RETAIL NEWS

Pharmacists still are waiting for the handcuffs to come off. That’s the consensus of industry leaders who are frustrated with the challenges of getting reimbursements for a wider range of services these professionals can perform. It’s a topic at the center of enabling patient care in community-based pharmacy.

“We talk about pharmacists being able to practice at the top of their license,” said CVS Health executive vice president of retail pharmacy and supply chain Kevin Hourican.

Though CVS Health and Aetna have had a working relationship since 2010, and their pending merger had likely been in the works for some time, its timing, experts say, suggests that the merger is as much about staving off the looming threat from Amazon as it is about competing with top health insurers and retailers.

It has been announced by Benzer Pharmacy, that the Tampa- Fla.-based chain will be addressing the demand for clinical solutions to supervise overprescribing patients. The company will be tackling this issue by providing medication therapy management, or MTM, to its customers.

“Medication therapy management is a patient-centric approach to bridge the gap between pharmacists and patients. By providing increased access to pharmacists, patients are able to take on a more active role in their wellness journey,” Alpesh Patel, president of Benzer Pharmacy, said.

A regional player is getting into the VMS business in a unique and personalized way. Ritzman Pharmacy, based in Medina, Ohio, last spring launched a new line of own-brand patient-customized supplements through its RefreshinQ division as part of a new wellness subscription offering.
 
“RefreshinQ is the future of Ritzman and [represents] how we’re positioning ourselves differently,” Ritzman Pharmacy president and COO George Glatcz said. “It’s changing the way we do business.”
 

There is no shortage of hurdles when it comes to achieving patient-facing care. Here are some key challenges and how the industry is trying to address them.

Long wait times: The biggest reason for dissatisfaction with a pharmacy is long wait times, said Oscar Cateriano, director of dispensing U.S. Retail, at BD.

Another year, another pending merger that promises to shake up the retail pharmacy business as we know it. Only, unlike the scrapped merger between Walgreens and Rite Aid, CVS Health’s proposed acquisition of health insurer Aetna has the potential to upend the whole healthcare landscape, putting it in competition with other retailers on one front and with leading insurers on another.

Hy-Vee has announced that all pharmacies located within Iowa will partner with the Iowa Department of Public Health, or IDPH, in providing both patients and employees with information on how help for opioid and other substance abuse issues can be obtained.

All 104 locations will post information on a new website recently launched by IDPH called YourLifeIowa.org, which will bring awareness and offer help to individuals and families dealing with substance abuse and gambling addiction. Resources on assisting with suicide prevention also will be included.