Mercy Improving Access to Prescription Medications with New Retail Pharmacies

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Mercy Improving Access to Prescription Medications with New Retail Pharmacies

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Mardi Taylor

[email protected]

Phone: 479-314-6613

Cell: 479-462-7289

Quick Facts: Fort Smith, Northwest AR

by Mercy's Mardi Taylor

Key Points

Mercy opens new retail pharmacies in Rogers and Fort Smith, expanding convenient access to prescription medications for patients across Northwest Arkansas and western Arkansas.
Anyone can use Mercy's pharmacies, not just Mercy patients, with services including prescription fulfillment, medication counseling and coordination with care teams.
Mercy's pharmacies are integrated with the health system's electronic medical record, allowing pharmacists and providers to collaborate in real time to reduce delays and improve patient care.

FORT SMITH and ROGERS, Ark. – Mercy is expanding access to pharmacy services in Arkansas with the opening of new retail pharmacies designed to help patients get the medications they need faster and more conveniently.

The new Mercy Pharmacy – Rogers Physician Plaza is now open at 2708 S. Rife Medical Lane, Suite 110, operating Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with lunch closure from 1:30-2 p.m. Mercy also plans to open a specialty pharmacy in Northwest Arkansas by the end of July.

Mercy Pharmacy – Fort Smith will open July 20 on the first floor of the Physicians Building, 7303 Rogers Ave., operating Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., with lunch closure from 1:30-2 p.m.

Mercy Northwest Arkansas caregivers cut the ribbon for the new retail pharmacy in the Physician Plaza building.

The openings, the first for nonprofit hospitals in Mercy Arkansas’ communities, are made possible through recent changes in Arkansas law. In 2025, state lawmakers approved Act 52, removing a longstanding prohibition that prevented nonprofit hospitals from holding retail pharmacy permits. The legislation allows nonprofit hospitals to operate retail pharmacies and expand pharmacy services in underserved communities. The law also permits retail pharmacies to be located within 250 yards of a nonprofit hospital campus, with additional permits allowed based on hospital size.

"Across Northwest Arkansas and the state, we've seen patients encounter increasing barriers to getting prescriptions filled promptly," said Josiah Hays, director of pharmacy for Mercy Northwest Arkansas. "Those barriers can affect a patient's ability to begin treatment when they need it most. These new pharmacies help close that gap by providing convenient access and direct coordination with Mercy providers."

Mercy's pharmacies will be fully integrated with the health system's electronic medical record platform, allowing pharmacists and providers to communicate seamlessly about prescriptions, medication questions and patient care needs.

"Our pharmacy teams have direct access to the same information our providers use, which creates a more connected and safer experience for patients," said Michael Thames, director of pharmacy at Mercy Fort Smith. "When pharmacists and care teams can collaborate in real time, we can reduce delays, address medication concerns more quickly and help ensure patients leave with a clear path to continuing their treatment."

The new pharmacies will offer prescription fulfillment and medication counseling while working closely with Mercy physicians and care teams to streamline the patient experience. The pharmacies will be available for anyone to use, not just Mercy patients.

"Patients often leave a clinic appointment or hospital stay needing medication immediately," Hays said. "Having a Mercy retail pharmacy located within our hospital campus allows us to remove additional steps and make it easier for patients to access the medications prescribed for them."

Mercy Fort Smith caregivers and community members celebrate the new retail pharmacy opening on the first floor of the Physicians Building.

The pharmacies also support Mercy's commitment to improving access to care in underserved areas, a key goal outlined in the legislation that enabled nonprofit hospitals to enter the retail pharmacy space.

"Access to medication is a critical part of healthcare," Thames said. "These pharmacies allow Mercy to better serve patients throughout western Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas, especially in communities where pharmacy options may be limited. We are excited to bring another level of convenience, safety and support to the people we serve."

Mercy, one of the 15 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation’s largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including 55 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 5,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 caregivers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2025 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.