The NACDS Total Store Expo, organized by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, is an annual gathering of retail pharmacy executives from Food, Drug, and Mass and their business partner counterparts including those in the pharmaceutical and other health-focused industries. It was held August 23-26 in Boston. Six of us from Rx EDGE Pharmacy Networks attended to staff our exhibit, meet with our retail pharmacy and pharmaceutical colleagues and constituents, and learn more about the latest in the pharmacy industry.
I will admit, it was a fairly exhausting four days filled with client meetings, attending the many industry education sessions and presentations, and working the booth. But the exhaustion was more than compensated for by the energy and excitement that prevailed throughout the entire event! 
A true renaissance
Steve Anderson, NACDS President and CEO, talked about the “renaissance” that’s being seen in the retail pharmacy industry: “The opportunity is greater right now than ever before,” he said. “If this moment in time cannot be called a renaissance of health, wellness and consumer-focused retailing, then no time in our history will ever bear that name.” That’s a pretty intense statement, and demonstrates just how much of a transformation the industry is prepared to undergo.
Making the biggest difference day and day out
Similar themes abounded during the Expo. John Standley, Rite Aid Corp. chairman and CEO and chairman of the NACDS, talked extensively about the importance of innovation and stronger partnerships in the industry as a whole. The vision for the industry, he said, is headed in the right direction and focused on community healthcare and the role of the pharmacist. He also cited the ways in which Rite Aid has taken its stores into a “wellness direction” with significant investments in its store base. Rite Aid is also placing even more emphasis on offering services for chronic patient care, disease management. He said that “it makes sense for us to be the destination for care—-“ and stated that retail pharmacy services can make the biggest difference day-in and day-out in somebody’s’ outcome when they’re dealing with a health issue”.
Randy Edeker, chairman, CEO and president of Hy-Vee, Inc. perhaps summed it up best during an interview on NACDS-TV: “All things pharmacy equals all things health.”
Here at Rx EDGE, we’ve talked a lot in the past couple of years about how the pharmacy has become a true healthcare destination. We’ve backed up those assertions with an abundance of examples: growth of in-store clinics, importance of OTC’s in consumer health, availability of immunizations and other wellness services, expanding role of pharmacists just to name a few.
Many opportunities for pharmaceutical companies
So what does all of this mean for pharma? It means that pharma needs to look to pharmacy for opportunities to connect with current and prospective patients. In this ever-evolving, exciting environment, there is no time like the present to take advantage of the many opportunities available.