Community Pharmacies Rate High Among Consumers

Independent community pharmacies received high marks and were rated best among all retail pharmacy outlets in America by an ?eye-popping margin,? according to a nationwide survey of consumer satisfaction published in the October 2003 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.

Of the more than 32,000 survey participants, upwards of 85% were very satisfied or completely satisfied with their independent community pharmacy experience, compared with 58% for chain drugstore consumers. Participants said that they preferred independent pharmacies for the following reasons:

• ?Pharmacists at independent stores were accessible, approachable, easy to talk to, and knowledgeable about medications, both prescription and nonprescription.?
• Independents offer extra services ?such as disease-management education, in-store health screenings for cholesterol, services such as compounding, and home delivery.?
• Independent pharmacies stock more ?hard-to-find medications? than other pharmacies.