What is the Difference Between a Pharmacy and a Specialty Pharmacy?

Many assume that all pharmacies are the same, but this is not true! While you might purchase some kind of allergy medicines at your local pharmacy, you wouldn’t buy the same often prescribed drugs from a specialist pharmacy. Let’s know what differentiates a specialist pharmacy from a local pharmacy.

Local Pharmacy

Local pharmacies are often independently owned and operated. They usually have one or two locations and are smaller than the big brand pharmacies. Usually, the local pharmacies are busy with walk-in patients providing vaccination shots such as flu shots, handling questions, or filling prescriptions for patients.

Specialty Pharmacy

While local pharmacies are for short-term illnesses, specialty pharmacies work with patients and physicians to provide medications for chronic and more severe diseases. Specialty pharmacies offer patients more thorough education and patient care services since they frequently treat patients with chronic diseases requiring regimented prescription routines.

Key Differences Between Local and Specialty Pharmacies

The main difference between the two is the type of medication they dispense and the services that are offered. There are other key differences between the two.

1. Medications: Local pharmacies offer medicines that are simple to administer, whereas specialty pharmacies offer more advanced and detailed medicines that require thorough explanations.
2. Patient Monitoring: Specialty pharmacies provide monitoring services to help patients at all times. They have a dedicated staff and great availability of people with medication needs at all times, whereas for local pharmacies, the expansion reach is on a lesser side.
3. Procedural Standards: Specialty pharmacies go through additional reviews and processes to offer more specialized services. They have to meet a certain standard for patient care. No such rigid procedures and measures are followed when it comes to local pharmacies.

Final Words

Both specialty and traditional pharmacies are equally important in the scope of services and support they provide to the healthcare sector. Whether you are a local or specialty pharmacy, Four Square enables all pharmacies to carry and dispense medications in the most effective ways.

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