McKesson ideaShare 2026: Why Independent Pharmacies Must Expand Clinical Services Now, According to Health Mart's Suzanne Feeney

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Suzanne Feeney, PharmD, senior director of Pharmacy Solutions at Health Mart, discussed at McKesson ideaShare 2026 why expanding clinical services is essential for independent pharmacies amid mounting reimbursement pressures and shifting state and federal legislation, including the bill formerly known as ECAPS. She identified immunizations, test-to-treat services, and Health Mart's collaboration with the APHA Foundation's Project Impact diabetes prevention program as accessible entry points for pharmacies looking to grow their clinical offerings. Feeney emphasized that adopting an appointment-based model and embracing supporting technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), are critical operational steps for scaling new service lines without overburdening pharmacy teams. She concluded that independent pharmacies must embrace ongoing industry change and stay deeply engaged with their local communities to identify needed services and ensure long-term sustainability.

Pharmacy Times: Can you please introduce yourself?

Suzanne Feeney: Hi, I'm Suzanne Feeney. I am a pharmacist. I currently work as the senior director of pharmacy solutions with Health Mart.

Pharmacy Times: With reimbursement cuts and pressures mounting, why is expanding clinical services such a critical strategy for independent pharmacies right now?

Feeney: Expanding clinical services is something that I've been passionate about for my whole career in pharmacy. I'll say that spans two decades as a pharmacist, and this is something that we've been continuously talking about. So, while it's not net new, I do feel at this point in time it is just so critical for pharmacies to jump into that space. One truly, because we're seeing the landscape shifting so much, both at the state and federal levels, as far as legislation. So, at the federal level, we're seeing the bill MSPAA, that was formerly known as ECAPS, really making headway at the legislative level, and a lot of excitement around seeing our bipartisan support for that and hope that that's passed this year. So, with that, it's really crucial that pharmacies are ready to step in and begin practicing at that level. Beyond that, as an answer to your questions, this is a time in pharmacy where we're looking around how do we grow our revenue outside of just dispensing? And as somebody who has practiced in that setting, it just goes hand in hand. When you're giving the patient that medication, what else do they need? So, really looking at the patient holistically allows you to take better care of the patients, and it allows us all to practice at the top of our license.

Pharmacy Times: Services like test-to-treat, chronic care management, pharmacogenomics, and travel health all represent growth opportunities—which is the most accessible entry point for pharmacies looking to expand?

Feeney: I would say, first of all, if a pharmacy isn't participating in immunizations, that's a no-brainer. Post-COVID, the public really comes to expect that pharmacies are offering those services. That's certainly the first thing to get involved with, if you're not already. Beyond that, I think it's really important to take a look at what the community needs and what's missing from the community. What is that assessment? But we're seeing things like test-to-treat work, whether you're able to bill for those services or offer cash. Patients in the community are often looking for a really accessible and quick way to have that contact with a health care professional. If I come down with the flu, with all the different layers of complexity and appointments needed to get into my prescriber's office, it feels too daunting, and we know that the medication needs to be started rapidly to have an impact. Pharmacies are publicly set up to be able to make that happen in one stop. Get in, get that test, and then you're here to get the medication right there. So, it's really easy for patients. One of the things that I'll mention is that what Health Mart has is a partnership with the APHA Foundation as part of Project Impact. What we're able to do is partner with our Health Mart pharmacies to enroll them with the diabetes prevention program, which is something that is available to any pharmacy out there. The nice part for Health Mart pharmacies is that it is really turnkey in the sense that they can sign up, and then they're available to access a lot of the umbrella services that happen directly with the APHA Foundation and have that happen oftentimes at a much faster timeline.

Pharmacy Times: Adding clinical services requires workflow changes, staffing shifts, and new patient communication strategies. What is the most important operational consideration before launching a new service line?

Feeney: This one I think I'm really passionate about, because oftentimes in my career with pharmacies, they're working to adapt to every program that comes their way to be able to make it fit, and I think the best approach we could take is to step back and say, you know, I might be involved in diabetes prevention today. I might want to do a test and treatment in 3 months. This is something that I want to scale into the future, especially if you think back to what we talked about at the beginning with the changes that are happening at the federal and state levels, and so really embracing the appointment-based model is the way of the future. It's great because it takes the pharmacy from a reactive setting to a setting that's proactive, so it helps out in your daily workflow, and then it also allows you to really go into any opportunity for a service or appointment for that pickup. A lot of times, pharmacies will embrace this and think, "Oh, this is hard." It is hard, and that's the reality of it. When you're going through the process of implementing that in your pharmacy, it takes time, and it really is a workflow that you have to have almost all of your patients on; otherwise, you're operating under two workflows. So, I just want to acknowledge the challenges that exist with that, but really embracing that change and moving to that type of workflow is going to set up the pharmacy to be able to scale these clinical services. The other piece that I'll say is totally embracing technology and recognizing that it doesn't replace our teams, but it allows us to take the tasks that can be done through AI, through automation, and through technology; move those aside; and really allow the teams to be able to best support these growing clinical services.

Pharmacy Times: Beyond adding services, what is the single most impactful action an independent pharmacy can take today to optimize for both patient care and long-term sustainability?

Feeney: That's a great question. I see two things as being important. One is embracing change, just being ready for that, knowing that it's here; we're in the thick of it. And how do we work through that? There's a lot of philosophy out there in change management, and I really encourage people to look at that and help their teams through that, because if we don't face that change and embrace it, then we're not going to be successful. The second thing, and I think this is really critically important, especially for independents: embed yourselves in your community. You're the heartbeat of your community. You are the health care professional. I personally participate in my community on our local board of health, and I'm always plugging opportunities for ways that we collaborate with the pharmacies in our community. Knowing the nuance, knowing what’s needed, and knowing how to best serve your community are going to help to understand what sorts of services to bring in and how to best take care of your patients.