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For retail independent pharmacists, participating in a 340B program can help increase access to affordable medications and strengthen the pharmacy’s relationship with its community.

Phil LaFoy, pharmacist and co-owner of Blount Discount Pharmacies, which has locations in Alcoa and Maryville, Tenn., said that digital tools — a website that allows for prescription refills and a mobile app with similar capabilities — are one of the main ways independent retail pharmacies can stay competitive.

As pharmacy reimbursement is changing to focus on patient outcomes, Cardinal Health’s Reimbursement Consulting Services (RCS) is expanding the ways it can help pharmacists focus on their patients to drive those outcomes.

More than 32.6 million Americans live more than two miles from the nearest pharmacy. That distance not only serves as a significant barrier to accessing prescription medicines, but also contributes to the growing nonadherence problem in the United States. TelePharm, a Cardinal Health company, helps pharmacists overcome those medication barriers by facilitating the opening of telepharmacies as part of a turnkey solution set for interested pharmacy operations.

As expert healthcare providers in their communities, independent pharmacists are part of the front lines of care to help combat the opioid crisis. Through its Generation Rx program, created in partnership with The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy in 2009, the Cardinal Health Foundation partners with pharmacists and their communities in this fight by extending its prevention education reach and providing support for drug take-back initiatives, safe prescribing practices and strengthening community collaborations.

One of the most important parts of a pharmacist’s job — ensuring their patients properly take the medications they dispense — also is one of the most difficult to accomplish. The first step toward improving adherence is to understand what causes nonadherence, said Cindy Pigg, vice president of Managed Care and Business Development at Cardinal Health.

Gabe Guijarro, who operates The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy just 120 miles outside of Houston in Lufkin, Texas, has identified a way to drive patient adherence metrics higher, while keeping operating costs in check by using Cardinal Health’s Dispill Multi-Dose Packaging solution.

In his first speech as chairman of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Albertsons senior vice president of pharmacy, health and wellness discussed how retailers can win and the role NACDS plays in facilitating top-level conversations around meeting consumers' needs.