MedEssist is Helping to Transform Pharmacies into Pharmacy Health Clinics

The healthcare system in many countries is stretched thin. To help relieve the pressure, governments are starting to allow pharmacists to treat a growing number of minor ailments. MedEssist’s technology platform is helping pharmacies transform into health clinics. Healthcare IT Today got a brief demonstration of the MedEssist platform from Joella Almeida, CEO and Co-Founder at the Collision Conference. We also asked her about the expanding role of pharmacists in healthcare. Pharmacies Are Already in the Community “We are focused on helping independent pharmacies,” explained Almeida. “There’s one on every block in North America. Our platform can help them convert their pharmacies into a more traditional healthcare site.” According to a 2022 report published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association there are almost 62,000 pharmacies in the US with 38,000 (61.5%) chains versus 23,500 (38.1%) regional franchises or independently owned pharmacies. That same report found that in metropolitan areas, 62.8% of the pharmacies were chains, but in rural areas 76.5% were franchises or independents. Canada has 11,500 pharmacies with 64% chains, 21% independently owned and 15% embedded into food and mass merchandisers. Pharmacies are well entrenched in local communities and for many in rural areas, the pharmacy is second only to the local hospital in importance as a health hub. Leveraging Pharmacies More In Canada, as the healthcare system continues to strain u...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Ambulatory Communication and Patient Experience Health IT Company Healthcare IT Collision 2023 Collision Conference Joella Almeida MedEssist minor ailments Pharmacies Pharmacists pharmacy health clinics Source Type: blogs