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introduction
title
Roby Miller & rural pharmacy reincarnation
short description
When rural pharmacies close down, entire communities suffer. Roby Miller set out to change that. See http://shrib.com/hUc8UjLnJR7icqk
Your Story
.Please upload your story using the document and/or video fields below.
Please upload your story - document
Roby Miller Telepharm_HeroX.pdf
What is your innovation?
Existing laws in most states in the USA require that pharmacists be present in pharmacies to oversee the work of the pharmacy technicians, to counsel patients, etc. However, migration out from rural areas, an aging rural population, a tough economic climate, and the disproportionately-high expenses of hiring and retaining pharmacists in rural pharmacies have driven many rural pharmacies to unprofitability and closure. Roby Miller in Iowa came up with the solution - a telepresence that allows rural pharmacies to run their day to day operations without needing a pharmacist to set foot into the store. This provided a lifeline to struggling pharmacies through cost savings and new efficiencies, and to the rural communities that depended on them.
Fill in the following one-sentence “mad lib”: A inspired my innovation of B; B is important because of C and has made D impact.
Untenable costs of staffing with pharmacists inspired Roby's solution of letting pharmacies "share" a pharmacist through telepresence, ensuring pharmacies' viability in smaller markets and rural USA.
What was the motivation behind your innovation?
Roby's initial motivation was to help his family keep its rural pharmacy business afloat. His family had for many years operated a string of rural pharmacies in Iowa, and those were facing imminent closure from the high expenses of staffing each location with pharmacists.
How does your story bring the "Wow Factor"?
In the age of Skype, LogMeIn and TeamViewer, it might seem easy to conceptualize telepharmacy just as telemedicine. But consider this - millions of people had seen apples fall from trees until Issac Newton. Roby's achievement was not just in coming up with a viable telepharmacy concept, but in also getting the buy-in from key decision leaders and lawmakers in Iowa (and thereafter, other states). He and TelePharm are truly altering the landscape of pharmacy services by "reincarnating" the pharmacy through telepresence technology.
Anything else you want to share?
I met Roby Miller at a business pitch competition in Iowa. Both he and I are alumni of the University of Iowa. He gave me permission to narrate the story of his innovation. More about him and TelePharm at https://www.telepharm.com/about/

I was unable to create and upload the required content (file) for this contest when I tried to do so using the business center computer at a hotel (I am traveling). Neither could I find the "submit final entry" button, even though I typing this at 9:45 AM Eastern Time, well within the submission deadline. Therefore, after losing my typed content on the business center computer, I started retyping Roby's story online into this site: http://shrib.com/hUc8UjLnJR7icqk (in lieu of creating/uploading a story content file). Thanks.

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