Partnerships Key to Making Sustainable Pharmacy Care Models Work
Sustainable pharmacy partnerships require addressing financial, technology, and customer needs.
Rina Shah, Senior Vice President, Pharmacy Growth at Walgreen Co., sat down with Drug Topics at the 2024 National Association of Chain Drug Stores Total Store Expo. Shah discussed the 3 key components required to create a sustainable pharmacy care model, as well as the critical role of partnerships within these models.
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Drug Topics: What are the key components of a sustainable pharmacy care model?
Rina Shah: The key components of a model, from my perspective, are 3 things. One is making sure that the model is financially sustainable; having a revenue stream, as well as being able to be consistent with how our pharmacists get paid. The second is around the technology front, and making sure that we're constantly on the forefront of where technology is going to see how we can be more efficient and effective with how our team members work with each other, as well as how our patients engage with us.
The third is always being at the forefront of what customers need from us, and what our patients need from us. That's through not only what we do as pharmacy, but partnering across the health care ecosystem to do so.
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Drug Topics: What strategies can be employed to ensure that pharmacy care models remain flexible and resilient in the face of changing health care landscapes?
Shah: This is where partnerships are critical. One example is data interoperability: In order for us to be flexible and nimble, we need to realize that we can't do everything ourselves. We just need to ensure that we have partners who understand our requirements and are able to partner with us to drive that future state forward—partners within pharma, within payers, within technology, within our patients, so that we can drive that future state.
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores Total Store Expo was held August 17 to August 19, 2024, in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here for more of our coverage.
