FORT WORTH — As pharmacies across the U.S. step up to support their communities during COVID-19, FDS, a leading pharmacy technology provider, is experiencing significant growth in delivering financial, analytics, and clinical care solutions to meet their growing needs.

COVID has challenged pharmacies across the U.S. to fast-track their delivery of medical services to support their communities. According to recent studies, in 2020, pharmacies saw a 20% increase in 90-day refills, along with growing demand for point-of-care services. Patients actively turned to their local pharmacies as a source of support and care during the pandemic.

While serving more than 15,700 pharmacies, FDS reported 400% growth in medical billing and clinical documentation software in the final quarter of 2020. As significant, FDS also reported a 44% year-over-year increase in pharmacies’ use of its Medicare Plan Comparison tool (through their recent merger with Amplicare). The tool enables seniors to manage their out-of-pocket costs and adjust their Medicare insurance plans to meet changes in their health care.

“Pharmacies are being relied upon more than ever as a trusted health care resource in the community, whether for point-of-care testing, medications, managing chronic conditions or vaccinations,” said FDS CEO Adam McMullin. “While the trend of pharmacies providing medical services has been increasing for many years, COVID has been a catalyst and accelerated the activity. By bringing FDS and Amplicare together, we are uniquely positioned to support pharmacies with their journey into the New Era of Pharmacy.”

FDS and Amplicare announced their merger in Sept. 2020. The new organization’s mission is to enable pharmacies to become community care destinations. Through a portfolio of industry-leading clinical care and population health, financial, and data solutions, FDS helps pharmacies and patients make better health care and financial decisions.

“The outstanding market response we experienced in Q4 of 2020 reconfirmed the strategy that brought FDS and Amplicare together at the right time to support pharmacies’ financial, data, and communication needs, especially during this high-demand, challenging time. We are grateful for all they do in their communities and their continued support,” added McMullin.

As pharmacies expand capabilities to provide vital patient care services such as point-of-care testing and immunizations for their communities, FDS solutions help make pharmacy operations more efficient and productive.