Hospital-Owned Retail Pharmacies: Supporting Continuity of Patient Care & Health System Resilience
The period after being discharged from the hospital can be a vulnerable one for patients, their families and caregivers. It can involve new medications, changes to prescriptions and routines that need to be rebuilt. Supporting patients as they navigate these changes is vital – and hospital-owned retail pharmacies play a crucial role during this time. They add significant value across the health system by helping patients transition safely from hospital to home, while supporting broader system resilience and efficiency.
Allan Mills, Director of Pharmacy, Trillium Health Partners
“Our [outpatient pharmacy] team has been critically important to the success of our patients’ care,” said Allan Mills, Director of Pharmacy at Trillium Health Partners. “Because of the intertwined relationship between our medical team and our outpatient pharmacists, one picks up where the other left off. Knowing the care plan for the patient means the outpatient pharmacy team know the outcomes we’re aiming for and can intervene to prevent medication related problems earlier. We’ve had multiple projects where we’ve seen an improvement in outcomes.”
Unlike community retail pharmacies, hospital-owned retail pharmacies are closely connected to inpatient care teams and medical records. This allows pharmacists to see what happened during a hospital stay, identify potential issues and provide personalized counselling that reflects a patient’s unique care journey. For patients, this means fewer surprises, clearer instructions and confidence in managing medications once they’re home.* Hospital-owned pharmacies also inventory specialized medications that are typically not stocked by pharmacies in the community, ensuring timely access for outpatients.
Continuity of care matters. Medication related issues are a leading cause of avoidable complications and returns to hospital, particularly in patients managing complex conditions or multiple therapies. By resolving discrepancies early and reinforcing education at discharge, hospital-owned retail pharmacies help reduce the strain on emergency departments and inpatient units. National surveys of hospital pharmacy practice consistently highlight the growing emphasis on medication optimization and continuity of care as core components of modern hospital pharmacy services. **
Helping Protect Financial Viability
Hospital-owned retail pharmacies typically operate on razor-thin margins, requiring strong partnerships to support their ability to deliver consistent, high quality care. Mohawk Medbuy (MMC), a national, not-for-profit, shared services organization, worked closely with Member hospitals that operate retail pharmacies to develop a special program that helps protect the financial viability of these vital patient touchpoints.
“The program was born out of a real challenge that the hospitals were facing. In general, the hospitals’ retail pharmacies were struggling to remain viable due to operational complexities and cost pressures,” said Ally Dhalla, Senior Vice President, Pharmacy, Innovation, Government and Clinical Services at MMC. “We saw an opportunity to partner with our Member hospitals and create something unique and different that was very patient focused.”
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, a renowned academic hospital in Toronto, has seen the impact of partnering with MMC.
Flay Charbonneau, Pharmacy Manager, Odette Cancer Centre
“Without Mohawk Medbuy, we wouldn’t be able to provide the services that we do for our patients,” said Flay Charbonneau, Pharmacy Manager at Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Centre. “The margins that Mohawk Medbuy has been able to negotiate on our behalf have been very advantageous. The revenues and profits generated accrue directly back to the hospital and are used in numerous hospital programs.”
Vital Support for Cancer Patients
Hospital-owned pharmacies also add value by supporting access to specialized therapies. Some of these pharmacies are embedded in cancer centres and specialty clinics, where coordination with prescribers is essential. This close collaboration helps ensure therapies are started at the right time, adjusted quickly when needed and aligned with evolving treatment plans – an approach that benefits both patients and the care teams supporting them.
Nancy Moore, Process Coordinator for the Odette Cancer Centre’s Retail Pharmacy notes the benefits of Sunnybrook’s proactive medication callback program for patients on oral anti-cancer medications. “Not only is the pharmacist calling to address possible side effects, but also asking how patients are taking medications, because directions on some of these drugs can be quite confusing. Pharmacists help reinforce instructions and help maintain proper adherence,” she said.
There are many facets to the value hospital-owned retail pharmacies bring to outpatients, the community and the health system. But at the heart of it all are the pharmacy professionals whose commitment to continuity of care makes the transition from hospital to home easier and more conducive to better outcomes for patients.
*Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. (n.d.). Healthcare systems pharmacy. https://www.cshp.ca/common/Uploaded%20files/PDFs/Healthcare-Systems-Pharmacy-English.pdf
**Hospital Pharmacy in Canada Survey Board. (2026). Hospital pharmacy in Canada survey report 2023/24 (Revised March 10, 2026). Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. https://www.cshp.ca/common/Uploaded%20files/PDFs/HPCS-2023-24-Report-ENG.rev.March.10.2026.pdf