NCPA As seen in America's Pharmacist, November

Your phones answered. Your team stays at the counter.

You read about USave Pharmacy in NCPA: nine phones, 200 calls a day, a team worn down by the ringing. This is the AI that answered those calls, and how it can answer yours.

OFFICIAL PARTNERS

Independent Pharmacy Cooperative (IPC) DiversifyRx

INTEGRATED AND COMPLIANT

PioneerRx Liberty Software HIPAA compliant SOC 2 certified
America's Pharmacist cover, November 2026: An Intelligent Shift — USave Pharmacy

AS SEEN IN NCPA

The problem was never a lack of business. It was the phone.

In “An intelligent shift,” USave co-owners Bill Snodgrass, RPh, and Travis Covey, PharmD, told NCPA how the Pharmacy Concierge took over their phones. Today an AI agent named Marissa handles the bulk of their calls, day and night.

“Now that we have gotten used to it, it's kind of a surprise when the phone does ring.”

Travis Covey, PharmD, USave North Platte

You read what USave did. Here's how to do it.

The decisions Bill and Travis made along the way, written as steps you can follow in your own store. A ten-minute read.

  • The two rules USave set before anything else
  • How to handle controlled, expired and discontinued refills
  • The staged go-live that kept patients safe
  • How to bring your team along

We'll email it right away. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy Policy

Nine phone lines. Now mostly quiet.

“We've got nine phones out in the work area and there were times when every one of them was ringing,” Travis told NCPA. “Every hour felt like a Monday morning.” Flip the board to see what the Concierge changed.

Refills, with or without the Rx number, go straight into your queue. Anything that needs a pharmacist is transferred instantly.

USave's phone lines

  • Line 1 Concierge: refill request, no Rx number
  • Line 2 Quiet
  • Line 3 Concierge: prescription status check
  • Line 4 Quiet
  • Line 5 Transferred to pharmacist
  • Line 6 Quiet
  • Line 7 Concierge: refill request
  • Line 8 Quiet
  • Line 9 Quiet

Busy store or small store, the phone still pulls you from the counter.

USave is a high-volume pharmacy. But the Concierge isn't only for stores taking hundreds of calls a day.

High-volume pharmacy

Smith Pharmacy

The highest-volume independent pharmacy in the country is live on the Concierge, running more than three times the call volume of USave.

Smaller pharmacy

Crestwood Pharmacy & Soda Fountain

A neighborhood pharmacy in Birmingham. Fewer calls than USave, but every ring still pulls someone from the counter.

“I don't have a phone tree. So we have a lot of calls just ring and ring and ring to voicemail.”

Tyler Shadix, Crestwood Pharmacy & Soda Fountain

How much of your day goes to the phone?

Bill Snodgrass told NCPA most owners would be surprised if they did the math. Try it with your numbers.

6.7 hours a day on the phone
40 hours a week on the phone

That’s a full-time job, just answering phones.

Hand it to the Concierge

Your pharmacy closes. Your phones don't.

After hours, patients still reach a friendly voice. Refill requests land in your queue overnight, so the work is waiting when you open.

What happens when a patient calls

The same thing USave's patients hear: a natural conversation, not a phone tree.

  1. Step 1

    The Concierge answers

    Every call, right away, day or night. It verifies the patient by name and date of birth, or by their phone number.

  2. Step 2

    The patient asks for a refill

    With or without the Rx number. It finds their active prescriptions and lets them choose.

  3. Step 3

    It lands in your queue

    Straight into PioneerRx or Liberty, with pickup or delivery preference attached. Nobody typed anything.

  4. Step 4

    Complex calls go to your team

    Insurance issue or early refill? It transfers to your pharmacist instantly, with the context ready.

  5. Explore all features

Your phones, phone lines and fax. All in one place.

One partner for how patients and prescribers reach your pharmacy.

Pharmacy Concierge

The AI voice agent that answers every call, takes refills into your queue and transfers to your team when it should.

Phone lines

We can provide your pharmacy's phone lines too, so your calls and your AI agent work together from day one.

Fax

A fax solution for prescriptions and prescriber paperwork, alongside your calls.

Built with independents like USave, for the towns they serve.

Your phones get answered day and night, so your team can be there for the patient in front of them.

Two easy ways to see it for yourself.

Watch it live with other owners, or try it on your own lines.

Join the weekly live demo

45 minutes with other pharmacy owners who read the NCPA story. Watch the Concierge take real calls, then ask anything.

Every Wednesday at 12:00 pm Central

Start for $1

Your first 300 calls are on us. We handle the setup with your PMS, and you hear the difference on your own lines. Always month to month, no long-term contracts. Through December 31.

Questions we hear from pharmacy owners

Is this HIPAA compliant?

Yes. Thinkrr is fully HIPAA compliant and SOC 2 certified. Patient data is encrypted in transit and at rest. We're built for healthcare from the ground up.

How is this different from my IVR?

Traditional IVR makes patients press buttons and enter prescription numbers. Most patients give up and press zero, which means your staff answers anyway. The Pharmacy Concierge has an actual conversation. It asks for their name, looks them up, finds their prescriptions, and handles the refill. No menus, no button mashing.

What happens if the AI can't handle a call?

It transfers to your team immediately. No one gets stuck in a loop. Your staff picks up and handles it from there.

How long does setup take?

Most pharmacies are live within 2-3 weeks. We handle the integration with your PMS (PioneerRx or Liberty) and configure everything to match your workflow.

What if I go over my call limit?

We'll work with you. Our goal is to find a plan that matches your volume, not penalize you for busy days.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. No long-term contracts. We earn your business every month.