Thank you for the honor, it's what we do everyday

On Thanksgiving Day, families across the country will come together around dining room tables. Many will share a bountiful feast and give thanks for many blessings. What better time than the month of November to also give thanks for our customers?

We are particularly grateful this year: In the J.D. Power 2016 U.S. Pharmacy Study, Health Mart was ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Chain Drug Store Pharmacies." We outpaced other "brick-and-mortar" chain drug stores in four of five categories:

• Our stores

• Our cost competitiveness

• Our pharmacists

• Our non-pharmacy staff

The pharmacy study is now in its eighth year. This year, it was based on responses from 14,789 pharmacy customers who filled or refilled a prescription during the three months prior to the survey period of June 2016.

Personalized service. The survey also found that health and wellness services enhance customer satisfaction. We're pleased by this finding. It validates the approach we use. This includes highly valued services such as consolidating medication pick-up, medication therapy management, and individualized disease health coaching.

This kind of personalized service is a contrast to the approach offered by many large chain drug stores. By contrast, we take the time to care for you and your family right in your community. We take the time to hear our patients and provide trusted advice to answer your health questions.

Trusted advice. Patients can trust the advice offered at their local Health Mart pharmacy. Our pharmacists' extensive training and expertise can help set your mind at ease. That's because you know you can rely on their considerable knowledge to provide informed care and help you achieve optimal results from your medications.

How do we do this? For one, we simplify the language of prescription coverage- making it easier to understand without compromising accuracy. We also provide clinical services that can help you stay well. And we partner, as needed, with health care providers to enhance the quality of your healthcare.

Customer loyalty. Personalized service plus trusted advice is clearly a winning combination. And, as seen in the J.D. Power 2016 U.S. Pharmacy Study, Health Mart is surpassing the industry average in customer loyalty.

We accomplish this in many ways. For example, we don't treat you as a number. We know that you're a unique person with unique needs, which we strive to address. We accept most insurance plans and make it easy to transfer prescriptions. It also helps that our locally owned pharmacies are a part of the community-close to where our patients work, shop, and live.

Again, thank you for honoring us with this award. It means a great deal to us. But awards or no, we'll keeping doing what we enjoy doing: delivering the very best care possible for our patients.

Nothing herein constitutes medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, or is a substitute for professional advice. You should always seek the advice of your physician or other medical professional if you have questions or concerns about a medical condition.

Source

1. J.D. Power press release: "Health Mart, Publix, Sam's Club, Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy Rank Highest in Respective Segments." Available at: http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/jd-power-2016-us-pharmacy-study. Accessed: 10-4-17.

Amira Michael is the owner and pharmacist at Agia Pharmacy & Cafe. Amira is a board certified geriatric pharmacist located at 276 S. Mill St. Suite A. Check out more health resources on the Agia Facebook page.