Good Neighbor Pharmacy empowers independents

AmerisourceBergen's Good Neighbor Pharmacy network is a model of high-touch service, says senior vice president of community and specialty pharmacy and Good Neighbor Pharmacy president Brian Nightengale. The company's support tools and personnel enrich the ability of independent pharmacies to customize their businesses to meet community needs, he says. AmerisourceBergen's pharmacy services administrative organization, Elevate Provider Network, helps gather data from stores across the country, while Good Neighbor Pharmacy's business coaches and field-based retail merchandisers interact with members locally to help with prescriber outreach and provide suggestions on how to be more efficient and profitable. Regarding the complex medications of specialty pharmacy, he says that AmerisourceBergen is angling to have payers expand coverage and drug makers broaden distribution. Nightengale anticipates greater integration of pharmacies into the health care ecosystem, citing a growing interest in creating enhanced pharmacy services networks. Such change is being accelerated by collaborative practice agreements and the growing scope of practice for pharmacists, he adds, citing point-of-care testing as "the next big growth area." Change is coming so fast that independents will require the support of companies like AmerisourceBergen to remain viable, he says.