5 Numbers Explaining the Importance of Pharmacies in the US
You probably already know that the American healthcare industry relies a lot on prescription medications these days, but if you’re like most people, you don’t read too much about how this industry is providing valuable services to consumers. In fact, you’ll probably be surprised to find out just how essential this growing industry has become…
Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting statistics about how American medical professionals and consumers depend on prescription medications, and why equipment like retail pharmacy POS systems are more important than ever before:
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$231.46 billion: The amount of sales revenue generated in U.S. pharmacies and drug stores during 2011 — not just for prescription medications, but also for the plethora of other health and beauty items that these stores sell to consumers.
13% to 20%: The percentage of Americans over the age of 65 in 2010, and the predicted percentage of this same group by the year 2030. Although elderly consumers aren’t the only ones who need prescription medications, this is definitely a group that relies a lot on healthcare!
271.4 million: The number of prescriptions that doctors and nurses wrote out for hospital emergency room patients in just one year.
46%: The percentage of market share that mobile POS systems are expected to have by the year 2017. While mobile POS systems are convenient for businesses in any industry, many pharmacies have found that this new technology is even more beneficial than they had predicted — especially when many customers are mobile-restricted.
$145: The cost to businesses for each individual stolen patient record in 2014 — meaning businesses like medical centers and pharmacies, for example, that get hacked could easily end up paying thousands upon thousands of dollars just because of one incident.
It’s more important now than ever that these businesses put a strong emphasis on security, and luckily for American consumers, that’s exactly what many healthcare businesses have already done with brand-new POS systems.
