Recent data shows that pharmacies are seeing revenue gains from expanding clinical services, and supermarket operators are taking note in order to remain competitive in the pharmacy space.
According to a recent Drug Store News article, the findings of a 2020 U.S. Pharmacy Study from J.D. Power showed that pharmacies are seeing large gains in customer spending and satisfaction by expanding their primary care services:
- Customers who used at least one health and wellness service offered by the grocer’s pharmacy spent $11 more on average than customers who did not use any such service — $35 to $24, respectively
- When customers used two or more health and wellness services offered by the grocery pharmacy, their average spend climbed to $58 per customer
- Average satisfaction scores for customers using two or more health and wellness services at grocery pharmacies were 907, compared to 861 for those who did not use any
In addition to considerable expansion of vaccination services as part of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, major grocery chains such as Publix have experienced gains by offering additional clinical services in the pharmacy. For example, Publix has collaborated with health system partners to launch 43 walk-in care clinics within its retail pharmacy space, allowing patients to conduct a virtual visit with a healthcare provider. In addition, the grocery chain recently partnered with BayCare to pilot a phlebotomy offering at two of its walk-in care clinic locations.
Publix is also working to improve medication adherence, leveraging EnlivenHealth’s appointment-based Medication Synchronization (Med Sync) solution. Publix Director of Communications Maria Brous notes, “This model allows for the pharmacy to better plan workflow and ensures each patient receives optimal care as they know in advance when the patient will be in the pharmacy and can plan to offer additional services like immunizations and/or comprehensive medication reviews.”
Read the entire article from Drug Store News here.