In a recent survey, three out of five American health consumers (61%) said they can envision most primary care services being provided at pharmacies, retail clinics, and/or pharmacy clinics instead of going to a traditional primary care office in the next five years. Fortunately, the marketplace of clinics is expected to meet the demand. Forrester, a leading analyst firm, recently predicted that retail health clinics – many of which will be located within pharmacies – are expected to see great growth and double their share of the primary care market by 2028.
This growth is good news for consumers as it will offer flexibility in where, how, and when they can receive care. Today, a minor sports injury such as hand or foot sprain might require trying to schedule a meeting with a primary care doctor or a trip to an emergency room. With the chance to do walk-in visits at the local pharmacy, care is more immediate, convenient, and likely less costly.
This expansion by pharmacies makes sense from a business point of view. While filling and dispensing medication remains the core of what they do, it is no longer enough to stay profitable and meet customer expectations and needs. As healthcare breaks beyond the four walls of a clinical site, pharmacies are rapidly pursuing opportunities to become a central hub that connects their community to services and drugs needed. It also offers additional resources for patients seeking health information, as another survey found 94% of patients want educational content from providers.
However, pharmacies and retail clinics now need to do much more, including delivering on growing expectations about the consumer experience and supporting pharmacists on the quest to operate at the top of their licenses, while delivering even more healthcare services.
As pharmacies look to transform, there are three “must dos” to take into consideration.
According to Bain & Company, as much as 30% of the primary care market could go to non-traditional providers such as retail pharmacies by 2030. While primary care will likely still have a role in managing more complex or ongoing conditions, the expansion of where consumers seek care will disrupt what is traditionally thought of as the central hub in a patient’s journey.
Connectivity and transparency will be paramount to ensure patients don’t end up caught in the middle, with information lost between care settings. The creation of consistent and high value engagements with individuals across their digital and in-person engagements will enable these providers to both attract and retain consumers in the rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem.
Photo: Irina_Strelnikova, Getty Images
