LISTED hospital operator Ramsay Health Care has announced the acceleration of its push into community pharmacy, via its franchise model which was initially flagged 11 months ago (PD 31 Aug 16).
Of the 29 community pharmacies currently operating under the Ramsay banner (up from 20 in Aug last year), in various locations close to hospitals across Australia, eight of them operate their Section 90 licences within the hospital precincts.
These include four 24/7 community pharmacies in major Ramsay hospitals.
Ramsay Pharmacy Group ceo Peter Giannopoulos said the company planned to grow the franchise model to around 300 community pharmacies by 2020.
Each franchise will place "the most accessible health professional, the pharmacist, at the centre" of the business, Giannopoulos told Pharmacy Daily.
The Ramsay principles focus on "better care" - as in continuously improving care to achieve better patient outcomes, he said.
Ramsay has 53 years of delivering excellence in health care including the last 10 years in pharmacy practice within its hospitals (Section 94 licences), dispensing more than 1.25 million scripts in the last 12 months, and now three years in the community setting as well.
The franchise model being implemented delivers consistency in standards and patient outcomes through compliance around certain brand elements, shop fitout, marketing elements and training, he said.
At the same time, the Ramsay approach will be to remember that the franchisee owns the business and will have their own input and ultimate responsibility as well.
The franchise is intended to be the "conduit for transition" from acute care into the community setting, Giannopoulos said.
The Ramsay pharmacy franchise, as part of the largest private hospital group and ASX listed but with global touchpoints, brings a strong value proposition to interested pharmacists, he added.
Pharmacists wanting to express an interest either in options for their current business, or even acquisitions, can contact the Ramsay pharmacy marketing team or Peter Giannopoulos himself (pictured) on GiannopoulosP@ramsayhealth.com.au.
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