Four ways retail pharmacies are evolving for a safer, digital future

Supporting medication adherence, consulting, and pharmacist workloads

Intertwined with patient education, digital initiatives can also help improve medication adherence, provide personalized engagement options, and alleviate some of the administrative burden on pharmacists.

Medication consulting can be an opening to educate patients about their conditions, any testing requirements, and actions to take—and is why many pharmacists entered the profession. For example, a diabetic patient taking metformin for diabetes could learn about the importance of A1C testing and lower-carb diets. At the conference, 57% of attendees said they were using a mix of pharmacist consulting and educational tools to address patient questions. Providing integrated digital, evidence-based educational resources alongside consulting can help relieve efforts for pharmacists and bridge the gap between healthcare access and patient care.

Taking technology a step further, 67% said they use automated refill texts and calls as well as patient education to support medication adherence. Implementing digital tools can help medication adherence and education, freeing up pharmacists to support patients with complex medication needs.

Planning Test to Treat initiatives

The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the view that pharmacists can operate at a higher level and at the top of their license, and it centered retail pharmacies as a key extension of the care team within communities. The US government launched the federal Test to Treat initiative in 2022 that covered COVID-19 shots and boosters and provided an opportunity to teach patients about follow-up medications like Paxlovid. These services have continued even after federal reimbursements ended, creating a cost gap. Implementing a strategic, long-term program that allows patients to receive non-emergent care, vaccines, A1C tests, and treatment options can operationalize these services and solidify the role of the pharmacist as a key care provider within the community.

Another Wolters Kluwer consumer survey confirmed this could be a solid strategic direction—58% of Americans are likely to visit a local pharmacy as a first step with a non-emergent issue and 81% trust a pharmacist, nurse, or nurse practitioner to diagnose minor illnesses and prescribe medications. Building programs will take time—of TSE survey respondents, 53% said they either already have the information to support this or they’re working on building out a formal program to treat non-emergent conditions. A third are starting to discuss the option. 

One obstacle to full implementation is reimbursement—Test to Treat can create a new revenue stream and remove some pressure from primary care physicians and clinics, but having the infrastructure built in partnership with insurance is still a hurdle. Cash strategies can be an interim step, but can create a barrier to access. Regulation is also ever-evolving—individual states have varying regulations surrounding CLIA-waived tests like influenza, strep, and cholesterol, which allows some pharmacists in some states to administer them with or without collaborative practice agreements.

Going green while cutting costs and time

Even with the increased use of smartphones and apps, only 19% of attendees said they’re currently providing drug information digitally via QR code or link. Digitizing drug information and patient education can be a low-hanging opportunity to improve digital engagement offerings and save on paper and administrative tasks. The burden of printing out and stapling paper leaflets can be removed from the workflow altogether—a small task that can pay dividends in costs and time.

The TSE survey indicated nearly half (48%) said they don’t have a formal program around eco-friendly initiatives. In discussing this with attendees, it felt like many would take advantage of a quick opportunity to cut down on costs, but it’s not strategic. Having a holistic strategy to go green also means alleviating paper costs, reducing mundane pharmacist tasks, and providing digital resources for patients to easily access information on their medication and health. It can also be a way to attract new patients and staff.

Preparing retail pharmacy teams to be future-ready relies on a digital strategy grounded in evidence-based information and solutions. By integrating drug information, patient education, and digital access codes directly within the workflow, pharmacists can adapt for the future, improve engagement and adherence, and cement their role as key members of the care community.

See the full results of our consumer survey by downloading the infographic, explore building a future-ready pharmacy, and learn more about how UpToDate digital content solutions can support retail pharmacy.

1. Wolters Kluwer survey of Total Store Expo attendees. N=21. Data on file.