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How HAC Pharmacies Leverage Data-Driven
Purchasing Decisions with SureCost to
Save Thousands of Dollars Every Month
CASE STUDY
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The Company
HAC Pharmacies
HAC Pharmacies serves multiple communities in Oklahoma through 24
locations in HAC grocery stores. These include Homeland, HAC’s largest
banner and the state’s largest locally owned grocery store. HAC has been
100% employee-owned since 2011.
The Challenge
While continuing to provide high-quality care to patients statewide, HAC
needed to reduce its cost of goods sold (COGS) as much as possible.
They needed strategy and tools to save money without costing them too
much time.
Like many retail pharmacies, HAC had to contend with a complex pharmacy
purchasing ecosystem not designed for transparency. Medication prices
change daily, and thousands of products are listed across multiple vendors
and purchasing interfaces. Purchasing staf at HAC were stuck flipping back
and forth between wholesalers. They often bought in bulk when they found
a low price from a secondary, only to miss out when their primary vendor
began ofering a better price.
HAC was also losing time and money. For example, Joshua Miller, HAC’s
director of pharmacy, was dedicating up to an hour twice a week to compile a
list of commonly purchased items from their secondary wholesaler. But it
was ultimately just the best guess based on what he could see at that time;
Josh knew he was missing better purchasing opportunities buried in the
data.
While Josh was spending too much time on purchasing, others at HAC
pharmacies weren’t spending any time on it. COGS wasn’t a concern.
A wave of 100% gross on COVID-19 vaccines shifted the focus away from
COGS.
Yet the pharmacy retail market has changed drastically over the past few
years. The additional cost of vaccines, this year’s double DIR “hangover,”
lower reimbursements, and shipping delays are a few factors that make it
crucial to focus on saving money wherever possible.
When Josh assumed a leadership role at HAC in 2022, he was determined
to find ways to reduce COGS, compensate for DIR fees and find reliable
vendors. One primary wholesaler suggested their purchasing tool, but Josh
and his team wanted a “neutral” solution.
INDUSTRY
Retail Pharmacy
HIGHLIGHTS
Founded: 1916
Headquarters:
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Number of pharmacies: 24
Number of employees: 115
Challenges:
• High COGS lowering margins
• Missing better purchasing
opportunities
• Inconsistent purchasing strategy
Solutions
A single interface for smarter
purchasing
• Integrate all trade partners
• Compare all purchasing options
• Drive to the best options
• Ensure compliance
• Save time and money
INTERVIEWS
Joshua Miller,
Director of Pharmacy,
HAC Inc.
The Solution
"Having all vendors in one place has made it easier for my staff
to find the best product at the best price for the patient in a
timely manner without wasting hours doing it.” – Josh Miller,
Director of Pharmacy, HAC Inc.
With SureCost,
HAC Pharmacies
saved $200,000
over the past
four months.
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“I could barely get staff to go to one website for savings. Two was
a struggle. It would be unrealistic for them to check six different
vendor websites. Having it all in one place made it easier for them
to find the best product in a timely manner without wasting hours
doing it.”– Josh Miller, Director of Pharmacy, HAC Inc.
They needed to enhance purchasing from their entire catalog and empower them to make purchasing decisions based on their
business goals and strategy.
Josh selected SureCost for greater purchasing transparency and its flexible technology. SureCost is a unified purchasing and
inventory solution designed for pharmacies to optimize buying decisions and discover money-saving opportunities from their entire
vendor portfolio. It works with all major wholesalers and the vast majority of secondary providers, GPOs and other pharmaceutical
sources.
HAC worked with the SureCost team to determine the best onboarding process. They decided on three live webinars for groups of six
to eight employees at each of the 24 stores. The onboarding went smoothly, and HAC has been using SureCost for over a year now.
They started with SureCost in August 2023, all stores live and ordering in late October 2023.
How SureCost Helped
SureCost puts everyone making a purchase at HAC on the same page. Staf across all 24 locations use this solution to find the best
purchasing option—which isn’t always the lowest-priced item. As Josh learned, a product that costs a little more upfront could allow
them to meet their minimum volume. They can also spot “one-of” purchasing options where they can save a lot of money. In some
instances, it may be a commonly sold item that one vendor hasn’t focused on.
HAC pharmacy staf frequently consult SureCost’s “potential savings” tab to maximize the savings. With large purchase orders of 150
items at a time, they check the tab and discover additional savings from comparable products. That’s while purchasing from all six of
HAC’s regular vendors and still complying with their primary vendor and other purchasing agreements.
Leadership also has the option to configure SureCost to drive purchases to selected items based on potential reimbursement and
other considerations.
SureCost’s reporting also enhanced how HAC purchases. The “order substitution” report allows them to readjust when ordering items
close to depletion. “Purchase history” provides business intelligence around trends or potential losses. “Vendor purchasing
breakdown” lets HAC analyze their spending. Josh notes that his team has only begun to explore the wide range of reports in
SureCost. He also advises that "if you’re a data nerd, there’s every possible report you could think of.”
Josh calculates that HAC has saved approximately $200K each month after using SureCost for just four months. He’s also saving up
to four hours a week otherwise lost to the tedious process of manually comparing catalogs. Speaking about his colleagues at HAC,
he explains that “having [all vendors] in one place to look has made it easier for them to find the best product for the best price for the
patient in a timely manner without wasting hours doing it.”
HAC is also more prepared to mitigate shortages and issues with suppliers. “We can go to one place and see if the primary vendor or
a secondary has it available, with updated on-hand amounts, and know we’ll get it the next day so it’s there for patients.”
Even locations that weren’t analyzing their costs now spend a modest amount of time on smarter purchasing. He admits that “it’s not
as easy as just clicking the ‘Order’ button. It requires some thought and a little time,” but adds that “the savings have been worth it."
Benefits
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How Can SureCost Help You?
Book a 30-minute meeting with us today. See SureCost in action
and strategize how we can support your pharmacy to save more,
stay compliant and work smarter.
Book a Meeting
“At the end of the day, we all need to realize that everyone is
part of a business looking out for its patients and best options.
We only survive as well as what we can bring to our bottom
line. As leaders, we need to protect our business’s interests.
That means not always taking the comfortable or familiar
choice, and instead going outside to find a neutral party.”
— Josh Miller, Director of Pharmacy, HAC Pharmacies
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