WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — AmerisourceBergen Corp.’s Good Neighbor Pharmacy (GNP) network topped the chain drug rankings in J.D. Power’s latest pharmacy customer satisfaction study.

GNP’s score of 884 on a 1,000-point scale put it ahead of McKesson Corp.’s Health Mart (873), Walgreen Co. (848), Rite Aid Corp. (837) and CVS (829), according to the J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Pharmacy Study. Among all pharmacy retailers, only Publix Super Markets Inc. finished higher, at 886.

Overall satisfaction with chain drug store (840), supermarket (843) and mail-order (822) pharmacies increased in 2014 — up 12, 8 and 25 points from last year, respectively, while satisfaction with mass merchandiser pharmacies (830) remained relatively constant. The gap in satisfaction between brick-and-mortar and mail-order pharmacies remained stable at 25 points.

Across all pharmacy segments, the importance of customers interacting with a pharmacist increased this year, J.D. Power noted. Satisfaction rose when pharmacists explained potential side effects of medication to customers as well as costs they may incur. In brick-and-mortar pharmacies, speaking to a pharmacist also raised store spending.

“For brick-and-mortar pharmacies, ensuring pharmacists are directly interacting with customers is one of the keys to delivering a satisfactory experience,” explained Rick Johnson, director of the health care practice at J.D. Power. “However, only one in 25 customers initiates a conversation with a pharmacist in a brick-and-mortar store, so it’s essential for staff to ask customers if they would like to speak with a pharmacist,” he added.

The study found that pharmacist and staff interactions with customers are increasingly important drivers of satisfaction and share of wallet for both brick-and-mortar and mail-order pharmacies. Topics of conversations with a pharmacist and store staff that impact overall satisfaction the most are ensuring a continuous supply of medication, taking the time to explain medications or costs, and providing customers with access to health and wellness care.

Pharmacist satisfaction was highest in the chain drug segment (883), followed by the supermarkets (877) and mass merchandisers (864). Nonpharmacist staff satisfaction was highest among supermarket pharmacies (847), followed by chain drug stores (841) and mass merchandisers (820).

Satisfaction is higher when a pharmacy and customer collaborate on a plan to help ensure that medication doses are not missed, particularly for a 30-day supply. Across pharmacy segments, the share of pharmacy customers who reported running out of medication before they could refill it was 13% for drug chains, 14% for supermarkets, 15% for mass merchandisers and 10% for mail order.

Providing a thorough explanation of risks and side effects of medication across multiple communication channels reinforces the customer relationship. Brick-and-mortar pharmacies meet this key performance indicator 33% of the time.

Customer interaction with a pharmacist spurs additional store purchases. Of customers who speak with a pharmacist in a chain drug store, 29% buy an over-the-counter medication, and 59% buy an additional nonpharmaceutical product with their prescription. Twenty-one percent said the pharmacist answered a cost-related question.