There are 19,000 independent drug stores nationwide, the majority of which serve rural, underserved or socially vulnerable areas of the country. How can these small community pharmacies compete with large corporate entities entering the healthcare space? And what is the advantage of using a small, independent drug store versus Walmart or Amazon?

Nimesh Jhaveri is the President of Community Pharmacy at McKesson, an impact-driven organization on a mission to advance health outcomes for all. Nimesh’s team supports 7,000 small, independent drug stores and small and medium pharmacy chains, providing core distribution as well as value-add services and advocating for them at the local, state and federal level. Prior to joining McKesson in 2018, Nimesh spent nearly 30 years at Walgreens, working his way up from Pharmacy Technician to Vice President of Healthcare Services.

On this episode, Nimesh joins hosts Dr. Gautam Gulati and Patricia Bradley to explain how McKennon is helping its partner pharmacies become healthcare destinations. Nimesh shares his frustration with the fact that pharmacists are not recognized as providers and describes how his team is adjusting to changes in healthcare reimbursement. Listen in for Nimesh’s insight on using technology to enable practitioners, not replace them, and learn about the impact a pharmacist can have when they develop a personal relationship with the customers under their care.

Topics Covered

Nimesh’s background as a pharmacist and senior executive in the healthcare space
How Nimesh’s team at McKesson supports small independent drug stores and small- and medium-sized pharmacy chains
How small, independent pharmacies serve rural and socially vulnerable communities
The advantage independent pharmacies have over large corporations like Amazon and Walmart
How McKennon is adjusting to changes in healthcare reimbursement
How McKennon is helping its partner pharmacies become healthcare destinations
How Nimesh thinks about using technology to enable practitioners (not replace them)
Nimesh’s frustration with the fact that pharmacists are not recognized as providers by the Social Security Act
What it looks like when a pharmacist develops a personal relationship with a patient

Connect with Nimesh Jhaveri

McKesson

Nimesh on LinkedIn

Connect with Dr. Gautam Gulati

HLTH

Dr. Gulati on Twitter

Dr. Gulati on LinkedIn

Resources

McKesson’s Health Mart Atlas PSAO

Health Mart Post on How to Advocate for Pharmacists to Receive Provider Status

‘The Heroism of Incremental Care’ in The New Yorker

Introductory Quote

[13:10] “90% of the US population live within 5 miles of a pharmacy. That’s access. How do we take advantage of that access?”

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