Humanizing Pharmacy: Shifting From Volume to Value for Improved Care and Reduced Pharmacist Burnout

Today, when health and well-being are among the highest priority for people, interactions between patients and pharmacists should be clear, empathetic, and efficient. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, as pharmacists are overwhelmed by their workload. It's not just patients who are frustrated by this situation, but pharmacists are too.

Many pharmacists enter the profession with a desire to help people. However, today’s retail pharmacies predominantly operate on a volume-centric business model, focused on optimizing prescription drug sales and retail transactions. Consequently, pharmacists face increased pressure to prioritize efficiency and accuracy over patient care.

This is not a new issue, but it is growing increasingly concerning. At Accenture, we have been following this trend for several years.1 Our latest research shows 42% of pharmacists say they are likely to leave their job within the next 2 years due to burnout, up from 36% in 2022. Further, the number of college students pursuing pharmacy degrees has consistently dropped since 2015.2 As pharmacies struggle to attract and retain talent, a shift in their role is not only desired but necessary. This is especially pertinent considering that patients tend to trust their pharmacists as much, if not more, than their doctors (56% vs 54%). People seek advice from their pharmacists, but today, they are too busy managing inventory, processing prescriptions, handling insurance claims, and managing prescriptions.

The challenge can be summarized in 2 words: humanizing pharmacy. By stabilizing current volume-centric operations and transitioning towards a value-centric model, pharmacies can increase the quality of care and service and position pharmacists as active partners in a patient’s health care journey. This shift represents a significant growth opportunity, as 86% of patients have expressed interest in receiving health-related information and guidance from their pharmacists.

Embracing this change has the potential to break the vicious cycle of pharmacist burnout, turnover and shortages, allowing more time for fulfilling patient interactions that inspired their career choice in the first place. Image Credit: © Hanasaki - stock.adobe.com

Embracing this change has the potential to break the vicious cycle of pharmacist burnout, turnover and shortages, allowing more time for fulfilling patient interactions that inspired their career choice in the first place.

To move forward, pharmacies should focus on strategic actions in 3 key areas:

1. Pharmacist Experience

In a humanized pharmacy, pharmacists are pivotal. It is crucial for the business to understand their needs and aspirations to retain and stabilize this essential talent. Implementing a range of strategies to assess current levels of burnout and identify underlying causes at both individual and site levels is imperative. Subsequently, redistributing the workload of pharmacists through technological enhancements can improve efficiency across processes. This shift allows pharmacists greater autonomy in patient interactions and in delivering clinical services.

According to our report, 71% of pharmacists report that they spend most of their time processing new and refill prescription requests, while 50% are engaged in performing medication reviews. They view technology as a beneficial tool: 61% of pharmacists expect it to aid in the processing and management of prescriptions. Indeed, technology offers a viable solution. Generative artificial intelligence has the capability to automate redundant tasks in the pharmacy, such as inventory management, medication dispensing, and prescription verification, as well as enhance patient interaction services like scheduling, customer service, and handling inquiries.

2. Pharmacy Services

The offerings of the humanized pharmacy capitalize on the full scope of pharmacists' practice. Future investments should enable them to dedicate more time to providing comprehensive health services, transforming the pharmacy into a key destination for patient health. To achieve this, it is essential to broaden the range of services to include various forms of preventative care and holistic health solutions (eg, wellness, nutrition, mental health, etc).

Progress requires pharmacies to first collaborate with pharmacists to identify which services align best with their clinical capabilities and comfort levels for delivery (eg, health screenings, lifestyle support, disease management programs). This involves defining specific tasks based on these services. Subsequently, the focus should shift to educating patients about the new pharmacist-led services, transitioning from a transactional to a value-driven relationship between patients and pharmacies.

3. Pharmacy Business Model

A humanized pharmacy needs a sustainable business model that balances revenue growth with cost reduction. This necessitates the development of data-sharing and patient insights to integrate pharmacists as essential members of the care team and enhance care connectivity through interoperability for better visibility into patient care.

It is also crucial to transform the role of prescriptions from mere volume drivers to avenues for new monetization opportunities and patient engagement strategies. Introducing new clinical and non-clinical care experiences within the pharmacy, such as membership models, subscriptions, and payer reimbursements, is key.

Moreover, designing a reimbursement and revenue model that reflects the impact on quality of care, patient outcomes, and comprehensive service delivery is important. This approach effectively links service provision to patient health and outcomes.

The benefits of taking action in these areas include reduced turnover, decreased administrative costs, optimized supply costs, and the retention and acquisition of new patients, among others.

Pharmacists are prepared to support patients across various health dimensions, and patients have corresponding expectations. Ignoring the needs of patients and the potential roles of pharmacists puts pharmacies at risk of falling behind due to competitive pressures. To stay relevant, pharmacies must evolve and leverage the expertise of pharmacists, extending to services beyond merely dispensing medications.

REFERENCES

1. Slovick T, Perzigian A. Future Pharmacy Experience: How Pharmacists Can Better Meet Patient Needs. Pharmacy Times. April 3, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2024. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/future-pharmacy-experience-how-pharmacists-can-better-meet-patient-needs

2. Yensi A. Number of pharmacy students on the decline in US. Pix11. Updated October 13, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2024. https://pix11.com/news/local-news/number-of-pharmacy-students-on-the-decline-in-us/