volumes: Matt Johnson, R.Ph., owner of Chet Johnson & Sons Drug Store in Amery, Wisc., a pharmacy his grandfather built, stands at his counter while behind him stands Parata® Max™, a next-generation robotic dispensing system. The technology lets Johnson’s store handle growing prescription volumes with greater accuracy than hiring more techs to manually fill the prescriptions.

Durham, N.C.-based Parata Systems just released Parata Max and its entry-level companion, Parata® Mini™, the first and only next-generation technology in the nearly 50-year history of pharmacy automation. The systems are designed for high speed, increased capacity, precise pill counting and happier pharmacy technicians. They’re even ergonomically engineered to fit their most common user: a 5’ 3” woman.

Patient-Centric Care

Next-generation automation allowed Johnson, a third-generation pharmacist, to re-orient his priorities, focusing on time with patients and new business opportunities.

“We’re certainly consulting with every patient now,” Johnson explained. “I’m hoping to spend even more time, investigating MTM programs that we did not have time for.”

Situated in a rural community northeast of Minneapolis, Johnson’s pharmacy fills more than 400 prescriptions a day and is growing briskly. “Safety and accuracy have to remain the top priorities,” Johnson says. “If we do something wrong or give someone the wrong medication, it could be catastrophic for the patient and me.”

“Many retail pharmacies see little choice over adopting automated or semi-automated dispensing technologies,” Paul explains. “Amid this climate of exponentially increasing demand, prescription safety is a major concern for pharmacy operations large and small.”

How to Spot a Pharmacy of the Future: Three Questions to Ask

You don’t need a degree in pharmacology or an MBA to spot the pharmacies that will successfully evolve under the new reimbursement models and growing quality-of-care initiatives.

No matter where your favorite pharmacy is located, a quick check can determine if it’s prepared to meet your family’s healthcare needs into the future. According to Paul, pharmacy customers need only ask three key questions:

1. Is there “technology at work” behind the counter? Automated dispensing technology is accessible and affordable; and on busy days, its accuracy might save a life. For pharmacists, it may also save their businesses by freeing up time to deliver the quality patient care that will be key to customer preference in an increasingly competitive market.

2. Can you verify this prescription for me? Pharmacists who consistently make a point of walking you through the verification process, drug name, dose, interactions, side effects, etc., are making the transition to “clinician” that is the next and higher calling for pharmacists.

Like doctors, pharmacists will need to know their customers by name, and vice versa.

3. How soon can my prescription be ready? Pharmacies that take more than 30 minutes to fill a prescription are not adapting their workflows to today’s high-volume, customer-focused model.

One core tenet still links the retail pharmacy of the past to the future: The customer is always right, and doesn’t like to wait.

“The pharmacy industry is calling it ‘the perfect storm’ in a positive way,” concludes Paul. “Pharmacy operators who invest in technology and workflow improvements will ride this wave successfully. Those that don’t will likely sink to the bottom.”

About Drug Topics

The longest-running publication for pharmacists, Drug Topics is a monthly news magazine that reports on all phases of pharmacy for community & health-system pharmacists, HMO & consultant pharmacists, chain headquarters executives & buyers, mail-order pharmacists, wholesalers, academia, & others. Concise, easy-to-read news reports cover managed care trends; professional issues; national & state governmental activities; new prescription drugs, OTCs, and health & beauty care products; retail management & store operations; and new merchandising & marketing techniques. Original research is emphasized. An advisory board of pharmacy leaders provides continuous feedback. A Health-System Edition for health-system pharmacists is published each month. Drug Topics also publishes a digital edition on a weekly basis.

Available for interviews:			Reid Paul, Senior Editor
			Drug Topics
			High resolution photo of Reid Paul available