Going it on their own: Young pharmacists strike out on their own to provide patient-centred care.

Abstract

In June I Visited Reid McDonald and Anita Cumbleton, who have just opened Sunset Ridge Pharmacy in a new subdivision in the north part of Cochrane, Alberta (population 21,000), about 35 minutes northwest of Calgary. As you can see from the photo, they are still awaiting their signage. I would describe the design of their clinic as “patient-focused.” Central to this are 2 patient examination rooms (see photo below; left of center). There is only a very small dispensary and a small selection of OTC products (Reid and Anita have deliberately avoided alternative and unproven therapies). This is a pharmacy designed for patient care. Indeed, their business model is based on billing Alberta Health for their clinical services. So far, the major challenges have been getting their pharmacy known (this is a very new subdivision, not completed yet) and meeting local physicians and other health care providers. Their grand opening in the beginning of July was very successful and included fundraising for a local charity, air time on the local radio station and a newspaper article.1 Anita and Reid have met with the leadership of the local Primary Care Network. Not surprisingly, the physicians wanted to know what Anita and Reid “were going to do to their patients” and didn’t appreciate the need for chronic care management and education (the physicians think they already provide those services for everyone). However, the physicians acknowledged that Anita and Reid were the first pharmacists to approach them about collaboration, and the two have scheduled a follow-up meeting with some of the physicians. Interestingly, Reid and Anita have been “visited” surreptitiously by other pharmacists in the area, none of whom have had the professional courtesy to introduce themselves. This is a young couple who have taken a courageous step forward to realize their vision of patient care. We all wish them well. Our other new practitioner, Bryan Gray, recently received the Canadian Pharmacists Association New Practitioner Award.2 Bryan embodies the very spirit of the award—showing exemplary courage and commitment to patient care and the profession. Back home in Thunder Bay, Bryan and his staff have been busy. Since establishing River Terrace Medical Pharmacy in late February, Bryan and his staff have seen tremendous growth. He says, “As an independent pharmacy, our competitive edge is service.” He is confident that the pharmacy is able to provide that higher level of service to patients. Bryan gives much of the credit to his team of technicians and pharmacists: Laura Bron (pharmacist), Mehgan Woods (technician), Vikki Kinsman (technician) and Janet Proctor (pharmacist). Some new programs that they are starting include a discrete methadone service, point-of-care anticoagulation service, medication synchronization (synchronizing refills for chronic medications) and preparation for this fall’s flu season. Check out their website: www.RTPharmacy.com. Bryan recently received his designation as a Certified Diabetes Educator. He also remarks that his MBA courses at Lakehead University have helped a lot, especially in terms of marketing, human resources, accounting and organizational behavior. These are big steps for these new practitioners. The words and phrases that come to mind are courage, vision, focus on patient care, commitment, professionalism and unwillingness to accept the status quo. We need more of this from our profession.