Pharmacy Consulting

We analyze the population makeup of the area where the pharmacy will open, the share of elderly residents, and the service area and scale of competing pharmacies.

We also map the distribution of medical institutions within the area and the routes patients tend to travel, and we assess patient accessibility and the likelihood of pharmacy visits.

This allows us to design the role and position of the pharmacy as a provider of medical welfare services, rather than treating the work as a simple commercial-district analysis.

When we calculate the initial investment cost, we account for detailed items such as pharmacist labor costs and insurance-related costs, alongside construction, interior work, and the cost of stocking pharmaceuticals.

For the operating-funds plan, we design a cash-flow approach that reflects the inventory turnover rate of pharmaceuticals and reimbursement cycles, and we also analyze loan availability and terms.

We focus in particular on building a stable financial structure that accounts for possible changes in insurance claim rules and the government support policies that apply to pharmacies.

We set out a concrete opening schedule and a stage-by-stage budget allocation, and we organize human-resource management by including a recruitment plan and a training schedule.

For the pharmaceutical purchasing plan, we develop a realistic and efficient strategy that accounts for supply chain stability and price volatility.

We also build trust by clearly presenting the business objectives and a growth strategy, which supports smooth communication with investors and stakeholders.

We carefully review the contract term along with the renewal and termination conditions of the pharmacy lease agreement to reduce the potential for future disputes.

It is important to examine the lessor's authority and ownership as well as rights such as mortgages and leasehold (jeonse) interests, and to analyze closely whether the agreement contains any unfavorable clauses.

It is also necessary to confirm the contractual clauses on whether facility modifications needed for pharmacy operation are permitted, so that facility improvements after opening are not obstructed.

▶ Points to Note When Confirming a Location

▶ Checkpoints When Concluding a Lease Agreement

※ Because the review of the agreement can affect the later opening registration, business registration, and tax response, a review by an expert is necessary.

It is important to assess the staffing plan and the calculation of labor costs realistically in order to build a sustainable basis for operation.

The efficiency of the plan for purchasing pharmaceuticals and materials should be analyzed, and the selection of suppliers and the contract terms should be reviewed to confirm that they are appropriate relative to cost.

The rights and obligations clauses in supply contracts with partner companies should also be confirmed carefully to support smooth parallel operation and to prevent disputes.

Under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, a pharmacy must complete its opening registration with the competent public health center, and only after this registration is complete can later procedures such as business registration proceed.

Under Article 11 (3) of the Enforcement Decree of the Value-Added Tax Act, a pharmacy is classified as a 'business that must obtain a permit or complete a registration or report.'

In other words, before a pharmacy can file for business registration with the National Tax Service (the competent district tax office), the pharmacy opening registration under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act must already be complete.

※ Because the business registration number is needed to purchase pharmaceuticals and install a card terminal, among other things, it is important to file the application without delay after the opening registration.

A pharmacy must be registered as a medical care institution eligible for health insurance coverage in order to claim health insurance medical care benefits on its prescription-dispensing sales.

※ Because health insurance claims are possible only after the medical care institution number is issued, applications are commonly filed right after business registration.

When an existing pharmacy is acquired through a comprehensive business transfer, neither opening registration nor business registration can be completed in the new operator's name before the existing operator closes the business.

As a result, the relevant agencies, such as the public health center, the district tax office, and the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, may decline to accept the opening-registration application, or each agency may issue a request for supplementation.

For this reason, the timing between the closure date of the existing pharmacy and the new opening date must be coordinated closely, and the assistance of legal and tax experts is necessary throughout the acquisition process.