Digest finds diversity among indie community pharmacies
By HME News Staff
Updated Tue October 17, 2017
ORLANDO, Fla. - Independent community pharmacies continue to strengthen and expand their scope of services, despite lower reimbursements for dispensing prescription drugs, according to the 2017 NCPA Digest, unveiled at the association's annual convention, Oct. 14-18. The digest, in its eighth year, found indie community pharmacies offer a variety of services: 86% offer medication therapy management; 74% provide immunizations; and 52% furnish durable medical goods. “As the 2017 NCPA Digest indicates, in the evolving health care landscape, pharmacists will continue to offer more clinical services to serve their patients,” said Steve Lawrence, senior vice president of Retail Independent Sales at Cardinal Health, the digest's sponsor. “We'll see independent pharmacies leading the way in offering the services and care patients need to stay adherent to their medications and remain healthy.” The digest also found that the number of indie community pharmacies is down slightly from last year (22,041 vs. 22,160), that they represent 36% of the retail pharmacy marketplace and that 81% of them serve populations of 50,000 or less.
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