‘Pharmageddon’ raises awareness of a broken pharmacy industry

‍We have reached the breaking point.

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Pharmacists across the nation this week have participated in a walkout from multiple pharmacy chains, including CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens. Organizers say the pharmacists are protesting deteriorating working conditions and the danger it imposes on patients across the country.

This comes just days after the USA Today released their investigation into what they dubbed a “broken pharmacy system”, ripe with pharmacist burnout and prescription errors.

The investigation found that pharmacists are often overworked and understaffed, with a higher prescription volume and an increased number of ancillary services introduced from the pandemic (vaccine appointments, rapid tests and patient consultation calls).

This macro trend will unfortunately further exacerbate the problem of pharmacy deserts, limiting access to patients and creating additional strain on the system.

The USA Today investigation is a serious wake-up call for the pharmacy industry. While the rest of the healthcare industry has embraced digital innovation, the pharmacy experience has lagged behind, while both pharmacists and their patients have suffered.

Now is the time to embrace technology to improve outcomes for both the pharmacist and the patient.

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Powering the digital transformation of pharmacy

At Wellstand Health, we are passionate about making an impact on this crisis. We have made it our mission to introduce choice and control into a broken system.

By creating a modern, digital prescription experience, we are able to meet patients with fulfillment providers that can best serve their needs and preferences for cost, convenience, speed, & access.

This fundamental change will reduce the strain and burnout on pharmacists across the US by introducing fulfillment automation, streamlining patient communication, and reducing the risk of medication error.

The Wellstand platform includes 3 major solutions:

• Patient Prescription Portal: We provide an intuitive prescription portal for patients with an easy-to-use HIPAA-compliant registration, checkout, refill and status dashboard.

• Fulfillment Gateway: We provide flexibility and precision for health systems in the prescription fulfillment process, with business rules to optimize cost and speed of delivery for the patient.

• Engagement Hub: We provide peace of mind for patients and providers with automated, HIPAA-compliant communications.

The world is now paying attention. Wellstand Health promises to be a partner in bringing these transformational opportunities to life.