When patients visit your pharmacy looking to buy supplements, how do they react? Do the options overwhelm them?
This common scenario happens often. Especially for patients new to a supplement regimen. But it doesn’t have to work that way.
The RefreshinQ Co. offers personalized supplement dose packs, supplement support patches and a customized nutrition program for patients.
The products work off an individual’s biomarkers to make supplement shopping easy for patients. The company uses science to create a supplement regimen based on specific goals, like energy, weight support or overall health. This takes the guesswork out of choosing supplements.
“The RefreshinQ Co. was developed to make wellness simple,” said George Glatcz, COO of Ritzman Pharmacy, a regional pharmacy chain in Northeastern Ohio and sister company to The RefreshinQ Co. “There’s a lot of confusion and a lot of hard decisions to make when you’re trying to select the best thing for your body.”
Besides simplifying supplement use for patients, Glatcz said the company aims to create a movement. It wants to build a community of like-minded people with a passion for wellness.
A unique offering
The RefreshinQ Co.’s supplement dose packs include a pre-selected combination of vitamins and nutrients packaged into single dose packs.“Essentially what we’ve done is leveraged the technology we use in the prescription business, so we can package multiple vitamins in one personalized dose pack,”
“Essentially what we’ve done is leveraged the technology we use in the prescription business, so we can package multiple vitamins in one personalized dose pack,” Glatcz said.
The RefreshinQ Co. pharmacists identified the most common conditions, ailments or situations for which patients are looking to buy supplements. And, they curated packs based on those needs.“We have curated a blend of vitamins that are already pre-selected and clinically-vetted based on data to have the best use for you,” he said. “Instead of you trying to guess it, we’ve pre-packaged it and allow you to just buy that support pack.”
“We have curated a blend of vitamins that are already pre-selected and clinically-vetted based on data to have the best use for you,” he said. “Instead of you trying to guess it, we’ve pre-packaged it and allow you to just buy that support pack.”
For example, he said many people who are into wellness stop exercising because they get sore and don’t continue their fitness regimen. The RefreshinQ Co. has curated a supplement dose pack just for them. It includes vitamins and minerals that enable exercisers to push through and continue their fitness journey.
The pre-packaged supplement dose packs include:
- Workout + Recoverinq Pack, to help enhance a workout
- Daily Multi Replenishinq Pack, to help improve overall wellness
- Blood Sugar Supportinq Pack, to support and manage blood sugar
- Stress Supportinq Pack, to aid in stress relief.
Patients can even customize their own supplement dose packs based on their body’s needs with the Customizinq Pack. They simply consult their community pharmacist to determine what supplements they should take, create their own pack on The RefreshinQ Co.’s website and have it delivered to their home.
The RefreshinQ Co. also offers a subscription service where patients can automatically have their supplement dose packs sent to their homes each month.“As health care professionals, we know that the more compliant you are, the better your outcome, so we wanted to simplify that process even further by offering an automatic renewal system if the customer chooses to do that,” said Christina Cyrus, general manager of marketing and brand strategy at Ritzman Pharmacy.
“As health care professionals, we know that the more compliant you are, the better your outcome, so we wanted to simplify that process even further by offering an automatic renewal system if the customer chooses to do that,” said Christina Cyrus, general manager of marketing and brand strategy at Ritzman Pharmacy.
Something for everyone
The RefreshinQ Co. doesn’t just offer oral supplements. Because many patients can’t tolerate taking supplements orally, the company offers patches patients can wear on their skin. The patch contains ingredients that the body absorbs over time.
For example, Glatcz said athletes like to use the Energy Support Patch to help support energy levels throughout the day. They don’t have to worry about getting an upset stomach or experiencing other side effects caused by oral vitamins. The company also offers a Weight Support Patch to help curb cravings. And its Vitamin D Support Patch provides Vitamin D without the sun exposure.
A comprehensive solution
For people looking for a comprehensive wellness solution, The RefreshinQ Co. offers the RefreshinQ Quotient program.
A simple blood test allows The RefreshinQ Co.’s clinical pharmacists to customize a nutrition and exercise plan.
The plan focuses on optimizing four categories of a patient’s biomarkers:
- Strength,
- Energy
- Endurance
- Metabolism
“Ultimately, to take the guesswork out of it, you have to understand what your body is and is not optimized for,” Glatcz said. “It’s about dialing in on what your body needs. A lot of people supplement just to supplement, but sometimes you need them and sometimes you don’t.”
Also, besides a personalized plan, patients receive the benefits of a pharmacist coaching them through their wellness journey.
“Most companies are selling supplements to sell them,” Glatcz said. “We’re saying, ‘If you’re skeptical about our supplements and the need for them, why don’t you have your body tell you what you really need?’ And we’ll align the program for that.”
Expanding pharmacists’ scope
Glatcz said Ritzman Pharmacy’s inspiration for creating The RefreshinQ Co. was to get away from the commoditization of community pharmacy.“A community pharmacy has been commoditized because we focus so much on the production of a prescription,” he said. “This program gives us an opportunity to have conversations with our communities. Not just people who are sick and have prescriptions, but also those who are trying to avoid taking prescription medicine.”
“A community pharmacy has been commoditized because we focus so much on the production of a prescription,” he said. “This program gives us an opportunity to have conversations with our communities. Not just people who are sick and have prescriptions, but also those who are trying to avoid taking prescription medicine.”
The RefreshinQ Co. enables pharmacists to use the breadth of their licenses. It gives them an opportunity to interact with more people in the community. And, it generates better health outcomes. “They can expand their use and do things other than medication therapy management (MTM) and traditional prescription production,” Glatcz said. “They can be more on the front line of preventative care.”
Ritzman Pharmacy still believes in the importance of the prescription side of community pharmacy. But the RefreshinQ Co. enables the pharmacy to expand its offerings.
“Everyone’s doing point-of-care testing and those things. But no one’s really doing preventative care or creating wellness programs,” he said.
Diversify your pharmacy
Independent community pharmacies can benefit from offering The RefreshinQ Co.’s products. They provide an opportunity to differentiate their pharmacy from competitors, Glatcz said.
And the products can also give pharmacies access to a more diverse population within their community.
For example, pharmacies tend to target Medicare and Medicaid populations. But enhancing your supplement offerings and focusing on wellness can attract a younger generation.“The millennial population doesn’t really want to take prescriptions; they want to be well and better their health every day,” he said.
“The millennial population doesn’t really want to take prescriptions. They want to be well and better their health every day,” he said.
How your pharmacy can sell the RefreshinQ Co. products:
The RefreshinQ Co. offers two programs for pharmacies:
- A wholesale program, which carries inventory
- An affiliate program, which doesn’t carry inventory
The company provides a comprehensive training program to ensure wholesalers and affiliates have all the data and clinical background necessary to educate patients and sell the products.
Countertop and free-standing point-of-sale displays are available for pharmacies to use in their stores. Additionally, the company offers planograms for those that wish to set up their own display of the products.
You can potentially get a leg up on the competition, Glatcz said. As the supplement market continues to grow, patients will be looking for guidance on how to improve their health and wellness. “It gives the pharmacy a chance to do something that Walgreens and CVS can’t accomplish,” he said.
Learn more about The RefreshinQ Co.
Supplement statistics
Do your pharmacy’s supplement offerings meet your patients’ needs? Statistics show supplement use among Americans is on the rise and improving wellness is a common motivator. Take a look at the numbers.
68 percent of Americans take dietary supplements
78 percent of Americans agree dietary supplements are a smart choice for a healthy lifestyle
51 percent of supplement users take them for overall health and wellness benefits
29 percent of supplement users take them for more energy
67 percent of supplement users exercise regularly
Source: 2015 CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements
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