Publix Opens First In-Hospital Pharmacies at BayCare Facilities

BY REBEKAH MARCARELLI

Published: 11:49 AM October 20, 2017

Publix opened its first in-hospital locations as the first step in an exclusive three-part collaboration between the retailer and BayCare Health Systems that will also include walk-in care centers and health screening stations in-store.

The in-hospital services will provide patients with bedside prescription delivery during hospital discharge, access to specialty medications and refills at any Publix pharmacy location.

Publix retail pharmacies are now open at St. Anthony’s Hospital’s Suncoast Medical Clinic in St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa and Morton Plant Hospital’s new Doyle Tower in Clearwater. The pharmacies are also planned to open at Mease Countryside Hospital in Safety Harbor and at Winter Haven Hospital

“Opening BayCare in-hospital pharmacies is part of the exciting collaboration we announced in March,” says Publix VP of pharmacy operations Fred Ottolino. “It isn’t just about filling prescriptions as patients leave the hospital; it’s about providing a continuum of convenient medical care. As our relationship grows, we hope to bring even more care options to both BayCare patients and Publix customers.”

In addition to retail pharmacy services provided in the hospitals, two more collaborative pieces are under development. By the end of the year, all Publix stores in Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough and Polk counties will feature BayCare HealthHubs. These self-service biometric screening stations (kiosks) provide individuals with free health information including blood pressure, pulse, weight and body mass index, and BayCare patients can send the results directly to their physician from the HealthHub.

Within the next two years, approximately 25 walk-in telehealth clinics will open in Publix locations in the four-county area. Each telehealth site will provide non-urgent medical care through remote access to board-certified physicians. Patients will communicate with physicians in a private room featuring teleconferencing and medical diagnostic equipment. Publix Pharmacy support staff will be available to assist patients, if needed.

“Having an additional option for non-urgent medical care in Publix stores provides a quick and easy alternative for customers to seek treatment for non-urgent conditions,” Ottolino affirms.

Publix operates more than 1,000 pharmacies in seven states in the Southeast. After opening its fifth pharmacy at BayCare, Publix Pharmacy will operate 10 locations within hospitals in Florida.