Introduction
Today, as part of our Pharmacist Spotlight series, we are thrilled to feature Dr. Anthony Bolus, a visionary leader in community pharmacy and the Clinical Coordinator for Family Medical Services, which operates three independent pharmacies. A proud graduate of the McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Samford University in 2013, Dr. Bolus has approximately 12 years of diverse pharmacy experience, including managing a chain pharmacy and completing a community pharmacy residency focused on clinical services.
Dr. Bolus has been instrumental in growing clinical services at Family Medical Services since 2014, a journey supported by their partnership with RxE2. Beyond his professional life, Dr. Bolus is a dedicated family man, married to Victoria for 10 years, and a father to a three-year-old daughter with a second child on the way. He also plays a significant role in his community, overseeing the annual St. Elias Lebanese Food and Cultural Festival in Birmingham, AL, an event that draws 8,500-9,000 people annually and celebrates faith, family, and fun.
Anthony sat down with our Pharmacy Network Manager, Teresa Gerbig, PharmD, for this interview to explore his experiences integrating RxE2 programs into his pharmacy’s workflow, the challenges and successes encountered, and his compelling vision for the future of independent community pharmacy, particularly in generating non-dispensing revenue and improving patient outcomes.
Read on for highlights from our conversation.
Interview
Teresa: Anthony, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re so pleased to have you as part of the RxE2 network. Could you share a little bit about yourself and your pharmacy?
Anthony: I graduated from the McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Samford University in 2013, so I’ve been a pharmacist for about 12 years now. I’ve worked in various areas of pharmacy, including several years as a manager at a chain pharmacy. I then decided to pursue a community pharmacy residency to gain experience with various clinical services in a community setting. This led to my current role as Clinical Coordinator for Family Medical Services, where I’ve been since 2014. It has been an incredible blessing to see our services grow and evolve, and our partnership with RxE2 has been a significant contributor to this growth recently.
I’ve been married to my wonderful wife, Victoria, for 10 years, and we’re expecting our second child to join our three-year-old daughter. Outside of work, I also help run the St. Elias Lebanese Food and Cultural Festival in Birmingham, AL, a large community event.
Teresa: Can you share a little bit about your involvement with the RxE2 referral programs that you’ve been a part of?
Anthony: We started with RxE2 about a year ago, beginning with a depression study and recently concluding an asthma clinical trial. Our partnership developed through the CPESN network, which connected us to RxE2. The RxE2 model perfectly fits our goal of expanding clinical services within our pharmacy setting.
We’ve seen great results. While not every patient signs up for a study, simply offering these trials helps patients understand that we are “more than just dispensing medication.” Patients appreciate being checked in on for their depression medicine or hearing about new asthma studies, which helps set us apart.
A critical aspect of this partnership is financial reimbursement. RxE2 has been very generous in providing reimbursement models that help us sustain our clinical services and allocate resources effectively. This is especially important, given the significant impact of PBMs on dispensing reimbursements. RxE2 enables us to think outside the box and provide services that don’t involve PBMs, ensuring we receive appropriate payment for our clinical efforts.
Teresa: You said that it fits your business model. How do you fit it into your daily workflow, and how do you make it work for your business model? Could you share some tips on how you make it work for your pharmacy and staff?
Anthony: As the clinical coordinator, I have dedicated time to developing these services. I would encourage other pharmacies to consider hiring a clinical coordinator or utilizing a partner pharmacist to delve into these services. We also work with students (as I am a preceptor) and may look to utilize technicians in the future.
Our approach involves:
- Weekly chart reviews to identify eligible patients.
- Treating clinical services like managing prescriptions, working through a list of patients each week.
- Time management is key; it doesn’t require a full day’s commitment, perhaps just a few hours a day or 4-10 hours a week for a study.
- RxE2’s technology simplifies the process by providing patient lists.
- Making it a priority and having passion for these services is essential. If the pharmacist isn’t invested, neither will the staff or patients be.
Teresa: You recently helped us with a pilot program, and we appreciate your openness to assisting us and your willingness to do so. Could you explain what that included?
Anthony: The pilot study introduced a “white glove service” designed for pharmacies with limited time or resources. In this model, the pharmacy provides data, and technicians can filter through patient lists, making the pharmacist’s role more hands-off. We found that we processed a lot more cases this way before reaching out to patients for interest interviews.
A significant success of this pilot was the implementation of a warm transfer system. When contacting patients, we would bring an RxE2 team member onto the call with the patient, then step off, allowing the RxE2 team member to continue the conversation. This method significantly increased patient engagement by using the existing trust and relationship patients have with their familiar pharmacy before transferring to an RxE2 pharmacist for a more in-depth discussion. Patients are often hesitant to speak with unknown callers, but they trust their pharmacy’s recommendations. This warm transfer was the most successful part of it.
Teresa: Regarding the RxE2 programs, what do you feel have been the key factors to success in the clinical programs?
Anthony: The keys to success for any new clinical service include:
- Patience: Be patient with yourself, your staff, and your patients, especially when adopting new services.
- Prioritization of Time: Plan and dedicate consistent time to the service.
- Passion: Cultivate a genuine drive and enthusiasm for growing clinical services.
- Study Familiarity: Be familiar enough with the study to answer common patient questions, though you don’t need to be an expert.
- Reimbursement and ROI: Crucially, understand the cost and potential return on investment (ROI). RxE2’s model offers low financial risk and substantial reimbursement, making it an attractive option. The breakeven point is not very high.
RxE2 has been very clear from the beginning about reimbursement numbers, which helps pharmacies determine the viability of participation. Their onboarding and study-specific training, including modules and direct communication, adequately prepare pharmacies for studies.
Teresa: If you were visiting with a colleague who had never worked with RxE2, what would you say to encourage them to consider participating in one of our referral programs?
Anthony: My message is simple: “Why wait? Let’s get to it.” This is a crucial time for pharmacy to expand its resources and reach beyond traditional PBM-driven dispensing revenue. RxE2 offers a great business model, and the program is not as daunting or time-consuming as it might appear. With options for both hands-on and hands-off involvement (as seen in the pilot study), there’s no reason why any pharmacy in the network wouldn’t participate.
I am a strong advocate for RxE2 because a single study can generate significant revenue in just a month, a timeframe that other services might take much longer to achieve. Pharmacies should be familiar with the program and ready to implement it when studies become available.
Teresa: Community pharmacy has been especially challenging in recent years. Looking into the future, how do you see pharmacies evolving and adapting their programs and services to sustain their business?
Anthony: The dispensing of the past is not the dispensing of the future. I foresee pharmacies evolving into “wellness clinics” or “wellness centers” within the next five to ten years, if not sooner. My long-standing tagline is “services beyond prescriptions, beyond medications,” and I believe our time is now to step out from behind the counter.
While efforts to address PBM issues are ongoing, I don’t expect dispensing reimbursements to return to their former levels. Pharmacists, with their rigorous clinical training, are perfectly positioned to be a branch in the arm of wellness services,
particularly for chronic diseases.
Future pharmacy services can include:
- Blood pressure screenings
- Blood sugar screenings
- A1C testing
- EKG screening
- INR testing
- Genetic testing
- Educational services
- Onboarding patients into clinical studies and trials
I envision pharmacies bridging the gap between physicians, patients, and the pharmacy, becoming holistic wellness centers that also happen to dispense medications. This shift requires stepping out of comfort zones, but I am confident that reimbursement models will increasingly support these services. The more pharmacies that embrace and provide these diverse clinical services, the more payer contracts will emerge, creating greater opportunities for the entire profession.
The transformation of community pharmacies into wellness centers is like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly: it’s a fundamental, necessary change that unlocks new potential and enables them to soar in their service to the community.
Final Words
We extend our sincere gratitude to Dr. Anthony Bolus for his time and invaluable insights. Dr. Bolus’s commitment to patient care, combined with his proactive approach to securing sustainable reimbursement models through partnerships like RxE2, demonstrates a clear path for independent pharmacies to thrive and continue their vital role in community health.
