What does it look like when a regional power player gets serious about its pharmacy operation? Just ask the team at Publix.
The employee-owned company already had been in business for nearly 60 years when it opened its first pharmacy in 1986. Despite the late start, and with a great deal of knowledge and experience, Publix has managed to grow its pharmacy operation into one that goes beyond simply providing a place for shoppers to fill a script while they pick up their weekly groceries.
From investing in technology and offering free and discounted medication to building out an accredited specialty pharmacy arm and positioning itself as a health-and-wellness partner — not just for its patients, but for payers and health systems — Publix has excelled at a time when pharmacy has become a tough game to even stay afloat in, let alone get ahead.
Publix’s dedication to its patients, embodied in its focus on strategic investments and partnerships aimed at improving healthcare access and outcomes — coupled with its sterling reputation among both patients and workers in the areas it serves — are the reasons the company has been named the 2019 Drug Store News Pharmacy Innovator of the Year.
One of the company’s strengths, according to vice president of pharmacy Dain Rusk, who joined Publix in June 2018, is its focus on becoming a health-and-wellness resource for people who might not automatically associate the purveyor of their favorite sub sandwich with the pharmacy, as well as building loyalty through personalized care.
“I think the strategy has been pretty consistent, namely, how do we allow our pharmacists to be more customer-facing and provide better patient access to the point where we can become a health-and-wellness destination pharmacy versus just the traditional pharmacy?” Rusk said. “The landscape is definitely changing. It used to be about just filling as many prescriptions as possible. Now it’s really about trying to help people achieve their health-and-wellness goals.”
In the time since he joined Publix, Rusk said he and his team have been refining the strategy to focus on three key pillars: investing in innovation, driving the prescription business and building out an omnichannel offering. Publix’s innovation focus is the key driver to both of the subsequent pillars of the company’s strategy, particularly because of the unique way that Publix defines innovation.
“Innovation for us is both technology, as well as strategic partnerships that we’ve established,” Rusk said. “Innovation for us is how we’re improving access for patients, whether that be using unique solutions to drive better adherence or even using technology to improve efficiencies. Additionally, it’s also about strategic relationships and how we look at collaborating with other healthcare providers to improve access to high-quality, affordable health care.”
On the technology side, Publix has invested in one of the largest central-fill facilities among grocery operators. The company’s Orlando, Fla.-based central-fill facility services all of its 733 Florida locations with pharmacies, from the Florida Keys to the panhandle, and features state-of-the-art automation from Innovation. It plays a key role in keeping Publix patients adherent, while also improving pharmacy workflow, taking refills of common maintenance medications — or particularly costly, less commonly prescribed medications — out of the store entirely.
“Because of our medication synchronization program, we’ve really been able to manage the workflow in the pharmacy and know when patients are coming in for their medication, so that those drop into a workflow before they’re due,” said Katie Petti, Publix director of central and specialty pharmacy. “It gives the pharmacies plenty of time to get them filled centrally and sent back to the store, which has enabled our pharmacists to carry out clinical rather than administrative work, which allows them to personally engage with patients.”
“As a pharmacy department, we’re really focused on taking care of customers and their health and well-being,” said Toan Do, Publix director of retail pharmacy operations. “I think the key is we allow pharmacists to be pharmacists. They actually feel that they can be engaged and, as leaders, we support that. We want to ensure that they’re able to provide immunizations or engage in the aisles when patients are looking for vitamins or cough and cold remedies to provide them expertise on what products to select.”
While technological innovation can help improve patient adherence and build loyalty, Publix’s innovative partnerships are designed to improve convenience and gain new loyal patients simultaneously. The cornerstone of the company’s partnership innovation is its working relationship with health systems throughout Florida and in South Carolina.