If you want your local community to grow, you can start with supporting your local independent pharmacy. Buying local means revenues stay local, which in turn benefits your community.
Independent pharmacies are more focused on taking care of their patients and will do what it takes to keep them happy. While big chain pharmacies may have a wider scope, smaller pharmacies focus on what really matters: good customer experience.
They offer free deliveries for both prescription and over-the-counter medications, for instance, which is already a huge benefit for patients. Independent pharmacies also engage more with their customers and put more value on their staff’s performance compared to bigger chains that are primarily focused on gaining profits, pleasing their shareholders and hitting their metrics.
What’s Next for Independent Pharmacies?
Independent pharmacies are already benefiting a lot of consumers with their quality healthcare services, but they continue to redefine themselves in order to remain competitive in an ever-changing market. Here’s what we can look forward to for independent pharmacies in the coming years:
· Reviewing and Elevating Performance Metrics
The efficiency bar continues to rise each year and with it comes the need for pharmacies, especially independent players to review and elevate their performance metrics. One good example would be improving the adherence of patients to cholesterol, diabetes and blood pressure medications.
To make this possible, independent pharmacies may offer free blood pressure and glucose apparatus for patients to easily monitor their blood pressure and sugar levels at home. In turn, this will encourage them to be more compliant with their medications. It’s also important for pharmacists to identify outliers and take the necessary steps to overcome challenges to adhering to medication therapy.
· Integrating Technology to Improve Efficiency
To keep up with the need to improve quality measures, independent pharmacies are now integrating technology into their system. Technology will now be used to help pharmacists identify patients who are at risk for non-adherence. Inventories are now also automated for better pharmacy management and programs are integrated to help medication therapy management and synchronization of medications a lot easier.
Technology is also becoming a valuable tool in keeping records of patients, so it’s easier for pharmacists to document current health concerns and medications and compare them to the patient’s history so better treatment plans can be created.
· Turning Pharmacists Into Providers
It’s no secret that pharmacists play a huge role in the success of independent pharmacies because they are the ones who interact with customers on a regular basis. Their roles also continue to expand with the extended services they offer including medication therapy management and immunizations.
But while bigger chains have succeeded in convincing lawmakers to recognize pharmacists as providers, this may still be a challenge for small, independent players. Pharmacists should be given more authority to exercise their practice so they can serve people better and lower overall healthcare costs. This will still rely on both the state and federal authorities, but it will surely help independent pharmacies serve their consumers better, especially those in underserved areas.
· Collaboration for Better Patient Care
From taking prescriptions to compounding, independent pharmacies have been collaborating with other stakeholders to deliver quality patient care, and this trend will continue to grow in the coming years.
In fact, independent players will need to increase collaboration in order to lower healthcare costs, improve outcomes and provide better value to consumers. By working with other providers, pharmacists can easily identify pain points and find ways to address them right away.
While independent pharmacies are still facing huge challenges, these trends are giving them the opportunity to not only survive but also thrive in the industry. By reinventing traditional business models, they can be as competitive as their big chain counterparts while still keeping patient care at the heart of their business.
Final Words
There is no doubt that independent pharmacies are making their mark in healthcare and they will continue to play a huge role in maintaining the quality of life of the people in the communities they serve. Big chain pharmacies may still be dominating the market, but the small players are surely keeping up with the competition with all the value they offer to consumers.
Green Valley Pharmacy, for instance, serves the Rancho Cucamonga California area and offers the best prices on both prescription and over-the-counter medications. You can enjoy an extensive selection of medication and OTC items.
The pharmacy also works with verified doctors’ offices to help you cut costs on your medications and even accepts major drug insurance plans for your convenience.
So, the next time you ask the question, “is there a pharmacist near me?” make sure to choose an independent pharmacy in your community because you’re not only giving back, you’re also helping a local business gain more footing in the industry. Visit Green Valley Pharmacy in Rancho Cucamonga today.