Pharmacy Consolidation: How CVS and Walgreens Closures Affect PI Cases

James Wong — Founder & CEO, LienScripts | March 4, 2026 | 7 min read

Mass pharmacy closures by CVS and Walgreens are creating medication access deserts that disproportionately affect personal injury patients. LienScripts pharmacy lien network ensures medication access regardless of local pharmacy closures.

Pharmacy consolidation in 2026 has resulted in thousands of CVS and Walgreens store closures nationwide, with both chains continuing to reduce their retail footprints. These closures disproportionately affect underserved communities and create medication access deserts where patients must travel significantly farther to fill prescriptions. For personal injury plaintiffs, pharmacy closures compound existing treatment barriers: a patient dealing with injury-related pain and mobility limitations now faces longer travel distances to reach a pharmacy. The LienScripts pharmacy lien network mitigates this problem by connecting patients with network pharmacies that may include independent pharmacies, specialty pharmacies, and alternative access points not affected by chain consolidation.

• CVS and Walgreens have closed thousands of locations since 2023, with continued closures through 2026
• Pharmacy closures create medication access deserts, particularly in rural and underserved urban areas
• Personal injury patients with mobility limitations face compounded barriers when local pharmacies close
• LienScripts pharmacy lien network includes independent and specialty pharmacies that are expanding, not contracting
• LienScripts generates a MERIT (Medication Evaluation & Rationale for Injury Treatment) report for every case, providing pharmacist-signed documentation for demand packages

The Scale of Pharmacy Closures

CVS announced the closure of approximately 900 stores over a three-year period beginning in 2024. Walgreens has closed or plans to close approximately 1,200 locations. Rite Aid emerged from bankruptcy in 2024 with a dramatically reduced store count. These closures represent the largest contraction in retail pharmacy access in U.S. history.

The closures are concentrated in areas where the economics of retail pharmacy no longer support store operations: rural communities with low prescription volumes, urban neighborhoods with high operational costs, and areas where PBM reimbursement rates have fallen below the cost of dispensing.

According to James Wong, PharmD, founder of LienScripts, "Every closed pharmacy is a lost access point for personal injury patients. When the pharmacy three blocks away becomes the pharmacy forty minutes away, a patient with a broken leg or back injury may simply not fill their prescriptions. The LienScripts network ensures there is always an accessible pharmacy for every patient."

Impact on Personal Injury Patients

Mobility-Limited Patients

Personal injury plaintiffs frequently have mobility limitations. Spinal injuries, lower extremity fractures, surgical recovery, and severe pain conditions all limit a patient's ability to travel. When the nearest pharmacy closes, the next closest location may require driving distances that are impractical for a mobility-limited patient without assistance.

Transportation Barriers

Many personal injury patients cannot drive during recovery. They rely on others for transportation or use public transit. Pharmacy closures disrupt established transportation patterns and may require longer, more complex trips that discourage timely prescription fills.

Transfer Complications

When a pharmacy closes, patients must transfer their prescriptions to a new location. This process is straightforward for maintenance medications but can create delays for controlled substances and medications requiring prior authorization at the new pharmacy. For PI patients on multi-medication regimens, the transfer process can take days.

Reduced Pharmacist Consultation

The remaining pharmacies absorb the patient volumes from closed stores, leading to longer wait times, shorter consultation windows, and reduced pharmacist availability for patient counseling. Personal injury patients who need pharmacist guidance on complex medication regimens receive less attention.

How LienScripts Addresses Pharmacy Consolidation

Diverse Network Composition

The LienScripts pharmacy network is not limited to major chains. The network includes independent pharmacies, which have been gaining market share as chains contract, as well as specialty pharmacies and compounding pharmacies. This network diversity means that when a chain location closes, alternative network pharmacies are available.

Patient-Centered Pharmacy Selection

When a personal injury patient enrolls in the LienScripts pharmacy lien program, the pharmacy assignment considers the patient's location, mobility limitations, and transportation access. If the closest chain pharmacy has closed, the patient is directed to the nearest accessible network pharmacy.

Proactive Network Monitoring

LienScripts monitors pharmacy network availability and responds to closures by identifying alternative locations before patients experience access disruptions. When a network pharmacy announces a closure, patients using that location are transitioned to nearby alternatives.

For attorneys coordinating pharmacy access for PI clients, the LienScripts network approach provides resilience against the ongoing pharmacy consolidation trend.

Case Strategy Implications

Document Access Barriers

If a client experienced medication delays due to pharmacy closure, document those delays. The timeline showing when the local pharmacy closed, how long the patient went without medications, and when prescriptions were transferred supports the treatment barrier narrative in demand packages.

Consider Transportation Costs

The increased travel distance to a pharmacy is a compensable cost in many jurisdictions. Document the additional travel burden created by pharmacy closures and include it in the damages calculation.

Enroll Clients Early

The earlier a client enrolls in the LienScripts pharmacy lien program, the less likely pharmacy closure disruptions will affect their care. Early enrollment ensures the patient is connected to an accessible network pharmacy from the start of treatment.

The Trend Is Accelerating

Pharmacy consolidation is not slowing down. Industry analysts project continued chain closures through 2027 and beyond as the economics of retail pharmacy continue to shift. Independent pharmacies are growing in some markets, but the net effect is fewer total pharmacy locations nationwide.

For personal injury attorneys, this means medication access cannot be taken for granted. Connecting every injured client with a pharmacy lien through LienScripts at the start of representation ensures that pharmacy closures do not become treatment barriers. The network model provides access stability that individual pharmacy relationships cannot guarantee in an era of rapid consolidation.