Shane Miller came back to McDonough District Hospital to grow the community pharmacy. He's done that—prescriptions are up, and new services are launching. Now he's asking the board for the freedom to grow.
When Miller returned to MDH in October 2025, the pharmacy was struggling. Staff morale was low, and the operation was processing only 30–40 prescriptions per day. Today, the pharmacy filled 200 prescriptions on a Monday last week and 230 over a three-day weekend. 'Every two or three weeks, we seem to be setting a daily record,' he said.
The growth is real, but Miller's ambitions run deeper. The hospital has invested in a PARATA compliance packaging machine, and staff recently completed training. Dozens of patients have expressed interest in the service, which packages medications in strip packs labeled by date and time—a tool for patients managing multiple prescriptions.
Miller has also scheduled outreach visits to Everly House and Wesley Estates to pitch prescription filling services for their assisted and independent living residents. The patient populations at both facilities are at-will customers, and Miller is planning to begin serving them within the next two months.
Long-term care is where the real money is, Miller said, but it requires infrastructure: medication carts, stat safes, and a 24-hour consulting pharmacist on contract—costs that add up fast.
'If I pick up a hundred-bed home or an eighty-bed home, I don't have staff to do that right now,' Miller said. 'Plus, I have to provide 24-hour pharmacist consulting services for its staff. That's an additional contract of up to forty thousand dollars.'
He also explained why the hospital can't offer special pricing to the county's assisted living facilities, even though they're a county entity. Federal law—the Anti-Kickback Statute—prohibits it.
'I would end up in hot water,' he said. Miller was direct about what he needs: autonomy. He said he doesn't ask for luxuries—no 70 inch TV in the break room, no $3,000 refrigerator. 'I could have even done my job in a $1.4 million building,' Miller stated. He wants only what's necessary to serve patients safely and position the pharmacy to expand.
'I intend to see it all the way through and maybe retire from here in fifteen to twenty years,' he told the board.
Board members thanked Miller for attending and said they really needed to hear what he had to say.
Miller also addressed rumors circulating in Macomb about the pharmacy and its staff. He distributed his cell phone number to board members and invited anyone with concerns to call him directly.
'I encourage each of you to reach out to me directly to discuss any concerns you may have,' he said.
