Numbers a pharmacy buyer wants on day one
- Monthly prescription counts for the last two to three years
- Gross profit per prescription, split by brand, generic and cash
- Your mix of payers, including Medicare Part D, Medicaid and commercial plans
- Front store and specialty revenue shown apart from prescriptions
- Who your pharmacists are and which of them will stay
Script count is the first number, margin is the second
Buyers of independent pharmacies talk in prescriptions per week or per month before they talk about sales. A store filling steady volume with a loyal patient base gets attention quickly.
Then they ask what each fill earns. Gross profit per prescription has been squeezed for years by pharmacy benefit managers, and buyers want to see your trend, not just last month. Show it by month and by payer.
Reimbursement risk buyers price in
Most of your revenue is set by contracts with PBMs and plans you don't fully control. Fees taken back after the sale of a drug, or rate cuts in a new contract year, can change your profit quickly.
Be ready to show your network contracts, any clawbacks or audits in recent years and how you handled them. A clean audit history is worth pointing out, since buyers worry about inheriting a recoupment.
Permits and registrations start over
A pharmacy permit from the Florida Board of Pharmacy and a DEA registration do not move to a new owner automatically. In most sales the buyer applies for its own, and the timing has to line up with closing so the store never stops filling.
Network enrollments, Medicare and Medicaid billing numbers and wholesaler accounts need the same planning. Your attorney and the buyer's team should map every license and contract early. Delays here push closing dates more than anything else.
Inventory, counted on the last day
Drug inventory is usually counted right before closing and paid for on top of the price for the business, often at cost. Controlled substances get their own count and paperwork.
Keep inventory lean and current in the months before a sale. Expired or slow moving stock lowers the count, and a buyer won't pay for it. Ask your accountant how the inventory and the rest of the price are allocated for tax.
What Jacksonville adds
Northeast Florida has a large population of retirees and military families tied to NAS Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport, plus the medical traffic around Mayo Clinic's Florida campus and the city's hospitals.
Pharmacies near clinics, senior communities or with delivery, compounding or long term care accounts can stand out. If that describes yours, list those accounts and what each one brings in.
Your role after closing
Many patients know the pharmacist by name. If that is you, a buyer will want you behind the counter for a while, and may ask for a noncompete. Florida generally treats a seller's noncompete of three years or less as reasonable.
For the tax side, read about successor liability for Florida taxes. For other health care practices, see med spas and chiropractic clinics.
Want to know what your store could sell for? Use the value request form or call (904) 555-0129.