Study also shows significant gains in pharmacy customer satisfaction.

TROY, Mich. — The great national experiment with delivering primary care services such as vaccinations, routine screenings and physical exams through retail pharmacies has reached a critical milestone. According to the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Pharmacy Study, released Wednesday, more than half (51%) of retail pharmacy customers have used health and wellness services during the past year. Overall satisfaction, Net Promoter Scores and average customer spend all increase significantly when pharmacy customers utilize health and wellness services.

“It was not long ago that the major pharmacy chains, healthcare providers, health plans and consumers were all asking themselves whether or not people would ever feel comfortable receiving treatment in a retail setting,” said James Beem, managing director of healthcare intelligence at J.D. Power. “While we have been seeing consumer satisfaction with retail health services grow steadily, this year marks a significant turning point in which most customers are now using these services. The fact that this happened during a pandemic should send a clear signal that retail pharmacies are transforming health and wellness services in America.”

Following are some of the key findings of the 2021 study:

• Majority of pharmacy customers using health and wellness services: More than half (51%) of retail pharmacy customers say they’ve used health and wellness services at their pharmacy within the past 12 months. That is up from 48% in 2020 and 43% in 2019. The most frequently used healthcare services are vaccinations and routine screenings.
• Health and wellness service utilization associated with higher satisfaction and spend: Customers who use at least one health and wellness-oriented service provided by their pharmacy each spend an average of $5 more than those who do not use these services ($28 vs. $23, respectively). Overall satisfaction and brand advocacy also significantly increase when customers utilize health and wellness services, with overall satisfaction scores climbing 24 points (on a 1,000-point scale) and NPS scores increasing by 10 points.
• Mobile app integration becomes essential: As retail pharmacies start to take on a bigger role in their customers’ lives, mobile app integration is also becoming important. Mobile app utilization increases this year, with 26% of brick-and-mortar customers and 27% of mail order customers accessing their pharmacy’s mobile app. Overall satisfaction with brick-and-mortar mobile apps is 848 and overall satisfaction with mail order mobile apps is 868. Both scores are higher than the average mobile app/text message satisfaction score of 826 seen in the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study.

Study Rankings

Good Neighbor Pharmacy ranks highest among brick-and-mortar chain drug store pharmacies for a fifth consecutive year, with a score of 912. Health Mart (891) ranks second and Rite Aid Pharmacy ranks third (866).

Sam’s Club ranks highest among brick-and-mortar mass merchandiser pharmacies for a sixth consecutive year, with a score of 891. CVS/pharmacy inside Target (879) ranks second and Costco (877) ranks third.

H-E-B ranks highest among brick-and-mortar supermarket pharmacies with a score of 896. Wegmans (892) ranks second and Stop & Shop (885) ranks third.

Humana Pharmacy ranks highest in the mail order segment for a fourth consecutive year, with a score of 906. Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy (887) ranks second and Aetna Rx Home Delivery (884) ranks third.

The U.S. Pharmacy Study, now in its 13th year, measures customer satisfaction with brick-and-mortar and mail order pharmacies. The 2021 study is based on responses from 12,646 pharmacy customers who filled a prescription during the three months prior to the survey period of September 2020 through May 2021.

For more information about the U.S. Pharmacy Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/us-pharmacy-study