Independent pharmacies top score in all categories in JD Powers survey

https://drugstorenews.com/these-pharmacies-topped-jd-powers-2020-survey

Pharmacies’ expansion into primary care is driving significant increases in both satisfaction and consumer spending, according to the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Pharmacy Study released yesterday.

The U.S. Pharmacy Study, now in its 12th year, measures customer satisfaction with brick-and-mortar and mail order pharmacies. The 2020 study is based on responses from 13,378 pharmacy customers who filled a prescription during the three months prior to the survey period of September 2019-May 2020.

Good Neighbor Pharmacy ranked the highest among brick-and-mortar chain drug store pharmacies for a fourth consecutive year, with a score of 915. Health Mart (905) came in second and Rite Aid Pharmacy took third place (861). 

Sam’s Club ranks highest among brick-and-mortar mass merchandiser pharmacies for a fifth consecutive year, with a score of 885. Costco and CVS/pharmacy inside Target (870 each) rank second in a tie.

When it comes to brick-and-mortar supermarket pharmacies, Wegman’s topped the list for a third consecutive year, with a score of 904. Publix (889) ranks second and Winn-Dixie ranks third (883).

Humana Pharmacy ranks highest in the mail order segment for a third consecutive year, with a score of 904. OptumRx (886) ranks second and Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy (883) ranks third.

“When you look at the major pharmacy business trends of the past couple of years—CVS acquiring Aetna, Walgreens partnering with Humana and Walmart moving into health insurance—it’s clear that pharmacy operators are positioning themselves to become hubs of consumer healthcare, edging into the space once reserved for primary care physicians’ offices,” said James Beem, managing director of Healthcare Intelligence at J.D. Power. “What has not been clear until now is exactly how consumers would react to the shift. Simply put, they’re embracing it, and it’s driving higher overall satisfaction and increased spending as they use more health and wellness-oriented services.”

Among the key findings of the 2020 study:

• Nearly half (48%) of retail pharmacy customers have used at least one health and wellness-oriented service provided by their pharmacy this year, up a significant 5 percentage points from 2019. Overall customer satisfaction with the retail pharmacy is 26 points higher (on a 1,000-point scale) among customers who use health and wellness services vs. those who have not;
• Customers who use at least one health and wellness-oriented service provided by their pharmacy spend an average of $11 more per customer than those who do not use these services ($35 vs. $24, respectively). When customers use two or more health and wellness-oriented services, that average spend climbs to $58. Among customers who use two or more health and wellness-oriented services, overall satisfaction jumps to 907 vs. 861 for those who don’t use any service;
• Just 9% of brick-and-mortar pharmacy customers order their prescriptions via digital channels. Despite the stubbornly low utilization rate, overall satisfaction among those customers who do order digitally through a brick-and-mortar pharmacy is 859, which is 5 points higher than among those who only visit the store in person. By contrast, mail-order pharmacy customers are far more frequent users of digital ordering, with 32% ordering prescriptions via digital channels. These mail-order digital customers have even higher levels of satisfaction, with an overall satisfaction score of 867; and
• Physician recommendations for pharmacy-delivered health and wellness services are associated with an 80% utilization rate and recommendations from friends and family are associated with a 75% utilization rate. However, just 8% of customers say they’ve received a recommendation from their doctor and 9% have received a recommendation from friends and family. The most common means of hearing about these services is in-store advertising, which drives a 45% utilization rate.
• Both Good Neighbor Pharmacy and Healthmart pharmacies are independently owned pharmacy franchisees

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