Phipps Pharmacy Details the Future of Healthcare at Rotary Club Meeting

McKENZIE (May 12) — In a presentation that blended clinical innovation with a staunch defense of community-based care, Jay Phipps, PharmD, and Chris Hall of Phipps Pharmacy addressed the Rotary Club of McKenzie on May 12. The two outlined a vision in which pharmacists do more than dispense pills—they serve as primary healthcare providers, insurance navigators, and wellness coaches.

Phipps recently relocated to a new, expanded location in McKenzie on Highland Drive.

"We have grown from one full-time and one part-time employee to a little over fifty people, and we're going to open our fifth location in the next sixty days. We're in Waverly, Huntingdon, Jackson, McKenzie, and will be in Martin really soon," said Dr. Phipps.

Phipps said he grew up in East Tennessee, had a speech impediment, grew up on a tobacco farm, and utilized government-subsidized lunch. He was the first in his family to earn a college degree.

Dr. Phipps highlighted a significant shift in the pharmacy’s operations: the MedSync model. Designed to eliminate the "multiple trips" frustration, the program aligns all of a patient's medications due dates in an effort to reduce the number of trips to the pharmacy.

"The average patient sees their physician three times a year, but they see their pharmacist 37 times," Phipps noted. By turning these frequent visits into scheduled "appointments," the pharmacy can screen for drug interactions and integrate vitals management, such as blood pressure checks, directly into the pickup routine.

Looking toward the future, Phipps predicted that the next generation of pharmacists—including his son, Sawyer—will primarily see patients in a clinical capacity rather than standing behind a counting tray.

The presentation delved into the pharmacy’s expanding wellness and longevity programs. Dr. Phipps shared personal success with NAD+ therapy, a treatment focused on mitochondrial energy metabolism.

"It makes me feel like I'm 30 again," Phipps told the club, noting improved sleep and the stamina to handle 17-hour workdays.

Beyond longevity, the pharmacy is focusing on supporting muscle mass in aging populations and offering B12 clinics to boost energy and focus.

A portion of the talk addressed the complexities of modern insurance. Phipps Pharmacy has launched Health Insurance Solutions, utilizing licensed agents along with pharmacists, nurses, and technicians to help seniors navigate Medicare.

Dr. Phipps said some pharmacies use Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), who use the practice to steer patients toward unnecessary services. He criticized the vertical integration of companies that often drives patients toward their own mail-order or retail chains through punitive pricing at independent pharmacies.

"We will accept any reasonable contract," Phipps stated, "but we resist anti-competitive steering that limits a patient's choice." He cited recent findings from a Tennessee audit showing that PBM-owned pharmacies sometimes pay themselves significantly higher rates than they pay independent competitors.

As the largest compounder in West Tennessee, Phipps Pharmacy continues to offer tailored medications that the "big box" stores cannot, such as gluten-free formulations, for patients who need to avoid products with gluten.

Chris Hall spoke to the "why" behind their mission, emphasizing the personal bonds formed during daily deliveries within their 70-mile service radius. "Take care of the patient first, and the money will work itself out," Hall said, recounting stories of home-cooked meals offered by grateful patients during his home-delivery rounds.

This community-first philosophy was underscored by the pharmacy’s past relief efforts, including coordinating 18 collection sites to support victims of the Waverly, Tenn., floods.