PHARMACY | SUPERMARKET PHARMACY
Care and Convenience Supermarket pharmacies have arrived as health destinations By Sandra Levy
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oint-of-care testing? Check. Medication therapy management? Check. Chronic disease management programs? Check. Specialty pharmacy? Check. Primary care and clinic services? Check. Staff dietitians and nutritionists? Check. Collaboration with physicians and large health systems? Check. COVID testing, COVID vaccines, and flu and pneumonia shots? Check. This is a checklist for any retailer looking to make a mark with the pharmacy and something that supermarket operators need to understand is essential if they want to
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thrive in the competitive pharmacy business in the future. The big questions are whether supermarkets are willing to dive completely into the pharmacy business and whether they can utilize their obvious advantage in food to maximize their potential in the category. The rewards accrued from offering these clinical services can be substantial in terms of clinical outcomes, not to mention revenue and customer satisfaction. In fact, pharmacy expansion into primary care is driving significant increases in both satisfaction and consumer spending, according to the 2020 U.S. Pharmacy Study from J.D. Power.
The study found that customers who use at least one health-and-wellness-oriented service provided by their pharmacy spend an average of $11 more per customer than those who do not use these services ($35 versus $24, respectively) When customers use two or more health-and-wellnessoriented services, that average spend climbs to $58. Among customers who use two or more health-and-wellness-oriented services, overall satisfaction jumps to 907 versus 861 for those who don’t use any service. How can that translate into sales and profits for supermarket chains involved with pharmacies?
May 2021 DRUGSTORENEWS.COM
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