McKesson ideaShare 2026: What Sets Health Mart's Pharmacy of the Year Finalists Apart

At McKesson ideaShare 2026, held June 18–21 in Denver, Colorado, some of the most innovative independent community pharmacies in the country took center stage during a Pharma Talk session titled "Excellence in Practice: Insights from Health Mart's Pharmacy of the Year Finalists. Moderated by Mike Cihlar, national vice president of pharmacy and retail operations at Health Mart, the session featured owners and pharmacy staff from 3 finalist pharmacies: Latham's Pharmacy in Arab, Alabama; Butterfield's Pharmacy in Port St. Lucie, Florida; and Mace's Pharmacy in Philippi, West Virginia.¹

The Health Mart Pharmacy of the Year award recognizes a pharmacy for clinical and business excellence, commitment to leading a healthy community, and advocating for independent pharmacy. Through their stories, the finalists offered practical, transferable lessons for any pharmacy professional looking to elevate operations, deepen patient relationships, and sustain long-term success.^1,2

Evaluating New Services: Community First, Business Always

Each pharmacy has expanded well beyond traditional dispensing, into insurance assistance, wellness screenings, hospice care, 340B programs, and more. When asked how they evaluate whether a new service is worth the investment, the finalists emphasized a balance of community need and financial viability.¹

For Jason Smith, owner of Latham's Pharmacy, the calculus is straightforward: "It's whatever can help the customer, help the community, and help keep our doors open." Amir Rahemi, owner of Butterfield's Pharmacy, described running new ideas through an established framework rooted in the pharmacy's mission and values, with a current focus on health, wellness, and longevity services such as red light therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, and metabolic body composition analysis.¹

Not every initiative makes the cut, and the finalists were candid about that, too. Smith noted that collaborative practice agreements—while fully prepared and contractually ready—remain unavailable in Alabama due to state regulatory barriers. Rahemi described a pivot on delivery fees: what started as free delivery was costing the pharmacy money on every prescription. By raising the fee incrementally to $8, they not only covered costs but also attracted more customers.¹

"If you can keep the service really, really high, people tend to not worry about the delivery price," Rahemi said.¹

Scaling Operations Without Sacrificing Quality

A central theme of the session was operational evolution: what changes become necessary as a pharmacy grows and how to manage them without burning out staff or compromising care.¹

Rahemi, who acquired a second location 2 years ago, described stepping back from the counter to lead from a strategic level. He now works just 2 half-days per week on the floor, spending the rest of his time building culture, developing standard operating procedures, and training a leadership group that meets twice weekly. "Focusing my team on developing their leadership is one of the biggest things," he said.¹

Smith described a major investment in medication synchronization (MedSync) at Latham's Pharmacy, which now has approximately 80% of its business enrolled in the program. "We're running 3 or 4 days ahead on MedSync; we've got 80% of our business on MedSync. We've had to change computer systems to keep up," he said. ¹

Aaron Norris, pharmacist in charge at Mace's Pharmacy, framed the challenge in terms of communication. "As you grow, you need to develop better communication tools," he said. "If a pharmacist feels like they can get their answer and decision-making faster, you know the patient's going to be taken better care of."¹

Rich Mace, owner of Mace's Pharmacy, described a methodical internal audit that reassessed every role and process in the pharmacy. The staff-driven review led to meaningful efficiency gains while opening the door to new books of business. "We learned from ourselves how to make ourselves even more efficient," he said. "We're really excited about that. It's fun."¹

Integrating Technology Into Independent Pharmacy Practice

Technology was a recurring thread throughout the session. Rahemi discussed the pharmacy's use of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant AI chat models to transcribe prescriber communications and route them into their dispensing system, as well as the video platform Loom for creating staff training materials.¹

Smith emphasized that staff input was essential when selecting new technology: "I'm like, ‘What do you need to make this job easier for you? You tell me what piece of equipment you want, and I'll let you take ownership of it. You run it and talk with the company to set whatever settings you need to make it work the way you need.'“¹

Culture as a Competitive Advantage

Audience members asked the panelists about staff retention, and each speaker pointed to culture, not just compensation, as the foundation of a stable team.¹

Rahemi emphasized consistent communication of vision, particularly as new employees join. "Just constantly restating the vision—we think it's obvious, but we need to say it over and over again," he said. Norris highlighted the importance of a top-down model of care: "We make sure that our pharmacists care for our technicians."¹

Mace described a family atmosphere reinforced through shared events, such as movies, bowling nights, pool parties, and holiday gatherings, that include employees' families. Several team members at Mace's Pharmacy have been with the organization for 15 to 20-plus years.¹

Leanne Phillips, of Latham's Pharmacy, noted that community involvement and advocacy are also woven into the pharmacy's culture. "At the end of the day, we have to think about what we can do that will help our community and will also help our revenue stream,” Phillips said, a thought the team applies to every new decision.¹

Why Advocacy Matters

When asked why they invest so much time in advancing the profession, the finalists offered some of the most compelling responses of the session. Rahemi called pharmacy his creative outlet: "This is our life's work... This is what we spend the majority of our lives doing, and I think we’ll leave the industry better than we found it. I truly believe that we can make it whatever we want to be; the stage is set for it."¹

Norris encouraged peers not to dismiss the possibility of engaging in new sides of pharmacy, like advocacy or training: "You might enjoy the change." And Mace pointed to tangible legislative wins through the West Virginia Independent Pharmacy Association, which hired a lobbyist to work with the state legislature, resulting in reimbursement protections and audit reform that have meaningfully improved the business climate for independent pharmacies in the state.¹

The session closed with a reminder that pharmacy of the year recognition is not an endpoint—it is a reflection of ongoing, intentional work. For the finalists, excellence is not accidental. It is built through consistent culture, operational discipline, community alignment, and a genuine commitment to the patients they serve.

REFERENCES

1. Cihlar M, Rahemi A, Smith J, Phillips L, Mace R, Norris A. Excellence in practice: insights from Health Mart's Pharmacy of the Year finalists. Presented at: McKesson ideaShare 2026; June 18–21, 2026; Denver, CO. Accessed June 19, 2025. u

2. McKesson ideaShare 2026 invites independent pharmacists to learn, connect and grow. News Release. McKesson. March 19, 2026. Accessed June 19, 2026. https://www.mckesson.com/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/2026/mckesson-ideashare-2026-invites-independent-pharmacists-to-learn-connect-and-grow/