2024 Pharmacy Innovator of the Year: Hy-Vee provides affordable, convenient care
From offering specialty pharmacy services and durable medical equipment to providing resources for GLP-1 patients and launching mobile pharmacy services, Hy-Vee, which operates 570 retail business units with more than 275 pharmacies across eight Midwestern states, is leading the pack during a crucial time for the industry.
The company’s focus on providing accessible, affordable and convenient care are among the reasons Hy-Vee has been named the 2024 Drug Store News Pharmacy Innovator of the Year.
One of the company’s greatest strengths, according to Aaron Wiese, president of Hy-Vee, is its pharmacy team. “We employ the absolute best pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the industry who are knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and compassionate,” he said. “When it comes to caring for patients, our pharmacy team takes the time to truly listen, ask questions and understand their patients’ needs.”
Because it operates in rural areas across the Midwest, many of Hy-Vee pharmacies serve as the only healthcare providers in their communities, Wiese said, adding that it’s critical that patients in those areas have a provider they can trust and turn to with their medication questions.
“We encourage our pharmacy teams to become involved in their local communities and develop long-lasting relationships with the patients and families they serve,” Wiese said.
One just has to take a look at the new patient-facing services that Hy-Vee is rolling out to understand how crucial a role the retailer plays in the community.
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“At Hy-Vee Pharmacy, our goal is to make it easy for patients to access pharmacy services. Over the past year, we’ve added a variety of new services and resources to help our patients manage their health,” said Angie Nelson, Hy-Vee’s senior vice president of pharmacy, noting that resources for GLP-1 patients is one of the latest services.
“Within our stores, we’ve added product displays that feature a curated collection of products selected by our pharmacy and dietitian teams to help manage GLP-1 medication side effects,” Nelson continued. “We also encourage our patients to connect with one of our registered dietitians to learn how they can incorporate more nutrients into their diet while on the medications.”
Hy-Vee also has responded to patients who need durable medical equipment. “Within our territory, we are one of the few pharmacies to offer durable medical equipment, such as walkers, blood sugar meters, canes and other medically billed services,” Nelson said.
Hy-Vee also finds it imperative to meet the special needs of seniors. A prime example is its collaboration with the Iowa Area Agencies on Aging for the second year to host a series of Senior Wellness Day events across its pharmacies in Iowa. At each event, individuals ages 60 years and older could access free services, including A1C screenings, vaccinations, Medicare and financial resources. To encourage vaccinations, Hy-Vee offered gift card incentives, courtesy of the AAA, to those who received certain vaccines at each event.
“We designed these events with accessibility in mind, focusing on reaching older patient populations in underserved communities,” Nelson said. “To make the experience easier and eliminate technology barriers, these healthcare services were available on a walk-in basis only with no appointment required. We also offered large-print vaccine consent forms, as well as Spanish-translated consent forms.”
Providing patients with convenient access to health care is yet another hallmark of Hy-Vee pharmacies. For example, in 2013, Hy-Vee invested in its first mobile health unit, and today it operates 28 vehicles that it deploys throughout its Midwestern territory.
“Bringing basic pharmacy services, like screenings and vaccinations, out into our communities has become essential to our pharmacy strategy. Our pharmacy teams frequently use these vehicles to host pop-up clinics at workplaces and local events,” Nelson said.
Hy-Vee also used its mobile pharmacy services to help support communities in times of need. Nelson provided the example of when devastating flooding hit Northwest Iowa this year. “After a local pharmacy was forced to temporarily close their brick-and-mortar location due to flooding in Spencer, we deployed our mobile disaster relief pharmacy to the area, so the local pharmacy could continue to fill essential scripts for their patients,” Nelson said.
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Beyond mobile pharmacy services, Hy-Vee has made an investment in digital tools,” Nelson explained. “This year, we unveiled new enhancements to our online vaccine scheduler to make it faster and easier for patients to schedule multiple vaccines in one appointment. This has been key in promoting vaccine co-administration and increasing vaccination rates in our communities.”
Hy-Vee also introduced prescription prepay, a tool that allows patients to pay for medications ahead of time online or through the Hy-Vee app. They can get in and out of the pharmacy faster.
“Communication has also been a major focus for us as we seek new ways to connect with our patients,” Nelson said, noting that Hy-Vee recently implemented a new text messaging tool that keeps patients informed about the status of their prescriptions and reminds them when they’re due for routine immunizations using automated technology.
“At the pharmacy level, our staff can also send on-demand messages to their patients, notifying them at different times, such as when a prior authorization is needed,” Nelson said.“Not only does this solution provide a service to our patients, but it also helps improve their medication adherence and reduces the workload on our pharmacies, so they can focus their attention to counseling patients.”
Moreover, Hy-Vee also leveraged its digital channels to help inform and educate patients. Last year, the retailer introduced Hy-Vee Health 360, a monthly email newsletter that it developed to keep customers and patients informed of trending health topics, new pharmacy services and nutritional resources from the retailer’s e dietitians.
“As health becomes an increasingly important focus for many, this newsletter has served as an educational resource for our patients and a communication pipeline for us as a provider,” Nelson said.
Hy-Vee also is stepping up to the plate when it comes to addressing mental health. Most recently, in recognition of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Month, Hy-Vee unveiled a free video series that provided a holistic look at how sleep, exercise, nutrition and medication can contribute to mental well-being.
“Bringing together our medical providers, pharmacists, dietitians and fitness experts, we provided tips on how to improve mental health through simple lifestyle changes,” Nelson said.
On the technology front, Hy-Vee is increasing efficiencies and improving patient care. Nelson said it’s critical that pharmacies are maximizing their resources to the fullest in order to remain financially viable and continue to provide essential healthcare access to patients. “At Hy-Vee, we’ve leveraged our pharmacy fulfillment centers to drive efficiencies and better support our pharmacy staff at the retail level, so they can operate at the top of their license and keep their attention focused on what matters most: the patient.”
Hy-Vee prides itself on trying to stay ahead of the curve, Nelson said, noting that its first pharmacy fulfillment center opened in 2013 in Des Moines, Iowa. Today it operates six facilities across the Midwest. “Each facility supports a network of pharmacies throughout our trade territory, dispensing medications and delivering them to our retail pharmacy locations,” Nelson added.
Repeat Refills is yet another tool that Hy-Vee is leveraging to deliver better patient care. Repeat Refills is a free service that patients can enroll in to have their prescriptions automatically refilled based on their refill schedule.
“Not only does this offer more convenience to our patients, but it also gives us as providers the ability to monitor for signs of non-adherence and intervene when necessary,” Nelson explained.
In today’s ever evolving healthcare landscape, the ability to form strategic partnerships aimed at reducing accessibility barriers is critical, and Hy-Vee excels in this area.
For example, in October the pharmacy became the first provider in the nation to partner with GoodRx and Affirm to offer a new payment method that allows individuals to pay for their medications over a period of time through the GoodRx app.
In the coming months, this flexible payment option will be available to patients, and they will have the option to order eligible medications to be picked up at a Hy-Vee Pharmacy location or shipped to the home.
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“We believe this partnership will be key in removing healthcare barriers for our patients and improving their medication adherence,” Wiese said. “Establishing partnerships with industry leaders has been key to our pharmacy growth strategy and has enabled us to expand our patient reach.”
Another key partnership is with Soda Health.
“To support our Food is Medicine program, this year we entered into a partnership with Soda Health to launch a new Smart Benefits incentivization program that allows Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and other health insurance beneficiaries to receive personalized health and wellness benefits by visiting their local Hy-Vee store,” Wiese said. “These benefits are delivered down to the SKU-level to ensure that dollars are only used on products that contribute to a healthier lifestyle.”
This year Hy-Vee also teamed up with eHealth, an independent health insurance advisor, to help pharmacy customers shop, compare and enroll in Medicare plans for free with no obligation to enroll. “As we continue to expand beyond our pharmacy roots, we’ve formed partnerships in other areas of our health and wellness operations,” Wiese said.
Hy-Vee also expanded into the medical field, becoming a joint owner of Exemplar Care, an Iowa-based direct primary care practice that Wiese said “was designed to disrupt health care as we know it.”
Unlike traditional medical practices, Exemplar Care utilizes direct primary care, which offers transparent, low-cost pricing in the form of a monthly health care membership. This membership provides patients with unrestricted access to medical providers and a full range of personalized medical services, including urgent care, and can be used independently or layered with a major medical health plan. Under the partnership agreement, all of the medical clinics were renamed to Hy-Vee Health Exemplar Care this year.
Beyond partnerships, Hy-Vee is expanding its telehealth initiatives. The retailer introduced virtual dietitian services in 2021 to stay connected with its customers during the pandemic. “Since then, demand for these virtual services has only continued to grow, allowing us to reach more individuals. By moving our nutrition services online, we’ve been able to expand our reach and make our services more accessible and convenient for our customers,” Wiese said.
The retailer also leaned into telehealth in 2021 to grow its overall health and wellness strategy, launching RedBox Rx, a Hy-Vee subsidiary that provides low-cost telehealth and online pharmacy services, shipping prescribed treatments directly to patients’ homes.
RedBox Rx offers treatments for nearly 30 conditions including men’s health, women’s health, hair and skin, mental health and more.
“Most recently, we’ve added weight loss medications with virtual nutritional counseling available to help support individuals in their health journey. We’ve also expanded our mental health offerings, launching pay-as-you-go online talk therapy to provide discreet access to licensed therapists. Unlike most other telehealth models, RedBox Rx requires no subscription,” Wiese said.
Hy-Vee also built out its specialty pharmacy offering to meet patients’ needs. The company has operated in the specialty pharmacy field for more than a decade. Its subsidiary, Amber Specialty Pharmacy, provides personalized support to patients across the nation who are living with some of the most chronic and complex medical conditions. Amber specializes in treatments for transplant, oncology and infusion.
“Through Amber Specialty Pharmacy, we also have access to limited distribution drugs,” Wiese said. “This year, Amber Specialty Pharmacy was named the Specialty Pharmacy of the Year by the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy, receiving this honor for the second time since 2020 for our team’s dedication to patient satisfaction, service excellence and cost management.”
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Hy-Vee is particularly proud of its efforts to help patients with chronic diseases, especially the collaboration between its pharmacists and nutritionists/dietitians.
“Food is Medicine is one of the most important initiatives that we’ve been focused on developing this year and is largely driven by our pharmacists and registered dietitians,” Wiese said.
The company said that approximately 6 in 10 Americans live with at least one chronic disease, most of which can be prevented by making simple lifestyle changes through nutrition and physical activity. “As a grocer and pharmacy provider, we are uniquely positioned within our communities to reach, engage and support individuals in their journey to better health,” Wiese said.
From a nutrition standpoint, he pointed out that Hy-Vee’s stores offer access to produce, specialty items from our HealthMarket departments, medically tailored meals and in-person and virtual dietitian services.
“From a pharmacy and clinical side, we can provide health screenings, vaccinations, medication therapy management and other pharmacy services in our stores and in the community using our mobile health units,” Wiese said. “Plus, we can incentivize healthier choices through our partnership with Soda Health, which allows Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and other health insurance beneficiaries to receive personalized health and wellness benefits by visiting their local Hy-Vee store.”
Next year, Hy-Vee will be piloting Food is Medicine programs with Tufts University, Iowa Total Care and Nebraska Total Care to measure the effectiveness of pharmacist and dietitian intervention on overall health outcomes.
Nelson said that the company supports its pharmacist 100% and pointed out that Hy-Vee has been recognized as one of the best employers for the benefits it offers and the supportive workplace culture that it promotes. Among the benefits are competitive pay, a 10% discount on groceries, daily pay, holiday pay, a 401(k) plan, insurance for full- and part-time employees and tuition assistance. Several years ago, Hy-Vee introduced a pharmacy technician apprenticeship, which provides on-the-job training to prepare pharmacy technicians to become nationally certified to administer vaccines. Of its more than 2,300 pharmacy technicians, nearly 60% are certified to immunize.
Lastly, when it comes to fulfilling its mission to improve the patient experience, Hy-Vee values communicating with patients. Before the retailer introduces new services to the marketplace, it often conducts pilots to collect feedback and evaluate their effectiveness.
What does the future hold for Hy-Vee’s pharmacies? “Retail pharmacy has been at the center of Hy-Vee’s operations for 55 years and has served as the foundation of our health and wellness strategy,” Wiese said. “In the years ahead, we look forward to evolving the pharmacy experience and reaching more patients with our services as we continue our mission of making lives easier, healthier and happier.”
