When patients are looking for a new pharmacy, your business needs to stand out from the competition.
Every pharmacy dispenses medications. Your business must offer something unique to set it apart.
That’s where services come in. Top-notch patient care services can attract patients to your pharmacy.
Some previously uncommon services have become so popular they’re now expected of any pharmacy’s offerings. For example, 78 percent of independent community pharmacies offer a delivery service and 77 percent offer patient charge accounts, according to the 2015 NCPA Digest, published by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA).
To convince patients to select your pharmacy over your competition, you have to offer more than just the expected.
Here’s a look at five in-demand services that your pharmacy can offer to attract patients.
1. Medication synchronization
Instituting the appointment-based model of medication synchronization (ABM) in your pharmacy reduces the number of times a patient has to make a trip to your pharmacy, which increases convenience and efficiency.
This approach synchronizes all of a patient’s refills to a single pick-up day each month. Not only does this method improve your pharmacy’s ability to schedule time to consult with patients about their medication, it can also boost your bottom line with patients on the program filling three additional refills per medication per year on average.
Patients will appreciate the convenience of this program. If you can synchronize all prescription pick-up days for one family, this too, will be another reason for busy patients to choose your pharmacy over another.
2. Compounding
For patients who need a specially compounded drug, this hard-to-find service is vital.
Offering compounding can make your pharmacy a go-to partner for patients who need compounded medications. Let physicians in your area know you’re offering this service, so they can help direct patients who need compounding to your pharmacy.
3. Pharmacogenetic testing
Help patients find the medications that will work best for them with pharmacogenetic testing. This service can pinpoint which medications will work for a patient based on his or her genes, making trial-and-error prescribing a thing of the past.
Pharmacogenetic testing is a cutting-edge pharmacy service that will distinguish you from the competition. It also pairs well with your pharmacy’s primary revenue stream—dispensing medication. And, this service isn’t commonly offered in pharmacies yet, so you’ll be ahead of the curve.
Pharmacogenetic testing is currently only available for a few classes of drugs.
4. Niche services
Picking a niche to specialize in, whether it’s diabetes care or veterinary prescriptions, is something patients look for in a pharmacy.
Patients want a pharmacy that can meet all of their needs. Once you become known for your niche, new patients looking for that service will turn to your pharmacy for help managing their condition.
For example, if you focus on diabetes care, you can offer diabetes education classes, do diabetic shoe fittings, stock supplementary products in your front end and dispense the prescriptions patients with diabetes need.
Establishing your business as an expert in a certain area will attract patients and boost your pharmacy’s bottom line.
5. Vaccinations and immunizations
Expand your pharmacy’s scope beyond dispensing medication and into preventative care by offering vaccinations and immunizations.
Shingles vaccinations, flu shots and travel vaccines are all valued services that patients are looking for. They also feature high profit margins for your pharmacy.
Fewer doctor’s offices offer vaccinations today due to time constraints and strict storage requirements, so it’s important for your pharmacy to offer these services. If a patient’s doctor doesn’t provide vaccinations, or doesn’t have time for an appointment, patients will turn to your pharmacy.
Patients can’t take advantage of services if they don’t know they exist. Promote these pharmacy services that many patients don’t know about.
