PSAOs are organizations that support independent and small chain pharmacies with their everyday business operations.
PSAOs’ primary function is to manage the working relationships with third-party payers and/or PBMs and facilitate administrative support for independent pharmacies. Additionally, PSAOs offer contract management, operational and transaction support, analysis, and forecasting to independent pharmacies across the country.
PSAOs allow independent pharmacies to handle their administrative operations efficiently in a time where they are confronting more challenges than ever, allowing them to spend more time focusing on patient care.
Owner and Pharmacist at Brehme Drug
Owner and Pharmacist at Good Living Pharmacy
Clinical Ambulatory Pharmacist / MPhA Public Affairs chair / Minnesota Pharmacy Alliance Co-Chair
Approximately 80 percent of independent pharmacies serve patients in areas with less than 50,000 people. Ninety percent of Americans live within five miles of a pharmacy. Patients see their pharmacists 10 times more than other healthcare professionals, and pharmacists consistently rank as one of the most trustworthy, honest, and ethical professions.
The number of independent pharmacies in the United States has decreased by almost 50 percent, compared to the 40,000 independent pharmacies that were active in 1980. The Rural Policy Institute found that from 2003 to 2018, 1,231 of 7,624 rural independent pharmacies closed. The Drug Channels Institute estimates that the number of independent pharmacies has trended downward within the past five years.
You will play an important role in helping to amplify the voice of independent pharmacies across the country.