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CASE STUDY
From Pharmacy Volunteer to Pharmacy Owner: Priyank Patel Leverages PrimeRx for Success
“A tipping point,” is the term pharmacy owner Priyank Patel uses to the describe the current state of affairs for community pharmacists. “One the one hand, we’re being encouraged to branch into clinical services as a way to offset lower drug profits,” he explains. “But our primary role is in dispensing those medications, and there are only so many hours in the day. Something has to give.”
Indeed. Something needs to change as pharmacists find themselves stretched for time to tend to the many requirements that fill their days. But for pharmacists like Patel, it won’t be his deep commitment to serving patients, or his interest in expanding the services he offers at his three New York City pharmacies.
Priyank Patel, Pharmacy Owner of Felicity, Getty Square, and HealthRx Pharmacies
Image provided as a courtesy by Priyank Patel.
Felicity, Getty Square, and HealthRx
Patel purchased his first pharmacy, Felicity Pharmacy, located in the Bronx, NY, back in 2016. A few years later he added Getty Square Pharmacy and HealthRx, both located in Yonkers. Felicity Pharmacy and Getty Square service primarily Medicare and Medicaid patients, while HealthRx patients tend to utilize multiple private plans.
Patel’s interest in pharmacy ownership dates back to his childhood days in New Jersey, where he grew up the son of a pharmacy technician. He watched his dad interact with the patients who visited the pharmacy, and he saw the deep bonds that developed between them. It came as no surprise then, when at the age of 16, Patel began volunteering at a family friend’s pharmacy located in Brooklyn.
Needless to say, Patel has seen a lot of changes in the pharmacy profession. But nothing comes close, he says, to the scope and volume of changes taking place in today’s environment.
Top of mind, of course, are the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) edicts that control so much of the dispensing process and determine the rate at which pharmacies are reimbursed. Too often, reimbursement rates are not enough to cover the pharmacy’s purchase price for medications, let alone have enough left over to help manage operational expenses including rent, insurance, utilities and payroll. “We’re required to fill the medication even though it means taking a loss,” Patel says. “It’s not fair, but we don’t want patients to get hurt.”
Our Offering
PrimeRx MARKET for Online Price Comparisons
Patel relies on PrimeRx for help. This includes the PrimeRx pharmacy technology system which provides end-to-end pharmacy management as well as the company’s latest offering, PrimeRx MARKET (formerly Trxade).
He was an early adopter of the PrimeRx MARKET online marketplace, which provides direct access to more than 40 drug wholesalers and suppliers. “With PrimeRx MARKET I have instant access to drug pricing and can make sure I’m getting competitive pricing for the drugs we need,” he says. Before PrimeRx MARKET, Patel says he had to look up each medication individually and maintain spreadsheets of all his research. “It took a considerable amount of time, and even then, I couldn’t be sure I had the best possible price.”
Now, with PrimeRx MARKET, he has confidence that he has access to the best pricing options. “I’m still selling many medications at a loss, but the online market really has helped to soften the blow.”
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Real-Time Prescription Benefit
Patel relies on the PrimeRx technology system to add efficiency elsewhere throughout his pharmacies. “With PrimeRx,” he says, “I can accomplish in a matter of seconds things that used to take hours.” And, he adds, “I never have to worry about accuracy or mistakes, since results are all data driven.”
He cites as an example the Real-Time Prescription Benefit solution from Surescripts. The solution automatically reviews a patient’s drug plan, determines if a prescribed medication is covered, and lists out-of-pocket costs. If a medication is not covered, or requires a high copay, the solution identifies appropriate alternatives. The system also
helps avoid medications that require prior authorizations, so that patients can obtain their medications faster.
Patel says that before he had access to the Surescripts solution, he would spend an average of 20 minutes trying to help patients navigate plan coverage. “Now it’s accomplished in a matter of seconds. It’s really been a gamechanger for me as well as my patients.”
The eligibility check solution has been especially helpful during the early months of 2025 he adds, with many patients using new plans for the first time. “Many patients don’t really understand what they signed up for,” he explains. “Real-Time Prescription Benefit allows me to answer patient questions and help determine if they have the coverage they need.”
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Immunization Reporting
He also gives high marks to PrimeRx for helping to manage immunizations and other clinical services he now offers at his pharmacies. The system allows direct integration with the Vaccine Registry Reporting solution which seamlessly links to Immunization Information Systems (IIS) registries. Patel says this direct access eliminates the need to manually transmit this information, thereby simplifying the compliance process. And he notes, PrimeRx automatically updates all pharmacy records, and generates claims for all immunizations administered in his pharmacies.
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eCare Plans
Patel credits PrimeRx for facilitating the creation and management of eCare plans, which track all patient encounters and dispensing histories. Patel says that a growing number of plans require eCare plans for their enrollees, which pose yet another administrative burden on the pharmacy. With PrimeRx though, plans can be created automatically, with functionality built into the system. “PrimeRx has done a great job with eCare plans,” Patel says. “I can create a plan by hitting a few buttons. It couldn’t be easier,” he notes, adding that “I don’t know how other pharmacies can keep up having to complete the process manually.”
Looking Forward
As Patel reflects on the many changes taking place within the pharmacy industry, he acknowledges that it is, indeed, a trying time. Patients see increasing medication costs, or have difficulty obtaining preferred medications, but don’t necessarily understand the role PBMS have in those decisions. Instead, they look to their pharmacies for answers.
Patel says he is hopeful that things will get better. New York State has recently implemented some PBM reforms, which he believes is “a good start.” He was also buoyed when, in the closing days of the 2024 legislative session, the U.S. Congress came close to enacting reform. “The need for reform has certainly been elevated, and it’s now a national discussion, and that’s a good thing,” he adds.
Until then, Priyank Patel and his pharmacy colleagues will continue to serve their patients and do their best to navigate the increasingly complex challenges. PrimeRx will be there to help, automating pharmacy workflows, facilitating patient care, and allowing pharmacies to recapture critical time.
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