Convenient, personalized experiences are critical to the future of community pharmacy.
For our patients, this means meeting them where they are and making it easier to manage their prescription medications.
Digital first, not digital only
Digital tools and technology are key for ensuring accessible, personalized and convenient pharmacy care. In our 2024 Rx Report, we shared that a tech-enabled approach to pharmacy — powered by people — is important to the future of pharmacy.
Those surveyed also agree that a connected, digital pharmacy experience enhances the overall consumer experience. These findings underscore the importance of a pharmacy experience that prioritizes human connection and uses technology to enhance, not replace, the pharmacy team. In fact, the majority of Americans (70%) believe that in-person interactions with their pharmacy team are important and nearly half (48%) would likely switch their pharmacy if they were only able to interact with their pharmacist digitally. Pharmacists agree — 95% believe that in-person interactions with their patients are important to their care and outcomes.
This is why we have enhanced and improved the digital pharmacy experience for patients through our CVS Health® app, making managing, refilling, scheduling and picking up or getting prescriptions delivered easier for the 14 million active users who engage with the app. For our specialty pharmacy patients, who are often managing complex medical conditions, we also offer the option of sending two-way, secure messages with their CareTeams, comprised of nurses and pharmacists. In fact, over 97% of active CVS Specialty® patients prefer to receive digital messages.*
Creating efficiency and capacity
This digital-first approach also helps create capacity for an expanded role for pharmacy — something both pharmacists and patients believe is important. In fact, the majority of community pharmacists (74%) want to perform clinical health care services beyond filling prescriptions and performing patient consultations. This is why community pharmacies like CVS Pharmacy® are elevating the role of their pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in health care.
Technology that creates simplicity for patients can also help optimize pharmacists’ time, since patients who use self-service digital tools for more routine tasks can reduce the pharmacy’s administrative call volume.
Digital tools and technology can also help generate efficiency and support pharmacists. For example, solutions that support the pharmacy team’s experience, prioritize safety and create more efficiency in the workflow are key. This includes innovations like our dynamic workload sharing model that leverages the scale of our community pharmacy footprint all working together, where allowed by state law. The ultimate goal: to help pharmacy teams spend more time on the personalized interactions that patients value, allowing for greater flexibility to provide clinical care such as immunizations, preventive care (where permissible) and chronic disease state management.
We’re continuously innovating. Our tech-enabled approach is key to ensuring a personalized, convenient and accessible pharmacy experience and supporting our pharmacy colleagues, so they can spend more time on what matters most: patient care.
*CVS Caremark Analytics, 2024. Data from October 2024. Actively engaged defined as specialty patient with a fill in the last 30 days who logged in or responded to a 2-way short message service (SMS). All data sharing complies with applicable law, our information firewall and any applicable contractual limitations. Actual results may vary depending on benefit plan design, member demographics, programs implemented by the plan and other factors.
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