Outsourcing Pharmacies of Integrated Healthcare Centers: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Solutions

Introduction: Pharmaceutical services are of the vital components of primary healthcare, some part of which have been outsourced to the private sector to increase quality and reduce costs. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the advantages, disadvantages, and operational strategies of outsourcing pharmacies of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in 2018. The population was 122 heads of health centers and experts in network development, pharmaceutical affairs of family physician program, and rural insurance. Data collection tool was three open-ended questions (1- Advantages of pharmacy outsourcing, 2- disadvantages of pharmacy outsourcing, and 3- operational strategies for providing appropriate pharmacy services to people in form of family physician and rural insurance programs). Data was analyzed using the content analysis method. Results: The advantages of outsourcing pharmacies of comprehensive university healthcare centers were 4 main themes and 9 sub-themes. The main themes were quality, optimal use of existing software systems, downsizing, and financial management. The disadvantages of outsourcing pharmacies of comprehensive university healthcare centers were 3 main themes and 8 sub-themes. The main themes were control and evaluation, flexibility, and the outsourcing process. Conclusion: It is necessary to close contracts with newer contractors each year, emphasize using pharmacist forces in contracts, organize a team to monitor contracts legally and legally, and finally, ongoing monitoring over outsourcing pharmacies and implementation of legal (according to the contract) tools to improve processes and activities for enhancing the services of the outsourcing pharmacies of comprehensive healthcare centers.