2011 Chain of the Year

Key Points

Way to go, independents. Drug Topics' 2011 pharmacy chain survey, fielded in April, produced stunning numbers: 100% excellent or very good in customer service, 100% as an excellent or very good place for pharmacists to work, 93% offering medication therapy management, 93% offering immunizations. And the name that kept coming up wasn't a chain at all. It was Health Mart, a franchise operation run by wholesale giant McKesson.

It wasn't just Drug Topics' respondents who put Health Mart at the top of the list. Consumer Reports surveyed nearly 44,000 of its readers to come up with a similar conclusion, which was published in its May issue. Neighborhood independents were the top-rated pharmacies, with independently owned Health Mart at the top of the list. The vast majority of Consumer Reports' readers, 94%, said they were highly satisfied by their experiences with neighborhood independents. Readers who used independents were twice as likely to describe their pharmacists as easy to talk to and able to give them a one-on-one consultation.

Health Mart is built on 3 pillars. The franchise helps owners enhance their clinical and business capabilities, build better relationships with existing patients, and bring more patients to the store. The idea, Canning said, is to help owners and pharmacists focus on patient care and customer service, because those are the 2 areas that build repeat business and profits.