Wendy future of retail top

NACDS eyes ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ for pharmacy

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The chain drug industry is at a critical juncture, with historic change in health care delivery placing unprecedented demands on the business while presenting enormous growth opportunities. That was the message last month of new National Association of Chain Drug Stores chairman John Standley, who is also president and chief executive officer of Rite Aid Corp.

Retailers are supporting the health of patients in more ways than ever, Standley said at the 2014 NACDS Annual Meeting, but they can do more, both with services and front-end products.

“When you think about the resources we have to support this vision, the possibilities are staggering,” he said. “There are more than 40,000 pharmacies operated by chains throughout the country, locations that can be leveraged to provide convenient, affordable and comprehensive health care.”

The 175,000 pharmacists employed by NACDS members “are beginning to demonstrate how effective they can be in driving positive health outcomes,” he added, citing the dramatic growth in immunizations administered by chain pharmacies. The number of vaccinations skyrocketed from some 5 million in 2008 to more than 25 million last year.

“If we were able to have that much success with one clinical service in the last five years, imagine what we can do over the next five years,” Standley commented.

Looking at the big picture, he said pharmacy has “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help solve perhaps the biggest domestic issue our country is facing, and that’s an affordable and sustainable health care system.”

He said the rapidly changing health care environment has required all NACDS stakeholders to think differently about their core business models, and he pointed to the Rite Aid Health Alliance, which brings together pharmacists, in-store care coaches and local physicians to support patients.

“When you combine programs like Rite Aid Health Alliance with other health care offerings of our industry, like retail clinics, one-on-one consultations, medication therapy management and refill synchronization, we are delivering and will continue to deliver a stronger, more powerful health care experience to the communities we serve,” Standley said.

Steve Anderson, NACDS’ president and CEO, said that he is often asked what makes an association successful. “My answer is nuance and intuition,” he said. “And it’s the people of NACDS — the board, the chain and associate members, and the staff — who help to create the nuance and intuition of NACDS.”

He listed experience, wisdom, efficient execution and collaboration as key traits that help effective associations identify emerging trends, opportunities and threats.

He also noted the expanding role pharmacies play in health care delivery, saying, “Pharmacy should have bipartisan appeal. You provide market-based solutions for health care — and for health and wellness. There isn’t anybody closer to the patient than the pharmacist.”

Bob Narveson, president and CEO of Thrifty White Pharmacy, whose term as NACDS chairman expired at the meeting, credited the association with helping retailers and suppliers underpin chain pharmacy’s commitment to bettering health. “I can’t imagine a more exhilarating job than working with all of you to ensure NACDS delivers results with the important work of serving patients and consumers as the face of neighborhood health care.”

The event — which garnered immediate and positive feedback — facilitated top-to-top business and strategic communication. Strategic Exchange Appointments and a comprehensive Meet the Retailer program once again proved integral to its success.

Attendee Ron Clerico, vice president of marketing, retail, mail order, alternative care and government at Cardinal Health Inc., reflected on his experience in an interview on NACDS-TV, noting that the meeting is always highly strategic. “It’s a great way to get a pulse of what’s going on in the industry and find out what’s on top of everyone’s mind at any given moment,” he said.

Speakers presented insights and forward thinking and strategies for navigating business in an era of unprecedented change in policy, technology and consumer trends. They included top political strategist and former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour, former secretary of defense Leon Panetta, best-selling author Peter Diamandis and longtime journalist Jane Pauley.


ECRM_06-01-22


Comments are closed.

PP_1170x120_10-25-21