As access to retail pharmacy services has grown more fragmented since the COVID-19 pandemic, Charlottesville, Va.-based UVA Health has leaned into system-owned pharmacies as a core part of care continuity by expanding locations, staffing and service models to meet patient demand.
Justin Vesser, PharmD, director of ambulatory pharmacy at UVA Health, said the system now operates nine retail pharmacies, with two more planned, positioned around its academic medical center and community hospitals across Virginia. The goal is to make pharmacy access more reliable at a time when patients increasingly struggle to fill prescriptions after hospital stays or clinic visits.
“COVID exposed a lot of how fragile it was out in the world in retail pharmacies for people to just be able to get a prescription,” Dr. Vesser said during an episode of the “Becker’s Healthcare Podcast.” “Ever since COVID, the retail pharmacies were shaving their hours, they made it more difficult to access prescriptions. The lines were longer. It’s harder to get through.”
UVA Health responded by expanding its own capacity rather than pulling back. The system increased hours, staffing, locations and communication channels across its retail network to reduce friction for patients trying to access medications.
“We offered more time, more people, more locations, more ways to get in touch with us, more ways to have a smoother experience when you came to us,” he said.
The expansion has been closely tied to UVA Health’s broader footprint. The retail pharmacies are located near UVA clinics across central Virginia and the system’s three community hospitals in the northern part of the state, allowing pharmacy services to function as an extension of clinical care rather than a standalone retail operation.
“If you’ve been in the hospital, you’re trying to get yourself out of trouble,” Dr. Vesser said. “The continuation, for most people, of their care is going to be some kind of a medication that they’re going to take after they leave.”
As a result of the expanded access model, UVA Health dispensed more than 1 million prescriptions across its retail, home delivery and specialty pharmacy services during the most recent fiscal year, the highest volume the system has recorded. But pharmacy access challenges extend beyond convenience, particularly as patients face rising costs and insurance complexity. Many patients are forced to make difficult tradeoffs when prescriptions are delayed or unaffordable.
“When peoples’ wallets shrink or the cost of things around them and their lives go up, people start to make choices on what they can and can’t live with,” he said. “Medications are one of those things that might be a life-and-death decision.”
UVA Health has paired its retail expansion with additional support teams focused on medication access, prior authorizations and financial assistance, particularly for vulnerable populations and pediatric patients. The goal is to reduce the number of barriers between a provider’s prescription and a patient actually receiving the medication.
“It’s difficult for people to get the prescriptions that their doctor says they need because insurance can be a barrier and the cost can be a barrier,” he said. “That’s our job to help them navigate that.”
Looking ahead, UVA Health is preparing for its next phase of retail pharmacy growth through a centralized services operation with increased automation, a move designed to support rising prescription volume while maintaining access across its network.
“It’s a huge undertaking to go from nine retail locations, plus the home delivery, that all get absorbed into this new facility,” Dr. Vesser said. “We’re very fortunate to have it, but it’s going to be a monster lift for all of our teams.”
Despite the operational complexity, Dr. Vesser said the strategy remains anchored in access and continuity rather than short-term efficiency gains.
“If we can live first for the patients and we can make everything we do about them, then all the money will work out,” he said.
