Walgreen redesigned its pharmacy there, positioning a separate desk and counter where a pharmacist will sit and be available for patients to sidle up for a talk about their health care and their medications. If the conversation requires more privacy, the patient and pharmacist can step into a small room just behind the desk.
Walgreen has tried the model already at its stores in Chicago, and found that 49 percent of its customers talk to the pharmacist at the new desk, Crawford said.
Pharmacists cannot diagnose patient issues or prescribe medicine, but they can help patients understand if their symptoms sound like something worth getting checked out. And at this particular Walgreen, patients could walk another 10 yards and see a nurse practitioner—who can prescribe drugs—in one of two exam rooms.
Source: Indianapolis Business Journal
Recent Comments