Expanding pharmacy care: What do customers want?

Expanding pharmacy care: What do customers want?

Introduction

Pharmacy customers are in a unique position to provide valuable feedback about their experiences with medication adherence. Pharmacists can use this information to make changes that improve their store’s bottom line. Here are some ways that pharmacists can change their stores to improve revenue and customer satisfaction.

Pharmacist recommendation ups medication adherence

Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to provide drug therapy recommendations, which can be tailored to individual patients and their needs. Pharmacist-recommended medications have been shown to improve medication adherence and thus, health outcomes. According to one study, patients who received pharmacist recommendations were more likely to adhere to their prescribed regimen during the first year of treatment than those who did not receive such advice (54% vs 49%).

Medication adherence and medication call reminder service

Medication adherence is a big problem. The Institute of Medicine estimates that $100 billion in U.S. healthcare spending could be saved annually by improving medication adherence rates, but only 20 percent of patients take their medications as prescribed by their doctors (HHS, 2017). A recent study found that only 20 percent of patients take all the pills they’re supposed to take in any given month, and the average patient is not adherent for 80 days per year (Kashner et al., 2019). This lack of adherence leads to higher rates of hospitalization and emergency room visits—and it can even increase mortality rates (AASM, 2019a; AASM, 2019b).

The solution: Medication call reminder service

One way healthcare providers can address this problem is through medication call reminder services such as Medication Call Reminder™. This service allows pharmacist to set up automatic reminders for customers when it’s time for their next dose and can also remind then when it's time for refills, so you don’t forget them either! These services are especially helpful if you have trouble remembering important dates like these because they give a healthcare provider an opportunity to check in with remotely—for instance, via text message or email—to make sure everything is going well with treatment progress or remind customers who may be struggling with memory issues about upcoming appointments (Thomas Health Newsletters).

If your customers want pharmacist recommendations, deliver

Customers want a medication call reminder service—and pharmacies can meet that demand by integrating with phone-based patient support services. Pharmacists can also provide medication adherence counseling and other patient education services, which will increase customer satisfaction and make them happier patients. It’s likely that pharmacy revenue will increase as a result of these actions as well!

Expanding pharmacy care and improve revenue through medication reminder service

A medication call reminder service can be a win-win-win for customers, pharmacies, and pharmacists. For patients struggling with adherence, it can help them follow their doctor’s orders and increase their health outcomes—a critical aspect of pharmacy care that’s often overlooked. For pharmacies, it provides additional revenue to offset declining reimbursements from insurance companies. And for healthcare providers looking for new ways to improve patient outcomes, this model offers a low-cost way to do so without having to invest in additional staff or resources.

In addition to improving adherence rates across the board—which means fewer complications from prescription drugs—a medication call reminder service also gives pharmacies an opportunity to reach out directly with advice about other services they offer (such as disease management programs), which may be useful if you have chronic conditions like diabetes or blood pressure issues that require regular monitoring.

Talking to your customers about a medication call reminder service can increase the rate of medication adherence.

For example, a patient who is struggling to remember to take prescribed medications may benefit from a medication call reminder service. The service can help the customer by reminding them of their medication schedule and alerting them to any missed doses, allergies or adverse interactions between drugs. By improving adherence rates and reducing side effects, this type of pharmacy care contributes positively to patient health outcomes.

If you're interested in offering this type of pharmacy care, be sure that your customers understand why it's important for them to take their medications as prescribed. If possible, let them know about any benefits they could experience from using the resource before they sign up for it (such as fewer visits with the doctor).

Conclusion

The results of the study show that pharmacists can have a positive effect on medication adherence. Pharmacists can intervene with patients to increase the use of their medications and lower unnecessary hospital admissions among their customers. The intervention method is easy for pharmacists to implement because it does not require any changes in workflow or technology infrastructure. Pharmacists simply need to take advantage of the opportunity presented by recommending medications through pharmacy care services such as medication reminder calls and other interventions that improve medication adherence rates.