40% of 390,000 medical insurance pharmacies will be transformed

With the implementation of the "dual channel" management, the medical insurance pharmacies are completely in charge, and the transformation of medical insurance pharmacies is imminent

Before the end of next month, there must be "dual channel" pharmacies everywhere

In accordance with the requirements of the National Medical Insurance Administration, in principle, by the end of October 2021, each province shall determine the list of drugs that are included in the “dual-channel” management of the province and announce it to the public

In this context, various provinces and cities have recently announced relevant documents one after another, and the selection and implementation of "dual-channel" pharmacies have been launched in full swing

According to the documents of the National Medical Insurance Bureau, as long as qualified medical insurance pharmacies can apply to become "dual-channel" management medical insurance pharmacies

(Note: This information is an interpretation of the policies of the National Medical Insurance Bureau)

It is worth mentioning that just recently, Hebei Province took the lead in introducing the "dual channel" medical insurance pharmacy selection procedure.

Judging from the 11 basic conditions, it involves application conditions such as operating hours, business area, and provision of licensed pharmacists

Medical insurance pharmacies, start classified management

However, with the development of the “dual-channel” selection work in various places, designated medical insurance pharmacies have been completely divided into two forms, a professional pharmacy with “dual-channel” management (mainly selling drugs for chronic diseases and special diseases), one A designated pharmacy that meets the needs of general medical insurance products

Li Zhen, a well-known professional manager (pharmacy circle), told the author that the state treats existing pharmacies in different ways.

As for the impact of the "dual channel" policy, he said that it will lead to the classification and grading of designated pharmacies, and the medical insurance will also be split (for example: chronic disease reimbursement is limited to chronic disease pharmacies, etc.

In fact, as early as 2019, the medical insurance department has taken corresponding actions

In this regard, Cyberlan-the pharmacy manager once said that in the future, medical insurance pharmacies will be divided into two categories: the first category is chronic disease medical insurance designated pharmacies, and the sale of non-drugs is banned and can enjoy chronic disease prescription efflux bonus; the other category is general Medical insurance designated pharmacies can store non-pharmaceuticals for sale, but sales of medical insurance cards are prohibited

Compared with today's "dual channel" policy, this policy has become a key point of change, completely opening the situation of medical insurance pharmacies in charge

The performance of medical insurance pharmacies has declined and competition has intensified

According to the latest data from Zhongkang CMH, the average sales of retail pharmacies in September declined slightly compared with the previous month; compared with the average level in 2019, the passenger flow is still relatively sluggish

Regarding whether the passenger flow of designated medical insurance pharmacies has declined, Li Zuobiao, a licensed pharmacist in Fuzhou, Fujian, told the author that the passenger flow of his medical insurance store has declined this year, and the online passenger flow has increased.

"Affected by the epidemic, the sales of cold medicines and cough medicines have declined.

The account writer Li Sibo also said that the overall benefits of the designated medical insurance pharmacies where he is located are not ideal

On the one hand, the overall pharmaceutical retail industry is sluggish.
On the other hand, competition has become fiercer.
Many newly established companies have long been targeting the out-of-hospital pharmacy market
.
It is understood that two professional pharmacies in China have successively submitted prospectuses to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
There is no doubt that these companies will use the power of capital to increase their layout in the future
.

Among them, Yuanxin Technology was established in 2015, and its current revenue has exceeded 3.
6 billion.
Its subsidiary Yuanxin Pharmacy is one of the first companies to seize the prescription drug market outside the hospital.
It has 251 stores, 217 are located within 1 km of the hospital, and 170 pharmacies.
As designated pharmacies for national medical insurance, 37 pharmacies have been designated as dual-channel pharmacies for serious illness medical insurance
.

The other company is Supai Health, which was established in 2014 and has a total revenue of 2.
7 billion yuan.
There are 81 offline stores, and 30 of them have been awarded the "Dual Channel Qualification for Medical Insurance" by the local medical insurance management department
.

At the 2021 Star Conference, Zhao Xiaochuan, chairman of the National University Pharmacy, said that the "dual channel" document issued by the National Medical Insurance Bureau is a breakthrough in the future prescription outflow.
First try the water and see the service capacity of the pharmacy.
One step may be the outflow of a complete prescription
.
He said that once the prescription goes out, the first pot of gold must be the hospital side store
.

Of course, this change will also trigger changes in the industry and bring new challenges to existing medical insurance pharmacies.
Whether they can be transformed into a professional pharmacy will determine their ability to accept prescription dividends and affect their future development
.

40% of medical insurance pharmacies are facing transformation

A long time ago, a well-known marketing expert said that China actually only needs 200,000 pharmacies, and the current state is excessive competition
.
The general international practice is one pharmacy per 6,000 people, while China now has one pharmacy per 3,000 people.
In fact, there is a surplus of them overall
.

On May 11, 2021, the results of the seventh national census were announced.
The total population of the mainland is 1.
411 billion
.
If there is a pharmacy with 6000 people in accordance with international practice, China currently needs nearly 235,000 pharmacies
.

According to the latest news from the State Drug Administration, as of the end of June 2021, there were nearly 580,000 retail pharmacies nationwide
.
As of the end of 2020, the number of designated medical insurance pharmacies across the country has reached 390,000
.

If there are only 235,000 pharmacies according to the 1:6000 plan, 345,000 pharmacies (nearly 60%) will face elimination
.
At the same time, even if these 235,000 pharmacies are all medical insurance pharmacies, 155,000 medical insurance pharmacies (nearly 40%) will face elimination
.

In summary, the government will not adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to reform.
If the additional 345,000 pharmacies (including 155,000 medical insurance pharmacies) do not want to be eliminated, they can only choose to transform or make their professionalism irreplaceable.
One of the 235,000 pharmacies may develop new business formats and models.
.
.

Note: The original text has been deleted