You’ve likely had something like this happen in your pharmacy. A patient who’s one of the 39 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan walks into your pharmacy and says she must switch to a preferred pharmacy within her Medicare Part D plan’s preferred pharmacy network.
Every patient matters to your independent community pharmacy, and Medicare and Medicare Part D patients likely account for a significant portion of your business.
In 2014, Medicare and Medicare Part D covered 51 percent of prescriptions dispensed in independent community pharmacies, according to the 2015 NCPA Digest, a yearly publication that details facts, figures and profiles about independent community pharmacies and is produced by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA).
Independent community pharmacies can’t afford to lose any patient, so here are some steps you can take to keep Medicare Part D patients from switching to a preferred pharmacy.
Prepare ahead of time
Don’t get caught off guard. Have a plan for what to do when a Medicare Part D patient says he needs to leave your pharmacy for a preferred pharmacy.
Write out what you want to say to those patients, so you and your staff will be on the same page, and be able to respond in a way that will help you keep those patients.
For example, you might respond by saying, “We really value you as a patient, and want to find ways to continue to serve you. If you have a few minutes, we’d love to go over your options with you.”
Conduct an analysis
Offer to conduct an analysis to show patients the difference in the cost of their prescriptions between your pharmacy and a preferred pharmacy.
“When your patients say they have to leave your pharmacy, don’t let them move to another pharmacy without taking the time to perform an analysis,” said Alicia Janeski, MHA, CPhT, manager of TriNet client services at PBA Health. TriNet Third Party Network by PBA Health is a pharmacy services administration organization (PSAO) that provides third party contracting services.
Often, patients might not understand what a preferred pharmacy is, or how the cost of their prescriptions at a preferred pharmacy might compare to their cost at your pharmacy. Performing an analysis can help clear that up.
“Even a basic analysis often shows that the difference in drug costs is minimal at worst, if not the same,” Janeski said.
To conduct an analysis, you can use the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Plan Finder. Another option is iMedicare, an online tool created specifically to make Medicare Part D plan comparisons drastically quicker and simpler for independent community pharmacists.
Maintain the relationship
If the patient decides to fill her prescriptions at another pharmacy, you can still work to maintain a relationship.
Let her know that even if she doesn’t fill her prescriptions with your pharmacy, she can still benefit from the other services you offer including immunizations, diabetes care, compounding, and more. Also let her know that she’s always welcome to come to you with questions.
By keeping the relationship alive, your pharmacy will remain top-of-mind the next time she needs front-end products or one of your pharmacy’s services.
Remember, it’s cheaper to keep a current patient than it is to get a new one, so focus on cultivating loyalty among your pharmacy’s current patients.
