Why Digital Innovation Will Transform the Future of Smart Pharmacy | NCPDP 2025

As pharmacies begin to adapt more digital tools within their practice, pharmacists will then have the opportunity to provide more personalized care and stand out as providers within health care.

“Pharmacists can do so much, but if they’re spending most of their time dispensing and doing drug-drug interactions, less of their time actually flexing their mind and their clinical expertise, we’re never going to achieve the future vision of the modern pharmacist,” said Vin Gupta, MD, former Chief Medical Officer at Amazon Pharmacy. “The future of smart pharmacy, to me, fundamentally looks different.”

After his keynote presentation at the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) 2025 Annual Conference, Gupta joined Drug Topics to discuss the key themes of this year’s conference, which focused on connected care. From physicians and nurses to pharmacists and specialists, he touched on the importance of proper data transformation, innovative technologies, and how pharmacy interoperability can redefine the profession.

Listen to our full conversation with Gupta as he dives deep into the ever-increasing role of the pharmacist in health care. From what the future of a “smart pharmacy” may look like to the ways in which pharmacists can improve patient data and remote care behind the pharmacy counter.

Stay tuned for weekly podcast episodes on Over the Counter every Thursday afternoon. Check out our previous episode with Antonio Ciaccia, President of 3 Axis Advisors and CEO of 46brooklyn Research. As an expert on pharmacy benefit managers and their role in the drug supply chain, he discussed the nuances surrounding the public’s perspective on prescription drug middlemen.

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