Innovative Community Pharmacy Practice Models in North Carolina

Abstract

There are several different types and sizes of community pharmacies ranging from large chains to small individually owned pharmacies. Community pharmacies are located in supermarkets, drugstores, big box stores, and even shopping malls in neighborhoods across North Carolina. Pharmacists are the most accessible health professionals and the ones that many patients see most frequently. Many pharmacists provide services long after other health care professionals' offices have closed. The traditional role of the pharmacist-the health care professional who dispenses prescriptions written by doctors-is changing. In recent years many pharmacists have developed services to help manage highly complex patient populations and improve health care outcomes. The profiles below highlight four innovative community pharmacies in North Carolina that show the potential community pharmacies have to improve quality, outcomes, and cost of care.