Independent pharmacies have long served as a frontline point of health care access for millions of Americans, but mounting financial pressures are testing their ability to remain open.
Michelle Britt, senior vice president of retail independent pharmacy at Cardinal Health, has outlined the core economic forces threatening the independent pharmacy sector in a new video interview series.
Britt identifies rising operating costs, unpredictable cash flow, and reimbursement shortfalls as the three primary drivers pushing independent pharmacy owners toward financial crisis.
A recent National Community Pharmacists Association survey found that 30.3% of independent pharmacists said they were considering closing their business in 2025.
The same survey found that 96.5% of respondents said PBM and plan reimbursement for Medicare Part D threatened the viability of their business.
Those figures paint a stark picture of an industry segment that has historically been regarded as resilient and community-focused, yet is now facing existential pressure from multiple directions simultaneously.
Despite the financial strain, independent pharmacies remain deeply embedded in the broader health care system and continue to serve as critical access points for patients across the country.
Research shows that community pharmacists are currently the most frequently visited health care providers, with the average patient seeing them up to 35 times a year for services ranging from immunizations to chronic disease management.
Britt argues that this level of patient contact means the closure of an independent pharmacy carries consequences that extend well beyond the prescription counter and into the wider community it serves.
In response to the financial squeeze, many independent pharmacy owners are actively rebuilding their business models around diversified revenue streams rather than relying solely on prescription reimbursements.
Britt’s interview series forms part of a broader conversation about how the independent pharmacy sector can adapt its economics to survive a reimbursement environment that many owners describe as increasingly unworkable.
Cardinal Health, which supplies and supports thousands of independent pharmacies across the United States, has positioned itself as a key partner in helping owners navigate this period of structural change.
The push toward new revenue sources reflects a wider recognition that traditional dispensing models alone may no longer be sufficient to sustain community pharmacy operations in the current landscape.