Balch named Franchisee of the Year

LAS VEGAS — Medicine Shoppe pharmacist and store owner John Balch was named Franchisee of the Year at a meeting of Medicine Shoppe and Medicap Pharmacy owners here, Wednesday at Cardinal Health’s Retail Business Conference.

 

Balch, who owns and operates the PharmaCare Network — a group of seven stores in and around Cumberland, Md. — was chosen because of what MSI Director of Operations Jolene O’Brien-Miller described as is his patient-oriented service and ability to meet the unique needs of the diverse communities his pharmacies serve.

 

According to O’Brien-Miller, Balch is committed to Medicine Shoppe and Medicap Pharmacy’s underlying mission of making its stores healthcare destinations — something that has seen him fully embrace the company’s new co-branding option. 

 

Balch, who opened his first independent pharmacy in 1977 and became an MSI franchisee three years ago, operates three fully branded Medicine Shoppe pharmacies and recently co-branded his four other pharmacies under the PharmaCare/Medicine Shoppe name. In addition, the PharmaCare Network includes a pair of home medical equipment stores, an institutional pharmacy and an infusion pharmacy.

 

The company’s seven conventional pharmacies — including home infusion and specialty pharmacy services — focus on providing care to outpatients with acute and chronic conditions. With Balch’s pharmacies located in a college town, a farming community, urban centers and a medical center, each store has tailored its offerings to meet different patient needs.

 

“John’s focus on patient service really fueled the growth of his first independent pharmacy in 1977 into the fully-integrated healthcare organizations he manages today — each of which deliver unique, customized services to a diverse population of communities,” MSI VP John Fiacco said. 

 

Balch’s pharmacies offer health education and adherence programs that help drive medication compliance and medication therapy management, Fiacco said.

 

“The whole marketplace is changing every day, and I have had to change with it,” Balch said. “I have found that co-branding has been a very successful way to do that. Our patients like the consistency it brings, and it makes us a part of a team that represents the future of pharmacy.”