Enhancing medication adherence

Established in 1942, Lewis Drug made its mark as the first self-service drug store in South Dakota. Today, Lewis continues to go strong with an even greater emphasis on improving patient health outcomes.

“Our focus is really going to be on the patient and the customer, and their healthcare needs,” said Scott Cross, EVP at Lewis Drug.



In pharmacy, Lewis Drug has several initiatives in place aimed at improving medication adherence, including its Smart Sync program, which enables enrolled patients to have their prescriptions filled on the same day each month.



Each month, a Lewis pharmacist reviews patients’ prescriptions, monitors changes after any doctor or hospital visits, and checks for possible drug interactions.



The program is now in its third year but, according to Cross, the company is now actively marketing it through television spots and pharmacy brochures. In addition, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are calling their patients to inform them of the program and encouraging them to enroll.



Cross said the company also is exploring unit-dose packaging for its retail prescriptions as a way to help improve adherence. “We are testing several different types to find out which one works the best,” Cross said.



Lewis Drug has offered unit-dosing for its mental health and long-term care patients for several years.



Meanwhile, the company is working to become even more of a wellness destination at the front end by providing customers with greater healthy alternatives in its food and beverage departments, including gluten-free and organic products and nutritional supplements.



Cross said Lewis is exploring different merchandising display options and may even create an entire wellness department within the store with hopes to implement by the third quarter.