Chain Pharmacy Market Trends 2022

2022 has seen chain pharmacy operations getting back to a more normal footing since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. Key elements of the COVID-19 pandemic response will remain and, in fact, should prove to be very useful as standard tools within the pharmacy workflow. Overall the trend is to look for efficiency gains everywhere, as pharmacies balance prescription volumes with clinical activities. Chains are doing their best to address challenges such as pharmacy benefit managers’ (PBMs’) continual tightening of performance requirements associated with DIR (direct and indirect remuneration) fees, reimbursements for clinical services that aren’t remotely commensurate with the service and pharmacy costs, and consolidation among technology vendors that can unsettle long-standing partnerships that chains have developed.

Clinical Services Growing

Over the last few years, COVID drove a major increase in resources dedicated to clinical services. While areas such as medication therapy man…