Independent Pharmacy's Evolving Role: Michelle Britt on What's Next

For decades the community pharmacy's role was simple: fill the prescription and send the patient on their way. That model is shifting. Patients increasingly expect their local pharmacist to serve as an active partner in their health, not just a place to pick up medication, and independent pharmacies are adjusting how they operate to meet that expectation. In part two of Pharmaceutical Commerce’s video interview series with Michelle Britt, senior vice president, retail independent pharmacy at Cardinal Health, Britt discusses how independents are expanding their services and leaning on distributor partners to support that shift.

The data reflects what Britt describes. A recent Avalere Health survey of independent pharmacy owners and managers found that 77% now offer home delivery, 71% offer seasonal vaccinations, 69% offer drug compounding, and 67% offer medication synchronization, evidence of a broader move beyond core dispensing.¹ Immunizations in particular have become one of the most widely adopted expansions of pharmacist scope of practice nationwide.²

For independents, adding services like home delivery, vaccine administration and long-term care coordination helps fill local healthcare gaps while diversifying revenue beyond the reimbursement pressure squeezing prescription margins. Britt notes that pharmacists can't do this alone: many are turning to their distributors for purchasing power, data and administrative support that frees up time for patient care.

In this segment, Britt discusses how independent pharmacies are adapting to meet evolving patient and community needs, and the role distributor partnerships play in that shift.

Watch the first installment of Britt’s interview with PC:

1. Michelle Britt on the Three Forces Reshaping Independent Pharmacy Economics

References

1. Independent pharmacy challenges and adaptive strategies. Avalere Health Advisory. September 25, 2025. Accessed August 24, 2026. https://advisory.avalerehealth.com/insights/independent-pharmacy-challenges-and-adaptive-strategies
2. Pharmacists expand clinical services beyond traditional dispensing. Drug Topics. May 12, 2026. Accessed August 24, 2026. https://www.drugtopics.com/view/pharmacists-expand-clinical-services-beyond-traditional-dispensing-asembia-axs26