Imagine that you could pay an ultra-efficient, mistake-free employee with a one-time upfront payment.
With guaranteed productivity and huge returns.
And more satisfied patients.
Well, you can.
It’s called an automated kiosk.
While a pharmacy kiosk can’t replace your dedicated employees, it can improve efficiency, expand your services and add more convenience for your patients.
Kiosks come in various sizes with diverse capabilities and offer an array of services. If you don’t know about the different kiosks available, you’re falling behind the competition.
National chain pharmacies have already been adding kiosks and seeing results—both to their bottom line and for patient outcomes.
Your independent community pharmacy can too.
Here are five kiosks to consider adding to your pharmacy to boost efficiency, profits and patient health.
1. Blood pressure testing kiosk
Blood pressure indicates a variety of important health-related information your patients need to know.
And, blood pressure testing serves as a vital and convenient way for patients to see if their medication is working or if they’re suffering from high or low blood pressure and need to see their doctor.
When you offer a blood pressure kiosk, you’ll give patients a pressure-free and private option for monitoring their health. They can test on their own time at their own pace.
And, it frees you and your staff to focus on other revenue-building and patient-outcome-improving services. But make sure a pharmacist is always available to discuss results with patients.
2. Drug disposal kiosk
Your patients may be disposing of their expired, unused or unwanted prescriptions unsafely.
Adding a drug disposal kiosk in your pharmacy gives your patients a place to safely—and conveniently—dispose of their unwanted prescription medications. And, it helps keep waterways clean, prevents accidental ingestion or overdose, and curbs prescription drug abuse.
Many companies offer drug disposal receptacles for pharmacies. But be sure to check with your state board of pharmacy to make sure it’s allowed in your state.
(Here’s everything you need to know about starting a medication disposal program in your pharmacy.)
3. Prescription dispensing kiosk
Automated dispensing kiosks enable patients to order their prescription refills, grab them and go without any hassle.
While automated dispensing kiosks may sound like they’re replacing the pharmacy, that’s not the case.
They provide convenience for patients who want it and free up the pharmacist to spend more time helping patients and providing clinical services.
These kiosks take costly capital to start, but they also offer what many patients want: convenience and privacy.
You have plenty of automated dispensing kiosks to choose from, so you can easily find one to fit your pharmacy’s particular needs.
4. Health center kiosk
If you want to make your pharmacy a center for patient health, invest in a kiosk that provides measurements for multiple vitals and health indicators.
Many kiosks go beyond blood pressure and measure:
- Heart rate
- Total body weight
- Total body composition (lean mass, body fat & hydration level)
- Vision (color blindness)
- Body mass index (BMI)
Most have touchscreens with even more features, like wellness programs, health education videos, online health monitoring tools and relevant messaging, which you can customize.
Patients will leave your pharmacy feeling better and more knowledgeable about their health.
5. Telemedicine kiosk
Telemedicine kiosks are still in pilot mode, but they’re the latest and most promising avenue for pharmacies to provide comprehensive health services.
Instead of visiting a doctor and then going to a nearby pharmacy, patients can go straight to their preferred pharmacy (yours), talk to their doctor over a video call and immediately get their prescription filled by you.
Rite Aid was the first pharmacy to try this level of telemedicine when it recently invested in a HealthSpot Station, which uses cloud-based telemedicine software.
Patients interact with doctors and other health care professionals through high-definition video conferencing with digital medical devices, all within an enclosed kiosk for total privacy and comfort.
HealthSpot Stations, or other similar kiosks, could significantly expand your pharmacy’s role in patient health.
And in turn, your bottom line.
Make life easier for you and your patients by investing in an automated pharmacy kiosk.
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.
