Your patients likely have a smartphone in their pocket. Is your pharmacy on their device?
Sixty-eight percent of U.S. adults have a smartphone, according to an October 2015 study by the Pew Research Center. And, 62 percent of independent community pharmacies have a mobile app, according to the 2016 edition of the NCPA Digest, an annual publication from the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) that profiles the independent community pharmacy market.
“Consumers today are different,” said Robert Terrell, product manager at PocketRx, a branded smartphone refill and pharmacy app. “They aren’t looking through the phone book to find the information for their local pharmacy. They are searching online, in the app store, or posting questions on social media about who their friends are using and what kind of experience they had.”
Whether you’re looking to implement a smartphone app for your pharmacy or want to evaluate the one you have, PocketRx provides a solution for independent community pharmacies to have an app—and their autonomy.
PocketRx allows pharmacies to customize its app to their own unique branding. “The great thing about the PocketRx platform is that it can provide a complete turnkey solution or any level of customization required to meet the needs of the pharmacy,” Terrell said.
Why you need an app
Today’s consumers are mobile app-savvy. An app can provide convenience for patients when it comes to refilling their prescriptions, as there’s no wait time or busy phone line.
Increased medication adherence is another perk of app use. “Patients benefit from the app by having an easy way to better manage their prescriptions,” Terrell said. “They also get a great tool that is with them at all times to help improve adherence and compliance.”
PocketRx wanted to increase the focus of its app from just prescription management to adherence and wellness initiatives. “Patients of the pharmacy can now receive reminders letting them know when to take their medication or when a refill is due, and messages from the pharmacy, such as that it’s time to get their flu shot,” Terrell said.
Mobile apps also help strengthen relationships between patients and pharmacists by providing an additional resource for patients to connect and seek information.
“They can receive text messages with status updates about their refill, and they can reference health information from their local pharmacist to better manage their care,” Terrell said. “All of these things help to deepen the relationship between the patient and their pharmacist. By providing pharmacy patients with these multiple touchpoints, the local independent pharmacy can now be more connected to their customers than ever before.”
Creating your own app
Going mobile doesn’t require you to hire an on-staff developer. You can create your own branded mobile app with the help of a software development platform such as PocketRx.
PocketRx provides the technology pharmacies need in an app, while enabling them to stay true to their pharmacy’s unique brand. “PocketRx differentiates itself by branding the entire service through the name and logo of the pharmacy that we are working with,” Terrell said.
The company can customize its app for all types of pharmacies. For example, PocketRx has designed more specialized software for compounding pharmacies and even created an in-app menu for a pharmacy with an in-shop deli.
Creating an app with PocketRx can also prove to be a beneficial marketing tool for your pharmacy. “PocketRx is the most cost-effective marketing tool in the industry that also helps drive patient engagement,” Terrell said. “We also work with more pharmacy management systems than any other provider, so that the entire experience fits directly within the existing workflow of the pharmacist.”
With the help of a platform like PocketRx, your independent pharmacy can compete with mobile apps offered by national chain pharmacies. “Our full list of features helps to close the gap between the technology offered by independents and the large chain stores,” Terrell said.
And you can set up your business for the future. “As the market continues to move forward toward outcome-based payment and reimbursement models, we are always striving to develop new features within our platform to help pharmacies offer services to their patients to help improve outcomes,” he said.
App features
Create your own mobile pharmacy with PocketRx, a branded smartphone refill and pharmacy app. Features of the smartphone app include:
- Easy refills
- User profiles
- Delivery options
- Refill reminders
- Alerts to take medication
- Prescription transfers
- Links to the pharmacy’s Facebook and Twitter pages
- Integration with pharmacy management systems
- Medication information
- New patient forms
- Send announcements
- Promote your specials
- Ask the pharmacist
Contact myapp@pocket-rx.com to create your own mobile app for your pharmacy.
