Community pharmacies face a challenge in meeting patient expectations, as trust alone is no longer enough to guarantee satisfaction. According to Tim Cernohous, senior vice president and president of Community Retail and LTC Pharmacy at Cencora, patients expect greater visibility, faster updates, and more seamless service across all aspects of their lives, including healthcare.
The JD Power 2026 US Pharmacy Study found that issues like long prescription fill and pickup times, limited staff availability, and communication gaps around prescription status and medication information contribute to a decline in patient satisfaction with brick-and-mortar pharmacies. In contrast, mail-order pharmacies have seen an increase in satisfaction, driven in part by stronger satisfaction with human support.
Changing Patient Expectations
With advancements in technology, patients now expect a more digital experience, with 79% of Gen Z using digital care channels like telehealth and online prescription services at least monthly. However, this shift towards digital does not mean that patients are choosing digital over in-person care. Instead, patients value both trusted relationships and a seamless, digitally enhanced patient experience.
Cernohous notes that the path forward for brick-and-mortar pharmacies is to bring together these two things that patients clearly value. By leveraging technology to streamline tasks and reduce administrative burdens, pharmacists can focus on high-value patient interactions that build trust and contribute to patient satisfaction.
Workflow Changes and Automation
Cernohous suggests that the single biggest workflow change a retail pharmacy can make to feel more convenient without losing the face-to-face relationship is to increase efficiency in ways that protect pharmacists‘ time. This can be achieved through automation, which can help reduce friction for both patients and staff, and free up pharmacists to focus on high-value patient interactions.
Automation is often misunderstood as replacing the human side of pharmacy, but in reality, it helps protect and strengthen it. By using technology to streamline tasks like refill processes and prescription status updates, pharmacies can reduce administrative burdens and improve patient satisfaction.
Cernohous also notes that pharmacists should be ready to explain how their pharmacy can address patients’ specific concerns, whether through better refill coordination and synchronization, delivery options, affordability support, or more proactive communication. By articulating the unique value of community pharmacy, pharmacists can build trust and strengthen relationships with their patients.
For example, Desert Hospital Outpatient Pharmacy in Palm Springs, a member of Good Neighbor Pharmacy, has seen success in reducing readmissions and improving patient outcomes by delivering medications at the bedside and helping address access barriers before patients leave the hospital.
Community pharmacists should understand what drives patients to switch to mail-order or online options. This is usually due to a specific need, such as convenience or lower cost. Pharmacists can address these concerns by offering better refill coordination, delivery options, or more proactive communication.
Pharmacists should also articulate the unique value of community pharmacy, which includes trusted, in-person relationships and personal support. This value is especially important for patients in rural areas or those with chronic conditions. Community pharmacies can support patients more proactively by using information to reduce barriers and identify access issues earlier.
Lessons from Medically Integrated Dispensing Models
Medically integrated dispensing models often benefit from closer coordination with physicians and care teams. Independent community pharmacies can apply this mindset by strengthening communication pathways with prescribers and standardizing referral processes. For example, Desert Hospital Outpatient Pharmacy in Palm Springs delivers medications at the bedside and helps address access barriers before patients leave the hospital.
This approach has contributed to a reduction in readmissions and an improvement in patient outcomes. Community pharmacies can expand their impact by using insight, coordination, and patient relationships to improve access and continuity of care. By prioritizing the work that most directly affects medication access and adherence, pharmacists can help patients stay on therapy and achieve better health outcomes.
Pharmacists should look closely at tasks that pull time away from high-value work, such as repetitive tasks or manual processes. By reducing or redesigning these tasks, pharmacies can create more capacity for teams and strengthen financial sustainability. This is essential for sustainable business growth and continued access to care.
