In some ways 2020 seems like a lifetime ago. In other ways it seems like yesterday. While we feel like we’re back to normal life after the pandemic, some things like remote/hybrid work, telemedicine and DoorDash, among other effects of COVID-19, are here to stay. For those in the healthcare industry, the pace of change in the short period of time since the turn of the decade shows no sign of letting up. Pharmacy is no exception. The changes in the pharmacy industry, coupled with ongoing staffing challenges, continue to drive the need for the benefits pharmacy automation can provide.
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a disruptor in the pharmacy setting and changed forever the way many work and live. Almost immediately, the demands placed on the healthcare infrastructure in the U.S. demanded that the role of pharmacists in delivering patient care be reexamined. In 2020, patients visited a community-based pharmacy 35 times compared to four times with their primary care physician.
From February 2020 through September 2022:
- Pharmacists and their teammates conducted over 42 million COVID-19 tests and provided over 270 million vaccinations (including 8.1 million COVID-19 vaccinations for long-term care residents) within community pharmacy programs alone.
- Pharmacists provided over 50 million influenza and other vaccinations per year.
- Pharmacists plausibly accounted for over 50% of COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States.
- Pharmacists prescribed, dispensed, and administered an uncounted number of antibody products and antiviral medications, including care for 5.4 million inpatients and innumerable outpatients.
It is conservatively estimated that pandemic interventions by pharmacists and teammates at the end of 2022 averted over one million deaths, over eight million hospitalizations, and $450 billion in healthcare costs. During 2020 and 2021, pharmacists provided more recommended routine vaccinations than physicians across the United States. Years after the pandemic, we continue to experience a physician shortage, resulting in longer wait times and delayed patient care, which could be creating continued demand for pharmacists to provide vaccines.
Consumer habits continue to evolve
In addition to healthcare staffing challenges and other changes, consumer habits continue to evolve, making it necessary for pharmacies to continue to adapt to a changing market.
Pharmacy consumers want to receive prescriptions similarly to how they shop for all products. They expect businesses to offer:
- A convenient online experience
- Options on when, where and how to shop.
- Multiple delivery options and real-time updates on order status.
- Home delivery, drive through and curbside pickup options.
- Locale flexibility so they can shop where they live and/or work
Pharmacy automation solutions support expanded patient care
As reimbursement rates for prescriptions continue to decline, pharmacies are eager to maintain their patient volumes. Direct to consumer cost savings programs, such as medication discount cards, are helpful in retaining patients, and targeted and personalized advertising further enables patients to shop for medications at the lowest price. Pharmacies are under significant pressure to not only meet consumers’ shopping needs but also to maintain the lowest price. By allowing for consolidated inventory and more streamlined processes, pharmacy automation can help to reduce dispensing costs and support better margins. Ideally, this could create operating capital that could be used to support the expansion of profitable patient care services.
The perfect storm that has resulted this decade shows that pharmacists are ready and able to provide care to their communities, making it more essential than ever to free up their time to serve patients and provide value-added services to their pharmacy. A well-designed pharmacy fulfillment solution can facilitate the evolution of pharmacy to meet these challenges, and those we will face tomorrow, helping to reduce cost to fill, while freeing up the time for pharmacists to practice at the top of their license.
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