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Matt and Ashlie Epling
The Medicine Shoppe # 1306
1238 East Jackson Blvd.
Jonesborough, Tenn. 37659
https://jonesborough.medicineshoppe.com/
JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. — For Matt and Ashlie Epling, co-owners of several Medicine Shoppe pharmacies in northeast Tennessee, their journey in pharmacy began when Ashlie was in college.
“In college, my wife, Ashlie, worked at a local independent pharmacy as a certified pharmacy technician,” says Matt Epling. “After that experience, we were hooked, and we began our pharmacy adventure working at Hutchinson’s Drug in Lexington, Ky.”
At Hutchinson’s Drug, the couple met John Hutchinson, who was instrumental in starting their pharmacy career.
“John was our biggest mentor,” says Ashlie Epling. “He taught us how to care for patients and serve them at a soda fountain-style pharmacy that was over 100 years old. While his patients encompassed a wide range of economic backgrounds, he always treated each patient with the same amount of respect and dignity. We were grateful for the wisdom he shared and his faith in us.” The COVID-19 pandemic was a key learning experience for the Eplings, opening their eyes to new opportunities to serve their community.
“The pandemic truly changed our way of thinking and operating,” says Ashlie. “During that time, we started providing services such as antibody therapy and point-of-care testing, which we would never have thought possible before. This experience enabled us to expand our point-of-care testing on a larger scale.
Matt and Ashlie have appreciated the support and benefits they receive as part of The Medicine Shoppe pharmacy network. Becoming a franchisee has helped them automate their workflow and expand their scope of services to include custom compounding; home medical equipment; prescription delivery; immunizations; point-of-care testing for COVID-19, flu and strep; lipid panel testing; hormone testing and mobile flu vaccine clinics. One of their most popular services is medication compliance packaging.
“Using The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy platform, we have been able to implement medication counting automation to prepare prescriptions, which has helped us save a significant amount of time. The platform has also provided us with additional options for adding services for our patient population,” says Matt.
“Being able to offer medication [compliance] packaging has been extremely gratifying for us,” says Ashlie. “Patients view this service as a convenience, which it absolutely is, but more than that, it helps improve their quality of life and drive better outcomes through proper medication use.”
The Eplings are also in the process of working with local hospitals and clinics to integrate patient medical records and become a critical part of patient care teams.
“We see the integration of medical records between hospitals, clinics and pharmacies as critical to on-time decision making,” says Ashlie. “We are currently working with hospitals in the area as well as Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network (CPESN) to integrate patient data. While we are still in the testing and learning phase, we hope to see the potential of this fully realized in the future.”
In addition, the Eplings value continuing education and regularly send their staff to trainings to expand their knowledge and stay up to date on the latest treatment advances.
“Continuous training is vital to the success of any compounding program,” says Matt. “We send our technicians to Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA), Medisca and Fagron Academy on a regular basis to get updates on new techniques in compounding.”
Recently, Matt and Ashlie opened their third location, which is already showing significant sales growth. In addition to their roles as store owners and community pharmacists, the Eplings actively support their community and profession through involvement in the Medicine Shoppe Owners Advisory Council, American Associated Pharmacies (AAP), CPESN and the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce.
Matt and Ashlie have found owning and operating retail independent pharmacies to be incredibly rewarding and they seek to provide the best possible care for every patient they serve.
“My favorite thing about working in pharmacy is our customers. That’s always the best part. Being able to build personal relationships with each patient makes what we do so worthwhile. We believe it is important to care for the patient as a whole, not just fill their prescriptions,” says Matt.
At this year’s Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference (RBC) in Chicago, Matt and Ashlie received the Franchisee of the Year award from Medicine Shoppe International Inc. (MSI), an annual honor presented to the franchisee(s) who demonstrate a strong commitment to becoming a health care destination through innovative business and patient care practices, community engagement and advocating for legislative change.
“The Eplings exemplify effective use of the Medicine Shoppe brand and operating system, taking advantage of every opportunity that crosses their path and identifying ways to optimize each program in which they are enrolled,” says Brad Cochran, president of MSI. “We are honored to recognize the Eplings for their commitment to quality service and dedication to putting their patients and community first.”
