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The most relevant and current collection of blogs dedicated to helping the independent pharmacy owner.

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7 Ways to Upsell Your Pharmacy Customers

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7 ways to upsellWhile upselling is often perceived negatively, it can make a whole world of difference when making your pharmacy extremely profitable. Upselling shouldn’t be seen in the same light as a shady used-car salesperson, it should be perceived as a way of giving customers additional solutions that help them solve for their needs. Yes, upselling is designed to give your pharmacy a boost in sales and, if implemented correctly, it will also help your customers.

The goal should be to always help the customer find a solution to their shopping and pharmacy needs. Here are 7 upselling tips your pharmacy can utilize to help customers and boost your revenue. Read more

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6 Steps to Starting a Pharmacy Immunization Program

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6 Steps to Starting a Pharmacy Immunization ProgramExpanding into a new niche or offering a new program is a great way to differentiate yourself from national chain pharmacies in your area, increase sales, and ultimately grow your pharmacy business. Both chain and independent pharmacies all over the country are adding immunizations to their list of services, however running a successful program goes far beyond simply putting vaccinations on the menu. One of the biggest reasons independent pharmacy owners don’t already have an immunization program in place is a lack of time and commitment to get started.

If this sounds familiar, here are six important steps every pharmacy owner should consider before starting a successful immunization program.

1. Determine if there’s a need

One of the first steps you should take before implementing any new program in your pharmacy is to determine if there’s a need for immunizations in your community. People of all age groups need immunizations, and people are always looking for a more convenient way to get their vaccines.

It’s important that you spend time doing research to see what other pharmacies in your area offer. Talk to your customers, and find out where they get their immunizations now. Talk to them about the possibility of offering immunization services in your pharmacy, and ask them about their opinions, what else they’d like to see, and when.

2. Know your state’s policy

Every state has regulations in regards to vaccinations pharmacists can deliver. Before you start an immunization program, be sure to check with your state’s board of pharmacy to see what vaccinations your pharmacy may administer and if there are any limitations.

3. Get certified

Proper training and certification are essential to a successful pharmacy immunization program. In order to get your pharmacy immunization license, any pharmacist who will be giving immunizations will need to attend training courses. These are often provided by a local school of pharmacy or by your state’s pharmacy association. Many of the training courses require a valid CPR card in order to complete certification, so consider taking a CPR class through the American Red Cross.

4. Market your program

Once your immunization program is in place, it’s time to start marketing your new program! Post signs throughout your store, tell your customers about it when they pick up their prescriptions, post on social media, notify local news outlets, and more. Consider calling local businesses such as churches, schools, banks, and fitness centers that might benefit from your new immunization program.

5. Administer the vaccine

So you can reach as many people as possible, consider expanding your immunization services to the off-site clinics. Remember those local businesses you called when marketing your program? Consider asking them about setting up an off-site clinic at their business. Off-site clinics offer a convenient and accessible way for people to get their vaccines. Besides, they’re great for reaching out to more people in your community.

6. Partner with other providers

 

One of the best ways to improve your community’s health and to increase immunization rates is to partner with other healthcare professionals and groups. The team approach is a great way to promote the importance of vaccinations, plus it offers an opportunity to connect with other healthcare providers and potential customers.

Specialty Pharmacist

 

Thinking about implementing a new program in your pharmacy but not sure where to start? Download our free eBook, The Pharmacy Owner’s Guide to Exceptionally Effective Implementation and get the nuts and bolts of a successful program launch!

 

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Questions to Ask Before Implementing a New Pharmacy Program

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Questions to Ask Before Implementing a New Pharmacy ProgramWhen you started your pharmacy, you worked hard to lay the foundation for your business, and at times, that meant putting some ideas on the backburner. Instead, you focused on what was important at the moment, all while keeping a mental note of the programs you hoped to some day implement. There comes a time when you need to make decisions about the growth of your pharmacy. Sometimes, that means deciding what new programs to implement and when to do it. However, with all of the different factors to consider, knowing where to start may seem impossible.

If you think that it’s time to grow your list of services, here are a few questions to ask yourself before you get started:

How will this benefit my customers and community?

If you want your new program or service to be successful, you need to think about your customers and your community first. Identify your main customer base and think about all of the different programs and services that those customers would benefit from. Think about the same thing from your community’s perspective. Ask yourself:

  • What types of services is your community lacking?
  • What programs would your customers benefit from?
  • What would make my pharmacy better for my customers?

Think about all of the ways your customers and community will benefit from your new program. For example, if you’re thinking about implementing an off-site vaccination clinic, some of the benefits are that you’re making getting vaccinations convenient and accessible for your community. No matter how beneficial a new program may be for you, it’s important that you think about how it can and will benefit your current and potential customers.

Does this new program align with my goals?

All of the most successful businesses and business owners set goals, so if you haven’t already set goals for your pharmacy, now is the time to start. Setting goals for your pharmacy gives you direction for the future of your pharmacy, but it also helps give you the motivation to see that vision come to life. Goals help you focus your resources, manage your time, and they give you a plan of action for moving forward.

Before you implement a new program in your pharmacy, such as bedside delivery or an immunization program, ask yourself, “Does this program align with my pharmacy’s goals?” Remember: goals change over time, so even if a program doesn’t align with your goals right now, it may fit in with your goals in the future.

What is my strategy?

Trying to implement a new program without a strategy in place is like driving a car without a destination in mind. Sure, you’ll get somewhere, but you’ll never get where you want to go. You can’t move ahead if you don’t have a direction in mind. Before taking on this new endeavor, think about the big picture and the end goal. Some questions to ask yourself are:

  • How does this program fit in with your goals?
  • Who is your target audience, and who are you trying to reach?
  • What steps do you need to take to get this program up and running?
  • What training is involved?
  • How will I market this program?

It’s a lot to think about, but having a solid implementation strategy in place before getting started will save you a lot of headache in the future.

What do I need to do to help my team prepare?

Implementing a new program means enlisting the help of your team. After all, they’re the ones working day in and day out to make things happen. If your team isn’t prepared for the implementation of a new program, there’s almost no way that it will be successful. It’s not only important that you get your team on board with all of the ideas you have for your pharmacy but that you also provide your team with the training they need to be successful. Take the time to sit down with your team and let them ask you any questions they have. You may not have all of the answers right away, and that’s okay. Write down their questions, figure out the answers, and then meet again to continue the discussion. Your team will appreciate that you took the time to think about their needs, and they’ll be better prepared for when you start the implementation process.

Thinking about implementing a new program in your pharmacy but need some direction on how to move forward? Download our free eBook, The Pharmacy Owner’s Guide to an Exceptionally Effective Implementation

 

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10 Ways to Engage with Your Pharmacy Team

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10 Ways to Engage With Your Pharmacy TeamTeam members, staff, employees—whatever you refer to your pharmacy staff as, it’s important to realize they are your most important asset when it comes to longevity and success. Treating them with respect, empowering them with decision-making, and building a culture of happiness are just a few of the ways you can engage with your team and show them you care. Below are ten ways you can take team building to a new level. Follow these tips and your team will not only thank you, but they will reward you with loyalty, increased customer happiness, and higher productivity.

Be There

When people need you, they need all of you. Setting aside distractions and judgments to be fully present is a sign of respect. It improves communication and strengthens relationships. Simple gestures of thoughtfulness, thanks, and recognition make people feel appreciated and valued. When you make someone else feel good, you feel good too.You can be serious about your work without taking yourself soseriously. Play is a mindset more than a specific activity. It allows you to throw yourself with enthusiasm and creativity into whatever you are doing, in a way that is natural, not forced. “Playing” with ideas helps you find solutions to everyday challenges.

Choose Your Attitude

Choose how you respond to life, not just react, you must be intentional. Moment-to-moment awareness is key. Ask yourself throughout the day, “What is my attitude right now? Is it helping the people who depend on me? Is it helping me to be most effective as a leader?”

Get to Know Your Team

Here is a simple exercise that will help everybody feel at ease. Go around the group and have everyone say two true statements about themselves and one false. The rest of the group has to guess which one is false. If participants find it hard to think on the spot, give them index cards and let them write it down. Then, toss the cards into the middle of the circle, so you have to guess who the person is and what is false. You may be surprised. You can learn some crazy things about each other!

Offer Educational Assistance

Whether it be a pharmacy college course or free online webinar, encourage your employees to continuously improve their skill set.

Create Your Own “Club Med”

Set aside a quiet space or unused office in a pharmacy where employees can take their break, nap or otherwise re-center themselves. Spruce up the area with a nice coat of paint, leadership books, the latest copy of America’s Pharmacist, board games, team photos, and customer feedback.

Create a Teaching Pharmacy

Share your knowledge as a business owner and pharmacy professional and help them acquire more marketable skills. Tap into your team’s knowledge and have them teach as well.

Look After Their Families

Show your appreciation for employees by involving their families in their work life and work-related social activities. From family movie nights to “bring your child (or pet) to work days,” these activities can go a long way to making good on your commitment to, and appreciation of, your employees and those who support them.

Offer Memberships and Discounts to Local Businesses

Whether it’s a gym membership, access to  season tickets or movie tickets, these can help promote employee well-being as well as leverage relationships with other local businesses.

Show you take your employees’ wellness seriously

Losing just one employee, frequent sick days or a prolonged illness can be frustrating and a draining on resources as a lean pharmacy. Examples: create a wellness program (physical, mental and even fiscal), extend the lunch hour once a week to allow employees to take a “30-minute power walk,” or offer prizes for quitting smoking.

Offering your teams a specially designed program and rewarding them with a fun, inspiring culture works wonders when it comes to running a successful pharmacy. Your team’s happiness will translate into happier customers, less employee turnover, and increased productivity. Talking about how these programs will make your pharmacy team perform like a finely tuned machine and implementing them are two different things. Download this free ebook, A Pharmacy Owner’s Guide to an Exceptionally Effective Implementation – it will help you put into practice the team building strategies mentioned above!

 

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6 Signs Your Delivery Service Needs a Check-Up

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bigstock-Medical-assistance-concept-35346794As a business owner, you know that every dollar in additional revenue does not mean an extra dollar to spend. If you want to pad your pockets, you have to reduce your expenses.

Here at PDS, we strive to bring you more ways to cut costs and put more in your pocket so you can use your hard-earned money on things that matter.

One of the areas we have seen ignored time and time again has been those pharmacies who have initiated a home delivery service in their store.

If you have a home delivery service, awesome! Implementing a delivery service is a great way to:

  • Differentiate yourself from other local options.
  • Service a greater population than what is in your immediate area.
  • Get you into accounts that you otherwise would be blocked from, such as LTC, RCF & medical offices.

But just like any program, maintenance and continuous improvement is key. If you set up a delivery service in your store, read on for the tell-tale signs that your service needs a checkup.

  1. Late or inconsistent deliveries. If your deliveries are infringing on normal store hours, or if your delivery driver constantly returns closer to closing time, you may need to take a closer look at the delivery route you laid out. You could be unnecessarily taxing your driver by providing an inefficient route.
  2. Confusing delivery logs. Do you get a headache just thinking about trying to find a paper log? Many pharmacies even find themselves struggling with improper signatures. Obtaining a new signature, not to mention the constant hassle of going through paper logs to file and organize in your system, can lead to major inconveniences for your driver or the customer.
  3. Customer Dissatisfaction. Your employees are your most valuable asset – and delivery drivers serve on the front lines of customer service. They are the face of your business. If you are constantly hearing about poor performance or attitude, you may want to re-evaluate your driver choice and provide the proper training. There are many resources available to you that you can use to train your team to be rockstars at customer service.
  4. Driver ambiguity. Have you checked how much you’re paying to fill up the gas tank on your delivery vehicle? If you find that the mileage on your delivery van is inconsistent with your designated delivery routes, you may want to take a closer look at where your driver is going. Tracking your drivers is key to creating a streamlined and profitable delivery service. Read on for more on how you can optimize your tracking and routes.
  5. Multiple deliveries to the same patient or address. This happens more than you may think and is due to confusing delivery logs, an inadequate structure to store that data or a clearly developed delivery policy.
  6. Erratic payment process. If you do not establish a set payment structure for deliveries (i.e., not requiring patients to have a credit card on file or pay before delivery), you are creating the perfect storm of confusion and liability. Establish the rules upon delivery and you will have smoother, more efficient transactions.

Do any of these tell-tale signs fit your current delivery service? Not to worry, we’re here to help you turn your home delivery service from headache to profit!

We recently hosted a free webinar with Walt Brooks, President of RxTrax on 5 ways to increase profits & expand your delivery service. On the webinar, Walt guided listeners through how to make a home delivery system into an efficient and profitable machine  – whether you have an existing service or looking to start one.

Now you can watch the replay!

On the call, Walt introduced a revolutionary system that anyone who is in the home delivery service should look into. Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity and watch the free replay!

Watch the replay here!

 

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2015 Pharmacy Entrepreneur of the Year

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Chris_Cornelison_Pharmacist_of_the_Year“When I started, I just wanted to make a living…”
– Chris Cornelison

Every year, PDS recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence in all areas of pharmacy – from innovation and financial performance to personal commitment to their business and community. This year’s Pharmacy Entrepreneur of the Year Award went to Chris Cornelison – the owner of Iuka Discount Drugs and Saltillo Pharmacy and Solutions, who proudly received the award in front of more than 1,000 of his colleagues at the 2015 PDS Conference in Orlando.

What makes Chris Cornelison and Iuka so remarkable?

As a pharmacy owner, for the past 17 years, Chris’s main priority was to do everything possible in order to provide the best service to his customers. His dedication motivated him to develop and launch his own line of supplements called Solutions Rx, which also included a group of nutrient depletion products called Restore. “Drug nutrient depletion is when a prescription medication takes vitamins and minerals out of the body,” he explained. “The depletion of vitamins is what often causes the common side effects of medication. So we created a line focused on offsetting side effects and keeping patients healthy in four main areas – diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and birth control/hormones.”

The results were amazing: with currently80 customers in 35 states, and more than 5,000 bottles shipped, the demand for Solutions Rx keeps growing. And now, Chris plans to add 10 new products to his line in order to help even more patients overcome nutrient depletion.

Always Pushing to Do More

Steve Jobs once said, If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time. The success of Iuka Pharmacy didn’t come overnight either. When Chris Cornelison became a PDS member in 2008, he couldn’t dream about what he would achieve. With climbing cost of prescription drugs and declining third-party reimbursements, Chris struggled making his sales figures. His main goal was to increase prescription volume, so he could look ahead into the future with confidence.

With the help of his PDS Business Coach and Implementation Specialist, Chris focused on three fundamental principles: patient adherence, team motivation and customer service. The Iuka team worked very hard on implementing the cutting-edge programs to get the company vision across the finish line, and the results were truly astonishing:

Gained Solid Control over Patient Adherence

Never-ending workload and inefficient operations was a long-time struggle for Chris and his team. Customers with multiple prescriptions often called several times during the month, minimizing the ability of the pharmacy staff to build efficiencies that would free up valuable time to devote to customer service. The need to help patients easily manage their medication prompted Iuka to introduce the SyncRx program to both store locations. SyncRx became especially valuable with an added Dispill component that offered an adherence packaging solution to all of Iuka’s patients. This allowed them to capture and effectively serve more than 1,500 new patients in 2014 alone.

Improved Team Engagement and Motivation

Chris knew that he always had a great team beside him, no matter how busy their schedule would get. However, the need for operational efficiency and leaner communication between team members brought Chris the idea to implement the 4DI Process, so everyone could stay on track with the company goals and standards. In this process, his PDS Business Coach and Implementation Specialist helped revamp his company uRock program by encouraging more sophisticated ways for the team members to praise each other’s work. As a result of this investment, both locations experienced a tremendous increase in employee morale and customer satisfaction. So much so that, Saltillo Pharmacy & Solutions was voted “2014 Best Pharmacy of North Mississippi” by the readers of the North Mississippi Daily Journal.

Focused on Sales and Customer Retention

The team’s motivation for 2014 was “Don’t miss any opportunities to offer solutions that could solve patients’ problems and increase profits.” With declining sales and third-party reimbursements, Chris wanted to do everything possible to increase prescription volume and open up new selling opportunities. So they focused on removing low-profit margins on OTC products that didn’t sell regularly, and replaced them with higher profit opportunities. They also implemented a customer referral program offering coupons to off-site flu clinic patients. As a result of these efforts at the end of 2014, sales were increased by 20% and the net profit from new business went up by $27,000.

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Desire to do better and set higher expectations for the team is what makes Chris’s pharmacy so successful. “It’s been fun; it’s great,” he said. “But I’ve got a great team around me, good people who know how to do their job well and who work well together. It’s more than me. We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

We are proud to provide continuing support in making great things happen for Chris Cornelison and his team and look forward to the future success of Iuka Discount Drugs and Saltillo Pharmacy and Solutions.

What were the most impactful strategies your pharmacy implemented that have produced powerful, measurable and tangible results? Let us know in the comments or submit your essay to inspire others.

Have you been thinking about implementing a new program or service in your pharmacy but have no idea where to start? Download our FREE ebook, The Pharmacy Owner’s Guide to an Exceptionally Effective Implementation today.

Subscribe to our blog to receive PDS news and updates! You can also find us on Facebook,Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

 

5 Steps to Boost Your CMS Star Ratings

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As a pharmacy owner, you want to provide an all-star customer care that improves your patients’ health and quality of life. Gone are the days when script count was your number one success measure. Starting today, your profitability will extensively depend on the quality of service you provide to your patients, and not the number of prescriptions you fill.

According to the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid, the Part D plans must provide the evidence of quality patient care by attaining at least a 3-star rating. High star ratings mean higher reimbursements and increased patient loyalty. Low ratings will result in lost reimbursements and a potential loss of CMS certification – this makes improving your quality measures now critically important.

Luckily, we have the answers! These 5 essential steps outline a road map for increasing your CMS star ratings while staying focused on motivating your team and providing excellent service to your customers.

Step 1>>> Enroll with EQuIPP today, so you can keep track of patient adherence and build customer loyalty

EQuIPP is a performance information management platform that allows pharmacies to better understand the impact on patients’ health by providing user-friendly dashboards of benchmarked performance information, based on accepted standards of quality care. This platform allows you, as a pharmacist, to measure the quality of your performance and understand how your service impacts the greater healthcare system in which you operate. If your organization has not yet engaged with EQuIPP, we strongly encourage you to sign up.

Step 2>>> Implement Synchronization to improve your work (and cash) flow

Synchronization is a system of standardized policies and procedures that coordinate refills, so they are picked up at the same time every month. According to the Thrifty White study, the average prescription is filled every 36 days. With the SyncRx program, filling every 30 days results in an extra 2.8 refills per prescription per year. For every patient that you sync, you get $740 additional revenue! Synchronization also enables moving efficiency bottlenecks to off-peak hours, allowing you to spend more time with your patients at the time that is convenient for them, which in turn opens up opportunities for repeat business. Synchronization cuts down on stress and improves your operations and business accountability.

Step 3>>> Improve adherence by joining a Medication Therapy Management Program (MTM)

As rules and regulations change and the demand for high quality patient services grows, we encourage you to focus on a patient-centered, rather than an individual product-centered process of care. MTM services encompass the assessment and evaluation of a patient’s complete medication therapy regiment, rather than focusing on an individual medication product. Joining an MTM program will give your pharmacy the necessary tools to help your patients better understand the appropriate drug use, and therefore increase adherence to medication therapy.

Step 4>>> Incorporate interventions into your practice. Show your patients that you care!

You can establish a strong and long-lasting relationship with your patients by incorporating interventions into your daily practice. Interventions add value by reducing the medication errors, rationalizing the therapy and reducing costs while providing opportunities to upsell your customers. Interventions will take your practice to the whole new level, allowing you to be perceived as a go to patient counsel and healthcare community service leader.

Step 5 >>> Use the appropriate resources to make the most out of your star ratings

  • Equipp.org provides information necessary to become and EQuIPP partner
  • MTM Videos educates patients and helps them stay connected with your pharmacy
  • Mirixa offers clinical rules-based platform to improve member health, education and satisfaction
  • OutcomesMTM links contracted plans with more than 100,000 pharmacy providers
  • Pharmacy Development Services provides a step-by-step system to improve your ratings and turn ideas into results!

Curious to learn more about how synchronization can boost your quality ratings? Join us for a FREE 45-minute webinar on April 22 @ 6.30 PM EST, where PDS Member Jason Turner will present his 360-degree view of the key points, including:

  • Drivers of value-driven healthcare and the role of medication-use quality in the Medicare Star Ratings program
  • Pharmacy performance measure tools and the potential impact of Medicare Star Ratings
  • Value of medication synchronization and impact on medication-use quality measures and more

Subscribe to our blog to receive PDS news and updates! You can also find us on FacebookTwitterLinkedIn Google+

 

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Becoming a More Dynamic Pharmacy Leader with Team Inspiration

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“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it”
– Andrew Carnegie

Finding a new idea to bring your vision to life is hard enough; but it’s assembling a team to help you successfully get that idea across the finish line that makes a true leader. Being on the front line isn’t easy: when you are responsible for a group of people, no matter how high your stress levels are, it’s important to self-manage and hold yourself to the highest ethical standards in order to keep leading by example. Your team will take cues from you, and if you exude a high level of calm and confidence, they will become inspired and will follow with respect.

How do you become a more inspirational pharmacy leader? How do you stay aware, maintain integrity and encourage your team to live up to the high standards of your business? By sharing your vision, showing support and taking care of yourself you will be able to create a healthy and friendly environment – a place for creativity, high efficiency and mutual respect.

Share Your Vision

Becoming a true leader requires an ability to see the big picture and share the company vision with the rest of the team. When you launch a new program or change existing operations, it’s vital to inspire your team to anticipate the results of future success. Share your vision and mission statements and explain how much your team’s hard work means to your business. This will generate the enthusiasm for everything you collectively put into the future accomplishments: an inspired employee will be driven by a desire to achieve greater results and, in turn, will become a more active team player.

Take Care of Your Team

Inspiring your team is great not only for future success, but also for the tasks at-hand. When you are stuck in the whirlwinds of the daily routine and energy levels and morale are diminishing, give yourself and your team a break. Acknowledge the hard work that everyone has done and recognize that everyone needs to step back and recharge batteries every now and then. As a dynamic and inspiring leader, you are responsible for keeping your team’s spirit up, and that begins by praising them for the job well done.

Take Care of Yourself

If you want to become the best leader for your team, you need to take care of yourself just as much as you want to take care of them. As an entrepreneur and a pharmacy owner, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations; you often stay late filling prescriptions and making sure shelves are fully stocked – all at the expense of your personal life. Remember to take care of yourself and devote time to your family and passions outside your pharmacy. This will help you stay present and provide your team with much needed support and inspiration during busy workdays. Your employees will appreciate a leader who is calm, supportive and optimistic.

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Ability to inspire is the first step on the path to becoming a more dynamic pharmacy leader, and leadership is a state of mind. Created for the independent pharmacy, our Advanced Leadership Training is perfect for pharmacy owners and supervisors who are in a leadership role and are responsible for the growth, development and performance of others. Don’t miss this unique course — it’s jam-packed with ideas and strategies you haven’t heard before.

Subscribe to our blog to receive PDS news and updates! You can also find us on FacebookTwitterLinkedIn Google+

 

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Dan Benamoz Featured on the Cover of Pharmacy Times Magazine

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PDS-Dan-Cover-April-2015Whether its robots, microbots, smartphones, or 3-dimensional (3-D) printing, the potential for technology to impact health care and pharmacy excites and motivates Dan Benamoz, RPh, founder and chief executive officer, Pharmacy Development Services (PDS). In a recent interview with Pharmacy Times Magazine, Benamoz explained that technological advancements in the field of medicine will occur faster than most people expect and that part of a pharmacy’s future success will depend on how well it prepares and adapts to change. He predicts that the knowledge gained through supercomputers and mapping of the human genome will lead to revolutionary changes in diagnostics and treatments. “What you are going to see in these next 5 years is twice the amount of innovation that you’ve seen in the last 35 to 40 years collectively,” he said.

Benamoz stressed that cutting-edge technology is already beginning to impact health care. A contact lens that can detect blood glucose levels using tears is undergoing testing. “Microbots” that can swim in a person’s bloodstream are also being tested, opening up the potential for treatment to be delivered in a highly targeted way.

These medical advances could render many in-person outpatient visits nonessential, noted Benamoz. Handheld digital devices are already available that, with a single drop of blood, can identify and detect diseases long before patients become symptomatic. “People will have these [devices] in their home and will pretty much know what’s wrong with them,” he said. Once they receive a diagnosis, patients will be able use their smartphones to contact a physician who could then access their medical history and handle a majority of their problems via telemedicine. Pharmacists could also be accessed remotely, and drones might one day be used to deliver medications. Any equipment a patient needs could be created with a 3-D printer, Benamoz added.

To be successful in this era of technology, pharmacy owners will have to learn to think exponentially, rather than linearly, he said. With the Internet, pharmacists and patients have access to an unprecedented amount of information. Learning how to analyze and use the information is key. “There’s no politics and no emotion in data,” Benamoz said. “If you are making decisions based on your gut, you cannot make good decisions.”

According to Benamoz, pharmacists need to become problem solvers and think more strategically. Data can be used to learn consumers’ preferences and habits, and determine what questions to ask. Pharmacists can know what people need before they do. Benamoz advises pharmacists to focus more on patients who have chronic diseases, interact with them as valued customers, and ask a lot of questions. The business of pharmacy is no longer about how many prescriptions can be filled.

“People don’t buy products. People don’t buy services. People buy solutions to problems,” he said. “We are so busy being busy. One of the most important things you need to do is have special time set aside for thinking.”

Having happy customers is all about creating a good experience for them, noted Benamoz. It is also about knowing that “the little things” make the difference (Online Sidebar). It is crucial to create a culture where people want to excel, and that starts with leadership and hiring the right people. “Great employees make you money; they don’t cost you money. It’s the bad ones that cost you money.”

Five Fundamental Principles of Success

  • People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
  • The more you help others, the greater your own success will be.
  • It’s all the little things done exactly right that separate the extraordinary stores from the ordinary stores.
  • Consistent execution is a competitive advantage.
  • If you can measure it, you can manage it. If you can manage it, you can improve it.

The first PDS conference, which had 42 attendees, was never intended to be a conference. Benamoz sought to help other store owners grow their businesses. Now in its 11th year, the PDS Independent Pharmacy Business Growth Conference attracts more than 1000 attendees. During his opening remarks in Orlando, Florida, this year, Benamoz told attendees that it is an exciting time to be a pharmacist and that there is a great deal of opportunity for those who are willing to embrace change and take chances.

“We’re now tasked with the responsibility of guiding this profession into this new era. It’s our time to step up and accept our roles as pioneers, to improve it, generation over generation, and leave this profession better off than how we received it. That will be our legacy.”

 

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3 Tech Trends Shaping the Future of the Independent Pharmacy

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While the independent pharmacy industry faces unprecedented challenges as a result of reforms and austerity measures, technology is currently in the process of transforming healthcare as a whole: from wearable tech and FDA-approved ingestible sensors to electronic health records – change is coming fast. Shifts in patient behavior and communication with healthcare providers also change the relationship pharmacies have with their traditional customers, which in turn creates new opportunities for collaboration and customer service improvements.

To help you better navigate constant industry change, stay focused on improving operational efficiency and patient outcome, we found 3 main trends that we predict will influence independent pharmacy industry in the next three to five years.

Transition to Automation

Constant technological advancements make medication dispensing more efficient, accurate and safe. Equipped with eloquent computer interface, machines like the KL20 can interface with the workflow and inventory management system, helping pharmacies operate more effectively. Advanced counters increase the ability to dispense common medications hands-free, via calibrated cassettes. New robotic mechanisms can fully dispense and label filled patient vials in a tiny nine square feet of floor space, allowing pharmacy staff to confidently dispense hundreds of prescriptions while managing daily operations of a busy community pharmacy.

Focus on Data

hitechwristbandEvery day we get inundated with data. Today, a wristband provides real-time information on a patient’s heart rate, sleeping patterns, metabolic rate and other trends. Electronic health records became the norm in the medical field. By assessing patient history, treatment outcomes and other trends health care organizations can improve their policies and optimize patient care. Powerful cloud computing that stores and processes big data further allows turning analytics into valuable insights.

Improved Diagnostics

Cloud technology that gathers and categorizes big data emerged newly designed electronic systems that allow patients to access their data through desktop, iOS and Android apps. These exciting systems put a greater emphasis on data recorded by patients, allowing for more detailed feedback, which in turn improves diagnosis accuracy and reduces chances of malpractice. Of course, some of this technology still remains in its infant stage, but it has already been known to positively impact patient outcomes, improve adherence to preventative measures and provide better communication between patients and health care providers.  This positive impact will ultimately result in the decreased costs and improved pharmacy infrastructure.

Looking Forward…

Whether it’s using automated systems or utilizing big data analytics to identify the best-targeted customers and most cost-effective therapy, technology will continue to play an important role in today’s healthcare. And those pharmacy entrepreneurs who embrace the change, adapt and innovate their practice will continue to be successful in the long-term.

Ready to embrace the change? Download our guide to an Exceptionally Effective Implementation and learn how you can contribute to the future of of the independent pharmacy today.

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Topics: pharmacy innovation Pharmacy Technology

 

April 3, 2015 3:02:11 PM GMT+03:00

Be sure to listen to our interview with Dr. Erin Albert – from Butler University School of Pharmacy on the study of the “Future of Pharmacy” and the trends of TODAY:
http://pharmacypodcast.com/future-pharmacy-visions-with-erin-l-albert-mba-pharmd-jd/

 

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