'We're changing the game'

It’s the usual busy afternoon at Medicine Man Pharmacy off Prairie Avenue.  

Customers, 20-somethings to seniors, are flowing in and out, talking with staff, picking up prescriptions, greeting friends they encounter.

The steady stream of clients is no surprise to Korey Kreider. It’s what he has come to expect.  

“I would have to say we’re the busiest pharmacy in Idaho. We outcompete Walmart, Walgreen,” said Kreider, co-owner of four Medicine Man pharmacies with Jordan Redman they bought three years ago.

Between those stores, one each in Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls and two in Hayden, they fill about 950 prescriptions per day. 

For its success, Kreider credits “an amazing team.  

“My team is the best,” the energetic 38-year-old said.  

He and Redman preach customer service to their staff of nearly 40. 

“That's why they keep coming back,” Kreider said. “That’s our bread and butter.” 

But that’s not all. 

Kreider, a 2004 Spirit Lake High School grad with a microbiology degree from the University of Idaho in 2010 and a doctorate in pharmacy from Washington State in 2014, has big plans. 

They are already underway. 

For Kreider and team, a pharmacy is not just a place to pick up prescriptions, as is tradition. They are, he said, trusted healthcare providers, offering options. 

“I’m changing how pharmacies are run,” he said as he sat in his office, pictures of his family and their favorite vacation spot, Kauai, decorating the walls. “I’m changing healthcare on its head.” 

Medicine Man has added clinics to address addictions, telehealth and urgent care, all pharmacist-led. They are starting a hormone clinic and plan to open another pharmacy at Highway 41 and Prairie Avenue, this one with numerous clinic offices. 

Kreider said in some cases, they are seeing and diagnosing patients, such as an illness or injury that can be taken care of through antibiotics. 

Urgent care center, he said, refers patients to them. 

“I love the whole letting pharmacists prescribe and be that patient-centered health center,” he said. 

"That's what Idaho has allowed since last July is giving us full prescribing power,” he said, adding it’s allowed patients an easier way to access healthcare. 

“How many times can you call your doctor and have them pick up the phone within 30 seconds? You can’t. Pharmacists? Guaranteed, you’ll get them in 30 seconds. At least, my pharmacies,” Kreider said, smiling. 

His view of how a pharmacy can operate, how it can have an expanded role in patients' healthcare, do more, was not received with applause by everyone, he said. 

“I’ve had a lot of shade thrown at me. But I love being uncomfortable because that's how you grow," Kreider said. "I love new things. I love patient care. I love my patients, period.

“That's exactly why we’re changing the game,” he said. 

Kreider considered other careers.  

He thought about being a medical doctor until one told him he was being sued for misdiagnosing the flu. 

He shadowed a dentist and realized caring for teeth wasn’t for him.

It was his wife, Alyssa, who urged to check out a pharmacy. Kreider met Barry Feely, a previous owner of Medicine Man Pharmacy, and asked if he could shadow him.

For two Fridays, he did.  

“He hired me,” Kreider said. “That was 17 years ago.’

Since, he has been an intern, tech, pharmacist, and today, a co-owner of four pharmacies. 

“I thank my wife every day,” he said,  

Kreider keeps a positive outlook and is steadfast about having a sense of humor. He believes attitude is key to good health. 

“It should be fun going to the doctor,” he said. “That's why patients love coming here.” 

Clients range from those who are fit to those who need a little help or a lot when it comes to health. Weight loss, addictions or regular medications might bring them to Medicine Man. Parents bring in children for flu shots. 

Kreider is competitive and fit. He played baseball in college, competed in Ironmans and triathlons and often runs five miles at lunch, 

“That’s where I can really get a lot of my thinking done,” he said.

As he still enjoys competition, being in the pharmacy field is the perfect place for him. 

“Because I know my team will beat you,” he said. 

Kreider is not shy about sharing his goals. 

“I’m going to turn healthcare on its side. I’m going to reinvent pharmacy for Idaho” he said. “I’m going to keep doing it. There's going to be people who don’t like it, fine. But I'm going to change the game for good and for patients.”