Community pharmacists are rewriting the rules of practice

Two independent pharmacists show how autonomy, transparency, and clinical care can restore joy—and sustainability—to community pharmacy

Over the past 3 years, I’ve spoken with many community pharmacists who are deeply dissatisfied with their work. The reasons are well known and don’t need repeating. What deserves more attention is what is working—and how those examples can help move our profession forward.

Recently, at the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association meeting in Harrisburg, I met two community pharmacists who are experiencing something rarely discussed: professional fulfillment. Brandon Antinopoulos, PharmD, of Forward Rx Pharmacy and Kyle McCormick, PharmD, of Blueberry Pharmacy are building practices that look very different from the status quo—and their experiences offer a powerful lesson for the profession.

Starting with a simple goal: Serve patients without interference

Both pharmacists began with the same core motivation: a love for their communities and the patients they serve. They wanted to practice pharmacy without interference that distracted from patient care.

To do that, each adopted a cost-plus pharmacy model. They calculated the true cost of providing prescription medications, added a reasonable and transparent fee to ensure sustainability, and made that pricing public so patients could clearly understand the value being delivered. Insurance is accepted only when payers agree to those cost-plus terms.

The result? Predictability. Transparency. And control.

Predictable revenue, early profitability, and growing demand

The outcomes of this approach have been striking. I haven’t seen two pharmacists in a long time who were as calm, confident, and satisfied in their professional lives. One told me he became profitable very quickly after opening and no longer worries about when—or whether—he will be paid.

Both practices continue to grow month after month. One has established contracts with local employers to provide clinical services, while the other has built strong referral relationships with physicians in the community.

In each case, their business models don't compete with patient care—they enable it.

Practicing at the top of their training—and why it matters

These pharmacists are doing exactly what they were trained to do. Their practices are highly clinical. They intervene daily as medication therapy experts, ensuring appropriate therapy, and better outcomes—and they are paid directly for that work.

Rather than waiting for perfect conditions or system-wide reform, they defined their clinical services, set clear fees, and educated their communities about what they offer.

A major source of their professional fulfillment is control—over clinical decisions, time, and how patient needs are met. That autonomy has made a meaningful difference for both pharmacists and patients.

Many student pharmacists struggle with the tension between patient care and administrative burden. Some ultimately look outside direct care, even though caring for patients is what drew them to pharmacy in the first place.

What these two pharmacists demonstrate is that a full, rewarding career in direct patient care is already happening in communities across the country.

The path forward is already being built

Congratulations to Antinopoulos and McCormick for leading the way. Their work shows that community pharmacy does not need to abandon patient care to survive—it needs our collective encouragement to rethink how care is delivered and valued.

For every pharmacist. For all of pharmacy.