Energizing relationships in retail pharmacy.

Robert Coopman is president of Robert Coopman Consultants, whose clients include CVS Corp. and McKesson Corp.

SAN DIEGO -- As one made the rounds at the recent National Association of Chain Drug Stores Pharmacy Conference and Managed Care Forum here, it was clear that a good deal of the buzz revolved around a point made by NACDS president and chief executive officer Ron Ziegler -- that the retail pharmacy industry needs to avoid the pitfalls that might make it a contributor to a crisis in health care.

The pressures on chain community pharmacies to staff stores with competent pharmacists and implement cutting-edge technologies while managing falling profit margins are intense. While pharmacy retailers, academic …