When was the last time you really looked at your prescription packaging? If it’s been a while, take some time to really study it. Then ask yourself if it’s simple and easy for your patients.
How you package prescriptions really does matter. If you don’t already, consider using compliance packaging solutions. They help you sort, organize, label, and track patients’ medications. In fact, you can improve your patients’ lives—especially those who take complex drug therapies.
While the package itself isn’t the focal point, it’s always about making it easy for the patient. Yet, the package is critically important when there are multiple medications being taken. The same thing goes for multiple doses at various times throughout the day. Medications should be organized all in one package with correct labeling, the correct dosage, at the right time, and color-coded by time of day.
Packaging solutions
You want to stand out from your competitors. You work hard to improve patient care and tirelessly strive to grow your profits. So, be sure to keep up with technology. For instance, add the next-level medication packaging solutions that also promote medication synchronization. By doing so, you can differentiate your business from your competitors, improve patient care, and grow your profits.
Compliance packaging often is used as an extension of medication synchronization, where patients pick up all their medications for the month at once. Compliance packaging bundles them all together instead of patients getting individual bottles for each medication.
Pharmacies can select from several systems to put together medications for compliance packaging, such as:
- Hot seal packages that are effective at keeping moisture out of medications
- Cold seal packages that use pressure to seal up medications, ideal for drugs with sensitivities to heat
- Multidose packaging that accommodates both the storage and labeling of multiple medications, which can come in hot seal and cold seal formats
There are some pharmacy robotics systems that can assist with the creation of compliance packaging. This makes it a less labor-intensive process for pharmacy staff.
With compliance packaging, you’re subject to the same labeling requirements as regularly dispensed prescriptions. When using multidose packaging, you’ll find that the information presented often gets crowded on the label, so many pharmacies use a grid or chart to clearly present the necessary prescription information.
Be aware, however, that not all medications are well-suited for compliance packaging, such as liquids and creams. Medications that are only to be taken “when needed” are also not to be included.
Improving patient outcomes
Compliance packaging, along with medication synchronization, simplifies the prescription refilling process for your pharmacy. It can also improve your patients’ lives, especially those who are on complex medication regimens. Any patient who is on a multi-dose medication regimen, including those who take multiple vitamins a day, can be a great candidate. Elderly patients in assisted living facilities can also benefit, along with professionals on the go who are looking for organization and convenience.
Patients probably don’t know that they can benefit from compliance packaging. That’s where you come in. You can display and sell your unique medication packaging services by creating marketing materials to hand out and share with patients and physicians.
You can also market to attendees at health fairs or by working with hospitals post-discharge to aid in transitions of care. There are plenty of opportunities to advertise and sell the service.
Patients who stay adherent due to compliance packaging will have better health outcomes. When patient adherence rises, you will see positive outcomes for your pharmacy’s profits as well.
Your patients who stay adherent while using compliance packaging will come back for two or three more refills than they would without compliance packaging. With patients taking multiple medications, that can add up to more revenue for your pharmacy.
How to market your compliance packaging
You may need to educate your patients who aren’t used to taking medications out of blister packs. Get them on board by creating a marketing campaign that lets your patients know this service exists at your pharmacy and what it entails.
Get the word out about your compliance packaging service with these ideas:
- Use a sample package for display: You may have many patients who haven’t used compliance packaging before. And if you only verbally explain what it is, you’ll most likely have patients who don’t understand completely. So, keep a sample compliance package as a visual aid on your pharmacy counter. A tangible object patients can pick up and examine will help them learn what they’ll be getting if they decide to switch to compliance packaging.
- Ask for testimonials: Do you have a patient who has had success with your compliance packaging service? If so, ask them if they would be willing to provide a testimonial on how it’s improved their life. After you collect testimonials, include them in your marketing materials. Testimonials don’t feel like a hard sell, so they’re especially convincing. Patients prefer a real human’s experience on how it has improved their life.
- Include FAQs: Put together a document of frequently asked questions that will help educate patients about your service. Then post it online so your patients can find it while browsing your website. You can also send it out in a marketing email, and for patients who learn about the service while in your store, create a handout version to give them.
The simpler your packaging is for patients, the more adherent they will become with their medications. Compliance packaging solutions will help you every step of the way as you better the lives of your patients.
More articles from the December 2024 issue:
- Whooping Cough on the Rise
- Pill Variations and Non-Adherence
- The Power of Unique Endcaps
- Prescription Flavoring
- Beyond Prescription Dispensing
- ADHD Medications
- Phishing Scams
- It’s All in the Packaging
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