Prescriptions make up most of your pharmacy’s profits.
So, more scripts mean more money.
Even adding a single patient’s prescription for a chronic condition like diabetes could result in thousands of dollars in additional revenue every year.
But that’s easier said than done. Prescribers and patients control where they fill scripts. And national chain pharmacies lure them in at every street corner.
Regardless of your competition, you can increase pharmacy script count and boost profits with the right strategies.
5 Ways to Increase Pharmacy Script Count By Gaining More Patients
The more patients you serve, the more prescriptions you’ll fill.
It’s that simple.
What’s not so simple is actually getting new patients. But you can try these proven strategies that work.
1. Get more physician referrals
Physicians are one of patients’ most trusted sources of healthcare information. (Just behind pharmacists.) And, they write the prescriptions. So, if physicians refer patients, you can increase your pharmacy’s script count.
Ways to get referrals from physicians include:
- Welcome new physicians in the community through lunch or meet-and-greets
- Build relationships with physicians’ staff
- Talk to physicians about the services and products their patients’ need
- Show physicians public appreciation on social media
- Give thoughtful gestures on the proper holidays
- Invite the physicians to your pharmacy events
- Create a collaborative partnership
2. Gain more patient referrals
Referrals are the most effective way to get new business. If you gain your patients’ trust, you can gain their friends’ and family’s trust.
Ways to increase patient referrals include:
- Reward referrals with coupons or discounts on retail items
- Build a loyalty program with referral incentives
- Nurture relationships with your loyal patients
- Hold a referral contest
- Encourage online reviews
3. Increase prescription transfers
Patients who use another pharmacy for their prescriptions are ripe for recruitment.
They already fill prescriptions. And, many of those patients haven’t experienced the personal care of an independent pharmacy.
Fish those patients from the chains and hook them to your pharmacy for life.
Strategies to encourage patients to try your pharmacy include:
- Provide free offers, trials, and coupons for a service or products
- Put on a one-day sale with discounts they can’t pass up
- Offer goodie bags at local events with samples from your pharmacy
- Host a free community event to build awareness and showcase your expertise
- Use smart advertising tactics
(Be careful about offering rewards specifically for transferring prescriptions. Many states ban this practice.)
4. Step up your pharmacy marketing
How will people come to your pharmacy if they’ve never heard of it?
In a market dominated by national chain pharmacies, marketing your independent pharmacy matters more than ever.
Attract new patients to boost your script count by investing in pharmacy marketing instead of putting it on the back burner.
5. Differentiate your products and services
If you want patients to fill their prescriptions at your pharmacy, you have to stand out.
Marketing helps shine a light on what you do differently, but you can’t market something you don’t have.
Set your pharmacy apart from the competition with superior products and services. Consider developing a niche or specialization, such as nutrition and wellness, sports medicine, or compounding.
How to Get More Scripts From Current Patients
You can boost your pharmacy’s script count through your current patients.
Because patient loyalty translates to prescription volume.
Use these strategies to pick up business with your current patients.
Improve your customer service
You can’t grow your script count if you’re losing patients.
Keep your patients happy and they’ll keep their prescriptions at your pharmacy.
Patients care about service. The impression and feelings they leave with largely determine whether they’ll keep filling their prescriptions at your pharmacy.
Up your customer service game and you can see big results.
Even small changes matter. For example, a simple change of language could help your business succeed.
Give your staff specific, tangible goals rather vague, overarching ones to foster great customer service. For example, teach them to “empathize with each patient” or “make them feel comfortable in the store” rather than “achieve great customer service.”
Provide adherence services
Many patients struggle with adherence. And when they aren’t adherent, your pharmacy misses out on refills.
Here’s how you can help patients stay adherent to boost your script count:
- Start a medication synchronization program
- Offer adherence packaging and delivery services
- Send patients reminders
- Use health apps
- Teach struggling patients how to swallow pills
- Build relationships with patients
If you provide medication consultations with your adherence services, make sure patients fill all of their prescriptions with your pharmacy. When patients use multiple pharmacies, you miss out on those scripts. And, it jeopardizes patients’ health.
Check prescription expiration dates
Many patients continue to take their prescriptions after they expire.
When they do that, they aren’t refilling their prescriptions on time at your pharmacy.
Remind your patients of the dangers of consuming expired drugs and encourage them to refill their prescriptions on time.
Help patients save money on prescriptions
Many patients stop refilling their prescriptions or don’t fill their prescriptions at all because of the expense.
If you help patients save money on their needed prescriptions, you can boost your pharmacy’s script volume and improve patients’ health.
Ways to help patients save money on prescriptions:
- Perform a medication review to look for unnecessary medications
- Ask patients to consider substituting brands for generics
- Encourage patients to fill 90-day instead of 30-day
- Offer to process the prescription as a cash payment
Get more patients and more from your patients to increase your pharmacy’s script count.
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and owned by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited secondary wholesaler with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
