Publix Pharmacy Initiatives Expanding in the Southeast

Privately owned and operated by its more than 200,000 employees, Publix has 1,239 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Publix operates more than 1,000 in-store pharmacies.

Publix has developed a pharmacy strategy designed to improve convenience and gain new loyal patients simultaneously by partnering with health systems throughout Florida and in South Carolina. Publix is leveraging its “Meds to Beds” program in these partnerships through which it uses retail pharmacies located inside hospitals to fill prescriptions for patients being discharged.

Once discharge becomes an option, the on-site pharmacy receives a patient’s prescriptions and insurance information, fills the prescription, and has the medication taken to patients by delivery specialists who answer any questions before the patient leaves the hospital. The partnerships are beneficial as it ensures patients are leaving the hospital with their medications while providing a positive financial impact for hospital partners.

Publix’s telehealth clinics also play a role in its partnership strategy. Approximately 36 Publix stores include health system-branded telehealth consultation clinics, which virtually connect patients with physicians for acute medical needs. Consultation rooms are adjacent to the pharmacy and a pharmacy technician walks patients through the consultation process as needed.

Just a few months after announcing plans to open telehealth sites in St. Johns County, Publix Pharmacy and Flagler Health+ are expanding telehealth services to Flagler County. The locations and opening dates are to be determined.

Publix recently announced that it will have a full-service pharmacy at the Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. The new location will be Publix Pharmacy’s 13th in-hospital pharmacy in the state of Florida and is expected to open in August 2020. 

The pharmacy will provide prescriptions and over-the-counter medications for patients, visitors and employees of Halifax Health.

Publix also has pharmacy partnerships with Beaufort Memorial Hospital and Baycare Health System’s hospitals.

Takeaway: Publix says that the company continues to look for hospital collaboration opportunities.