A GOODSCOSTBETTEROF ProfitGuard helps you hold the line HEAR YE, HEAR YE hearingover-the-counterthewillandPharmacistsconsumerssoonreaprewardsofaids Expand Your Revenue Streams Boosting your bottom line with alternative revenue opportunities VOL. 11 ISS. 3 | SEPTEMBER 2022
If Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has occurred within 6 weeks of receipt of prior influenza vaccine, the decision to give FLUAD QUADRIVALENT should be based on careful consideration of the potential benefits and risks.
FLUAD QUADRIVALENT is approved for use in persons 65 years of age and older. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on the immune response elicited by FLUAD QUADRIVALENT.
or VAERS
The most common (≥10%) local and systemic reactions in elderly subjects 65 years of age and older were injection site pain (16.3%), headache (10.8%) and fatigue (10.5%).
FLUAD® QUADRIVALENT is an inactivated influenza vaccine indicated for active immunization against influenza disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and types B contained in the vaccine.
INDICATION AND USAGE
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION CONTRAINDICATIONS
The immune response to FLUAD QUADRIVALENT in immunocompromised persons, including individuals receiving immunosuppressive therapy, may be lower than in immunocompetent individuals.
Syncope (fainting) may occur in association with administration of injectable vaccines including FLUAD QUADRIVALENT. Ensure procedures are in place to avoid injury from falling associated with Vaccinationsyncope.with
FLUAD QUADRIVALENT may not protect all vaccine recipients against influenza disease.
To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Seqirus USA Inc. at 1-855-358-8966 at 1-800-822-7967
Appropriate medical treatment and supervision must be available to manage possible anaphylactic reactions following administration of the vaccine.
ADVERSE REACTIONS
or Beforewww.vaers.hhs.gov.administration, please see the full US Prescribing Information for FLUAD QUADRIVALENT. FLUAD® QUADRIVALENT is a registered trademark of Seqirus UK Limited or its a liates. INDICATION and IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Adjuvanted to help prevent seasonal influenza in adults 65+1 For more information, please see Important Safety Information below and the Brief Summary on adjacent page. Learn more at fluad.com REFERENCES: 1. FLUAD QUADRIVALENT. Package insert. Seqirus Inc; 2021. 2. O’Hagan DT, Ott GS, De Gregorio E, Seubert A. The mechanism of action of MF59—an innately attractive adjuvant formulation. Vaccine. 2012;30(29):4341-4348. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.09.061 3. O’Hagan DT, Ott GS, Nest GV, Rappuoli R, Del Giudice G. The history of MF59® adjuvant: a phoenix that arose from the ashes. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2013;12(1):13-30. doi:10.1586/ erv.12.140 4. Banzho A, Pellegrini M, Del Giudice G, Fragapane E, Groth N, Podda A. MF59-adjuvanted vaccines for seasonal and pandemic influenza prophylaxis. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2008;2(6):243-249. doi:10.1111/j.1750-2659.2008.00059.x FLUAD QUADRIVALENT is a registered trademark of Seqirus UK Limited or its a liates. Seqirus USA Inc., 25 Deforest Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901, USA ©2022 Seqirus USA Inc. January 2022 USA-aQIV-21-0065 Designed to strengthen, broaden, and lengthen the duration of the immune response2-4
Do not administer FLUAD QUADRIVALENT to anyone with a history of severe allergic reaction (e.g. anaphylaxis) to any component of the vaccine, including egg protein, or to a previous influenza vaccine.
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
SPOTLIGHT| A Better Cost of Goods DEPARTMENTS CONTENTS ON THE COVER 18 FEATURE | Expand Your Revenue Streams Boosting your bottom line with alternative revenue opportunities 06 NEWS | COVID-19 Rising Again New BA.5 Subvariant Threatening the U.S. 08 TRENDS | Hear Ye, Hear Ye Pharmacists and consumers will soon reap the rewards of over-the-counter hearing aids 11 RETAIL | The Helping Hand of a Planogram Arrange your products for maximum profit 15 SOLUTIONS | Keeping Steady Reducing fall risk among older patients 25 SPOTLIGHT | A Better Cost of Goods ProfitGuard helps you hold the line 28 MONEY | Now in Stock Six strategies for managing inventory management 32 OUTLOOK | Addressing Social Health Issues There's more to good health than meets the eye TRENDS | Hear Ye, Hear Ye0825 3ELEMENTS | The business magazine for independent pharmacy | SEPTEMBER 2022
Choosing a Niche: 5 Things for Your Pharmacy to Consider
Chronic Care Collaboration
Every pharmacy owner knows it takes a lot more than dispensing medication to sustain your business. Increasing vertical integration and skyrocketing DIR fees are forcing pharmacies to pivot to alternative revenue streams.
Follow Elements magazine for pharmacy business
Long Covid and What You Need to Know
Find more strategies, advice to improve your business.
ON THE WEB
After patients test positive from Covid-19 and recover from their illness, they may go on to experience post-Covid symptoms that may continue for three months or more after the initial infection.
Around two-thirds of Medicare patients are living with two or more chronic conditions—and with those chronic conditions comes overall poorer health outcomes and higher risk of expensive hospitalizations.
The business magazine for independent pharmacy VOLUME 11, ISSUE 3 SEPTEMBER 2022 PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Matthew Shamet EDITOR Gina Klein ART DIRECTOR Lisa Doherty CONTRIBUTING WRITER Cecilia Vigliaturo INTERESTED ADVERTISING?IN elements@pbahealth.com Elements magazine is published quarterly by PBA Health. 2022 PBA Health. All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced without written permission by PBA Health.
4
©
tips and advice, news announcements, industry information, and exclusive offers. EELEMENTS
tips, and expert
• Vaccine makers have been instructed by the FDA to recreate COVID-19 vaccines to target BA.4 and BA.5. Scientists agree that the need to update the vaccine is vital. Vaccine makers are working to finalize and create the shots in time for the fall season.
to get vaccinated and boosted. When more people are fully vaccinated, it decreases the chance for the virus to spread and mutate.
6 pbahealth.com/elements
NEWS
New BA.5 Subvariant Threatening the U.S.
J
Alongside subvariant BA.4, it’s creating an outbreak of cases and hospitalizations in the United States. The Department of Health and Human Services has extended the public emergency declaration to October as cases continue to rise.
ust when we thought we would have a break, the coronavirus has a mind of its own as it continues to mutate and evade immunity. The latest subvariant of Omicron known as BA.5 is the most immune-invading and the most transmissible yet.
The difference with BA.5 as opposed to other variants is biology. It has a higher capability of transmitting, growing, and evading immunity. One way it does this is by dodging the body’s immune system. Together, BA.4 and BA.5 are the most immuneevasive variants seen in multiple studies. Here is what is known about BA.5 so far:
COVID-19 RISING AGAIN
• It has a knack for bypassing immunity from vaccinations and prior infections. Researchers have found that neutralizing antibody responses against BA.4 and BA.5 were much, much lower than against the original Omicron strain. This explains why they’ve spread faster than other Omicron variants. The dominance of this variant is also because more Americans have dropped public-health measures, such as masking.
• Evidence is waning on BA.5 causing more severe disease. South Africa had a surge in cases of BA.4 and BA.5 through the spring months, despite 90 percent of the population having some immunity against the virus. However, there wasn’t a sharp rise in deaths that accompanied the surge, and the wave was not as high as previous COVID-19 waves, according to The New York Times.
• Experts admit it’s still too early to predict what the latest subvariants may bring to the U.S. Knowing that the virus is spreading, however, should reinforce safety measures such as high-quality face masks, better air filtration, and course, vaccines. The best way to prevent new variants is
• BA.5 threatens to prolong the national rise in COVID-19 cases. The numbers of cases rose steadily throughout April and May as other highly transmissible Omicron subvariants spread nationwide, and numbers remained elevated through June.
Is your pharmacy looking for NEW CUSTOMERS?
Have your pharmacy participate in the growing animal pharmacy market projected to be over $18 billion dollars in 2022. Your pharmacy can provide its customers savings resulting in reduced prices and with greater convenience than traditional sources. Never any fees or monthly charges to be a member of Animal Med Express!
• Animal Med Express provides an extensive inventory of pet medications, OTC products and Nutritional Supplements.
Contact Us: sales.info@animalmedexpress.com | (615) 538-1424
Did you know that Wholesale Orders can be placed online through your retailer login? This simplifies the Wholesale Order process for you and reduces the amount of time required to have your order processed! Contact us for more information or to setup an account.
• Did you know that 68% of US Households (your customers) own at least one pet? Provide them pet meds from their trusted pharmacist – YOU!
• The monopoly of the vet selling animal prescriptions has changed! 42 states now have laws requiring the vet to issue a script to the animal owner.
• Typical margins for your pharmacy are in the range of 20-30%!
Dave Bigoness, President
Email: dave@animalmedexpress.com | Office: (615) 538-1424 | Fax: (858) 712-3877
• Receive the order at your pharmacy counter with existing staff – our web interface makes it easy to order products.
• Animal Prescription, OTC and Nutritional products, FDA and EPA Approved as required.
Source: ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) www.asha.org
8 pbahealth.com/elements
18 years
Pharmacists and consumers will soon reap the rewards of over-the-counter hearing aids
• A sudden onset of hearing loss in one or both
Asymmetrical hearing
ears
region
REFER TO AN AUDIOLOGIST IF THE PATIENT REPORTS:
• Greater than a perceived mild-to-moderate loss of hearing
I
The intention of OTC hearing aids is to help adults with mild to moderate hearing loss, according to the FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017. But consumers should keep in mind that hearing loss can sometimes be a symptom of an underlying health issue, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. “Consumers should have their hearing tested just like their eyesight.
• They’re than of
TRENDS
HEAR YE, HEAR YE
younger
•
f you haven’t already heard, put on your listening ears: A final rule was issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that will grant millions of Americans access to over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. Companies may begin selling these OTC devices as early as “Thismid-October.willallowconsumers to purchase hearing aids at retail stores and pharmacies without a prescription from a hearing care professional,” said Anthony Florek, president and cofounder of Soundwave Hearing.
• Ringing, roaring, or beeping in one or both
This is great news, as OTC hearing aids have the potential to make hearing aids more easily available to those who may not otherwise be able to afford them, and without the requirement a prescription. It also brings in additional revenue for pharmacies, provides easy, accurate testing, and offers instant results.
ears
• A history of exposure to ototoxic medications
• A history of chemotherapy or radiation to the neck and head
age
• They show signs of poor agility
Having OTC hearing aids available for sale in your community pharmacy will give you the opportunity to educate and counsel patients seeking hearing healthcare. This will be helpful in determining whether they’re suitable candidates for an OTC hearing aid or if they need to be referred to an audiologist. Listed below are some tips from the Hearing Health Foundation to help you recognize patients who may benefit from OTCs and those who may not.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR OTCs
It's also important that you learn how to communicate with people who have hearing loss. You’ll need good communication skills so that you know you’re being heard and understood by your patients. For example, making your face visible, reducing background noise, and in some cases, using a portable amplifier. Once OTC hearing aids hit the stores, you’ll be able to help your patients choose and select the right one for them with the Hear Me Now program, which allows pharmacies to stock hearing aids over the counter.
• They show signs of cognitive impairment
Call the PBA Health customer support team to learn more about the Hear Me Now program (816-245-5700). Or send an email to customersupport@pbahealth.com.
SIGNS THAT A PATIENT MAY BE A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR OTC
Pharmacists and audiologists will need to collaborate and foster a working relationship in their communities. Since OTC hearing aids will only be available for people with mild-tomoderate hearing loss and sold to those who are 18 years and older, consumers’ eligibility will need to be established. For those who don’t qualify for OTC hearing aids, pharmacists should have a plan for referring them to an audiologist. If you haven’t yet established a relationship with an audiologist, check out the website, Find an Audiologist, by the American Academy of Audiology that can help start that connection.
If a patient shows signs of dizziness, sudden hearing loss, pain or discomfort, discharge, or excessive earwax, a medical referral should be made. By consulting with a medical professional, your patient will be able to rule out an infectious disease or other trauma and receive medical treatment if needed.
ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER
SIGNS THAT A PATIENT MAY NOT BE A GOOD OTC CANDIDATE
They should make an appointment with a hearing professional to make sure they don’t overlook a serious medical condition that might be causing their hearing loss,” Florek said.
9ELEMENTS | The business magazine for independent pharmacy | SEPTEMBER 2022
• Their hearing loss falls within the mild-tomoderate range
• The patient has accurate and consistent perception of his or hearing ability
FROMU.S.DISORDERS,COMMUNICATIONNEARLY30MILLIONADULTSCOULDBENEFITHEARINGAIDS.
OTC hearing aids make it easy for consumers to find the one that works best for them, allowing them to control the settings without the help of a hearing-healthcare professional. Depending on the brand, consumers will have controls that provide a hearing test and adjustments to volume using a smartphone app.
• They have inappropriate expectations about the benefit of a hearing aid
lth’s Program with QC offers: Quality Choice focuses on providing your business with over-the-counter health, beauty, and wellness products in multiple categories. A leader in the industry with over 25 years of experience, we provide products with everyday savings for our customers.
Pharmacists & Customers Love QC Products!
Need assistance with your Quality Choice order or have questions? Contact Customer Care 800-333-8097 ext. 5707 | customercare@pbahealth.com Everyday savings for consumers with a 100% satisfaction guarantee Assistance with filling orders when your wholesalers are out of product stock Expedited order processing & shipping High margins An extensive selection of categories with over 700 SKUs Free merchandising and marketing services
PBA He a
“I LIKE TO CALL A PLANOGRAM A PLANOGUIDE BECAUSE IT GUIDES PHARMACISTS HOW TO SET THE SHELVES.”
S
THE HELPING HAND OF A PLANOGRAM
“Planograms are very valuable to independent pharmacies because the space in the front end of the store is typically limited and needs to generate a specific amount of profit per square foot,” said Kim Leach, National Account Manager at CDMA. “I like to call a planogram a plano guide because it guides pharmacists how to set the shelves. It allows the pharmacy to stock the best-selling, most profitable SKUs.”
ince the onset of the pandemic, you’ve probably noticed an upswing in customers and sales. But while customers pop in for prescriptions, pain relievers, or a box of disposable face masks or two, if they’re not sticking around to look at anything else, it’s time to devise a plan. A planogram, that is.
Planograms are visual diagrams that guide you on how to arrange retail shelves to maximize front-end sales. They show you exactly where to place your front-end products, based on research-backed factors indicating the products that should be profitable and turn quickly.
RETAIL
11ELEMENTS | The business magazine for independent pharmacy | SEPTEMBER 2022
Features: • A 3-Minute Hearing Test • State-of-the-Art Machine Learning • Follows the Conversation • Adapts to Your Sound Environment • Nearly Invisible The Sontro® Hearing Aids pair with the free otoTune® app that allows your customers to take a clinically validated hearing test from home that automatically programs the Sontro Hearing Aids to their hearing thresholds. OTC is Coming What is Your Strategy? Partner with Soundwave & PBA Health Create a Professional Account on: www.hearsoundwave.com Set up a meeting to discuss your OTC strategy: https://calendly.com/soundwave-hearing Email questions: support@hearsoundwave.com Sontro Hearing Aid Set-Up, Auditory Training & Hearing Coach Soundwave has partnered with Amptify to provide 1 month free of Amptify DTx and includes:
Think about how the shopper instinctively approaches the category. Sometimes this can mean arranging subcategories according to the natural progression of an illness. When a patient feels the onset of a cold, for example, they may first grab lip care and throat drops because dry lips and a sore throat are the first signs of a cold. Patients will find those items next to each other on the shelf along with other pre-cold products.
HOW TO STOCK YOUR FRONT END
Retailers will planogram the locations for clip strips. For example, you may find lip balm on a clip strip in another area of the store where the consumer might not find the lip balm on the shelf. Secondary placement creates an environment to capture the impulse purchase that might not happen otherwise.
Updates to planograms are made with the seasonality of a category. “For example, cough-and-cold products get released in summer prior to the launch of the new fall planogram. First-aid is released in late winter to the kick-off of the spring first-aid planogram. This allows the store to stock the right SKUs that are new to the category, remove discounted SKUs, and expand your private brand assortment,” said Leach.
While pharmacies have visits from manufacturers and distributor representatives to educate and help them merchandise products, they don’t occur nearly as much as they did years ago. Instead, planograms have replaced that store visit. What’s more, planograms can eliminate nearly all the front-end planning for the pharmacy, which lessens the amount of time and resources a pharmacy owner must sacrifice.
HOW PLANOGRAMS WORK
Planograms demonstrate how to arrange products based on general categories and subcategories. For example, cold and allergy is a general category, while cough drops, allergy, and cold and flu are subcategories.
When it comes to stocking the front end of your store, the top performing brands are vital to catching consumers' eyes. "Items to be stocked are the top performing brands, which drive sales through television and social media advertising," Leach said. Private brands are equally important, as they will deliver the most profit.
“Pharmacists are busy behind the pharmacy counter, and a planogram saves time in determining the best item selection for the shelf,” said Leach. “Planograms also bring analytical expertise to the front end along with guidance with best-in-class merchandising practices. An example would be merchandising a private brand next to the OTC it matches against and to merchandise the private brand to the right of the national brand.”
CLIP STRIPS
A PLANOGRAM’S PURPOSE
PLANOGRAMMED ENDCAPS DISPLAYED
13ELEMENTS | The business magazine for independent pharmacy | SEPTEMBER 2022
These save the pharmacist time from having to come out from behind the counter, and they can point right to the Pharmacist Recommended private brand endcap. Planogrammed endcaps and such as Allergy, Sun Care, Cough and Cold, First Aid etc. also create a secondary location to capture an impulse purchase if a customer does not walk down the OTC aisle.
Planograms also show how to arrange the products in a category by subcategory, and then individual SKUs (stock keeping units) within the allotted shelf space. “A category analyst reviews syndicated IRI data to identify underperforming SKUs, new items, and shifts taking place with the national brands in the marketplace,” said Leach. “Once the items are identified based on their ranking performance, a planogram is created for various store-size sets. For example, an eight-foot, cough-and-cold planogram will stock most SKUs, but a four-foot planogram will be cut back due to limited space. This is where the planogram is a very valuable tool.”
Not only do planograms bring in extra revenue through front-end sales, but they aren’t hard to follow. In fact, pharmacists can look at their planogram, make sure their shelves are set up correctly, and if needed, incorporate products that do well with their customer base.
When it comes to displaying these products, Leach recommends endcaps and clip strips.
With thousands of different front-end products per category, how does an independent pharmacy owner know what to sell?
PRODUCT
These are the items customers specifically go to a store to get, so they'll search for them no matter where they're positioned on a shelf. These items are typically on lower shelves.
These are the lifeblood of any category. Review all the new items released each month and consider earning potential, promotional spend, category growth, product orientation, and innovation.
“PHARMACISTS ARE BUSY BEHIND THE BEHIND THE PHARMACY COUNTER, AND A PLANOGRAM SAVES TIME IN DETERMINING THE BEST ITEM SELECTION FOR THE SHELF.”
NICHE ITEMS
To access Quality Choice store brand endcap planograms, please go to www.pbahealth.com/quality-choice/
“Everything has a shelf life. The benefit is that we’re keeping that shelf up to date with the planograms, and this is making their job easier,” said Leach.
Some manufacturers supply pharmacies direct support through marketing programs. These might include anything from advertisements and coupons to signage or online initiatives to help push sales.
PRODUCTS THAT ADDRESS SIDE EFFECTS
CONSIDERATIONSASSORTMENTCONEOFVISION
These are items that can only be found at their independent pharmacy, such as specialty supplements or local products.
The most profitable products typically go on the shelves 30 to 54 inches from the floor. This is the point where people’s vision rests, and it’s known as the cone of vision.
14 pbahealth.com/elements
As a pharmacist, be sure to stock over-thecounter items that resolve the common side effects of your top 50 prescribed medications. For example, some prescriptions may cause headaches, so be sure to stock pain relievers.
MANUFACTURER-SUPPORTED PRODUCTS
DESTINATION PRODUCTS
NEW ITEMS
Find out if patients have fallen within the past year, if they feel unsteady when they are standing or walking, or if they worry about falling. If patients answer “Yes” to any of these questions, it’s a signal to start providing important interventions and education.
Pharmacists can help address the risks of polypharmacy by providing medication therapy management (MTM) services.
ADDRESS POLYPHARMACY
Implement a medication adherence program like providing adherence packaging that sorts medications by the day and time they need to be taken. Then, patients can check the package to see if they’ve taken their evening dose or not.
Certain medications are particularly associated with an increase in falls, including: • ANTICONVULSANTS • ANTIDEPRESSANTS • ANTIPSYCHOTICS Drugs that affect the central nervous system also increase the risk of falls. Look out for medications with side effects like: • DIZZINESS • SEDATION • CONFUSION SPOTLIGHT ON POLYPHARMACY • BENZODIAZEPINES • OPIOIDS • SEDATIVE HYPNOTICS • BLURRED VISION • ORTHOSTATIC HYPERTENSION 15ELEMENTS | The business magazine for independent pharmacy | SEPTEMBER 2022
Polypharmacy, or when patients use multiple medications, is a major contributor to falls, according to a 2016 study published in Frontiers in Public Health. Around a quarter of older adults take five or more prescription medications, increasing their fall risk.
KEEPING STEADY
Reducing fall risk among older patients
SOLUTIONS
O
When a patient falls once, it doubles their chances of falling again. Because they are afraid of falling, some patients will become less active, which makes them weaker and actually increases their fall risk.Many patients who have fallen neglect to bring it up with healthcare professionals. To get them the help they need, the CDC’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries (STEADI) initiative recommends healthcare professionals ask their older patients a few questions to identify risk factors and implement fall prevention measures.
ne quarter of Americans aged 65 and older fall each year, according to the National Council on Aging. Falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults. The good news is that you can help reduce the risk of your patients falling.
Find out every medication the patient is taking, both prescription and over-the-counter medications and supplements. Analyze them for potential contraindications or duplications and look for ways to cut down on the number of drugs they are taking to reduce side effects.
Independent pharmacists are in an ideal position to help elderly patients prevent falls. Your expertise in drug therapy combined with your close relationship to your patients helps you to identify who is at risk, adjust their medication regimens, and provide counseling. For your older patients, falls are a serious threat. According to the CDC, one in five falls leads to a serious injury like broken bones or a head injury.
Paying attention to adherence can also help. Sometimes, patients forget they have taken a medication and take it again, doubling the dosages and leading to potential adverse side effects.
GAIT, STRENGTH, BALANCE
Common environmental causes of falls include
BE PROACTIVE
If you identify any of your patients as a fall risk, be sure to follow up with them in 30 to 90 days to find out if they feel more confident on their feet or if they’ve run into any barriers while implementing medication, environmental, or lifestyle changes.
IDENTIFY HAZARDS
HAZARD AWARENESS
In addition to medical conditions and medication usage, certain environmental factors can increase one’s fall risk. Ask your patients about what risk factors they may have hidden in their homes.
Your patients may not be aware of how these things can impact their risk of falling, so educating them to be more aware can help mitigate that risk.
Educate yourself further on fall risks by using the provider resources available through STEADI. The CDC and the American Pharmacists Association have also collaborated to create a free, accredited continuing education course on the pharmacist's role in fall prevention.
Patients who aren’t confident on their feet are more likely to fall, and you can screen for that by evaluating their gait, strength, and balance.Ifapatient has poor mobility, you can reduce their fall risk by referring them to a physical therapy program or recommending they start participating in evidence-based fall prevention programs like Tai Chi.
You can also help them make a plan to remedy some of these risk factors, like helping them find the right shoes to help their balance or connecting them with someone who can install safety measures like grab bars in their home.
POOR STAIRSINCORRECTPOORCLUTTEREDLIGHTINGLIVINGSPACESLIPPERYRUGSORTUBSCHOICEOFFOOTWEARLIVINGALONEUSEOFMOBILITYAIDSTHATAREPOORLYDESIGNEDORLACKHANDRAILS 16 pbahealth.com/elements
Drive more profit
Golf or business—you’re just trying to make it to the green. And an experienced caddie by your side can move you up the rankings. ProfitGuard experts won’t help your golf game, but we will make sure your business reaches the leaderboard.Withnearly 40 years of combined experience negotiating more than $13 billion in contracts with all wholesalers, your ProfitGuard caddies will help you determine the most advantageous course approach, then choose the course that plays to yourDon’tstrengths.tacklethe tour alone. Sink a better primary wholesaler contract with ProfitGuard.
6300 Enterprise Road Kansas City, Missouri | 64120 800.333.8097 | customercare@pbahealth.com By PBA Health
18 pbahealth.com/elements
COVID-19 vaccines right now, but I think we will be seeing a lot more added as they’re developed. I think Coronavirus has allowed physicians to say, ‘Hey, your local pharmacy can do this for you.’ We don’t have as much PBM regulation on the vaccines as we do on prescription drugs, Harmon, owner and
“It’s a survival thing for independent pharmacies. We try to do as much upselling and cross-selling as we can,” Harmon said. “In my pharmacies, we do nutrition depletion as well as a vitamin line we carry that’s designed for nutrient depletion. If we see patients on stat drugs, hypertension, or diabetes, we have supplements we recommend to them for the nutrient depletions that come with those medications.”
19ELEMENTS | The business magazine for independent pharmacy | SEPTEMBER 2022
Visiting a pharmacy for a test is much easier for patients than going are also able to take more time to talk with patients and answer questions than a primary doctor. Also in the patients’ favor is the ease of following up on test results. In some states, pharmacies can assess the test results and prescribe what’s needed at the same time. Plus, when increase their own
Have you ever wondered how many of your patients might have nutritional deficiencies caused by the drugs they’re taking? Maybe you have, and maybe you haven’t. If not, now is a good time to hone in. Many drug-induced nutritional deficiencies can be blamed on numerous drugs dispensed in pharmacies. To compensate for this, many of your patients are buying nutritional supplements from other places, and they’re not always beneficial to their health or even the nutrients that their body needs. Hint. Hint. This is the perfect time to train your pharmacy team to build relationships with customers and make product suggestions based off the medications they’re picking up. Upselling supplements to offset nutrient depletion is a win-win opportunity, and your pharmacy team is key to making this happen.
“We can do testing like COVID, strep, and the flu, that you’d otherwise have to have done at a doctor’s office,” Harmon said. “This has become a new revenue stream for most independentPharmacistspharmacies.”arealsoable to take more time to talk with patients and answer questions than a primary doctor. The ease of following up on test results is also in the patients’ favor, and in some states, pharmacies can assess the test results and prescribe what’s needed at the same time.
All over the U.S., pharmacies are noticing success with administering vaccines and immunizations. This convenient service helps pharmacies gain recognition among medical practices and their patients for the
Many states will also allow pharmacists to perform screening tests for such chronic conditions as HIV and Hep C. You can also play a part in monitoring chronic medications and diseases by checking A1c and INR levels. These tests will make it a lot easier for pharmacists to help monitor and make recommendations for their patient’s chronic medications.
TRAIN YOUR TEAM TO CROSS-SELL AND UPSELL
EDUCATIONAL CLASSES
If you haven’t already, consider partnering with long-term care facilities to try and gain contracts with them. This is an important and profitable step in your marketing plan that can help bring in new revenue. Helping the at-risk population by developing programs and strategies has been shown to improve patient care and lower total medical costs. For instance, more and more independent pharmacies are offering weight-loss clinics. They help with dietary and nutritional information, monitoring clinical data including weight loss, and they guide patients to a healthier lifestyle. Because these programs are not paid for and managed by PBMs, you have full control of your profits as you help your patients.
20 pbahealth.com/elements
While not a substitute for one-on-one consultations, classes are a resource that can lead more patients into the store in the future and provide more revenue. Pharmacies can wellness, smoking cessation, weight loss, and diabetes care, to name a few. You can also offer your patients ensure you’re helping them now and into the future.
CHECK YOUR PHARMACY’S LAYOUT
Your pharmacy’s layout primarily refers to arrangement of fixtures in the front end, and
“We have a new service we haven’t kicked off yet,” Harmon said. “We’re still in the training phases of it. It’s a cognitive testing device. We intend to work with local physicians who have older patients who are showing signs of Alzheimer’s or memory loss of some kind. We can give them a cognitive test, and every six months we can retest to see where the patient is. All physicians have right now are questions to try to determine that, whereas our new service is set up to an actual computer program that will give an accurate assessment of their cognitive skills at that point. This, too, will offer another revenue stream for community pharmacists.”
Supplements aren’t the only thing you can upsell, though. Any time you chat with a patient or have them fill out a form, it’s an opportunity to gather data that can be used later on. Add your own questions to the forms that you know will aid you in better helping your patients. Ask questions like, “Are you having issues with anxiety or sleep?” Or “Are you taking a probiotic or multivitamin?” Be sure to get an email address from your patients, too. Some of this may sound a bit daunting, but you’ll see that patients actually enjoy interacting with their pharmacy team.
PARTNER WITH OTHER PROVIDERS OR ORGANIZATIONS
SMELL
• Home safety
• Arrange speakers for optimal acoustics
• No “operating room” smells
When your patients first walk into your store, they encounter the decompression zone. This is the first ten to twelve feet of space just after the entrance. This area is the space where everybody relaxes in their new environment. It puts everyone into a calmer mindset, so keep it free of advertisements and merchandise. From here, most people will turn to the right and work through the store counterclockwise. Most stores place a display called a power wall directly to the right of the door. It contains their highest-margin products or premium products they’re interested in promoting. The tendency of people to move counterclockwise is also why many pharmacies, depending on the location of the entrance, put the pharmacy counter in the back of the store. This is so shoppers will make the whole loop around the front end and run into a few speed bumps along the way. Speed bumps slow them down. They make your customers stop and look at something they may not have thought about before. Draw them in with interactive or demonstrative displays. From here, you can begin to draw up your layout.
• Use well-placed diffusers
TOUCH
• Avoid musty and stale smells
• Make end caps sharp
• Avoid advertisements of competitors
• Caffeine-free herbal tea
21ELEMENTS | The business magazine for independent pharmacy | SEPTEMBER 2022
SIGHT
• Find a good balance – not too strong, not too weak
• Incontinence
• Use colors to set the mood
Are you ready to jazz up your front end to entice your patients and increase your revenue? Here are some great tips that will engage all five senses in your pharmacy and spice up your front-end appeal.
• Avoid anything controversial or harsh
THE FRONT-END FIVE
how you want your space to flow and present your merchandise. The best layouts increase sales at every stage of the shopper’s journey through your store. It interrupts their natural flow of walking through the store and engages them in some of the things you’re trying to sell that they might not have looked at otherwise.
• Condition-specific products for patients you consult
• Nutritional bars or drinks
• Be sure all signs are clean, crisp, and easy to read
• Bath
• Set up displays artistically
Remember: The science behind the layout of your pharmacy is about money. The best layouts will increase sales at every stage of the shopper’s journey through your store.
• Hosiery
• Skin care
• Cosmetics
• Don’t play loud music or volatile volume
“IF YOU DO IT WELL, REVENUE’S GOING TO FOLLOW, AND YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE PEOPLE COME TO YOU.”
• Muted floral or herb scents work well
TASTE
• Use quality speakers
• Know your patients’ tastes
• Natural fruit smoothies
• Gluten-free baked treats
• Brighten things up with natural light, if possible
SOUND
The traditional grid floor plan allows you to maximize the use of your available floor space to display the most products.
LOOP/RACETRACK
FREE FORM
“OUR STORE IS OUR PRODUCT, AND WE HAVE TO SELL THAT PRODUCT AND OUR SERVICE TO THEM.”
22 pbahealth.com/elements
COMBINATION
How effective is your design and layout? Merchandise that you want patients to see and buy should be displayed, not old products collecting dust on outdated endcaps. Most of your foot traffic is in areas next to the prescription counter and aisles leading to checkout registers. Rotate products in and out of these areas on a regular basis, and don’t forget the end-of-aisle displays. Make each display eye-catching and current. By relocating merchandise to these highly trafficked locations, you’re drawing customers in and influencing their buying decisions. Plus, you’re potentially adding dollars to your sales. “Community pharmacists have an advantage over the chains,” Harmon says. “We own our stores and can say what we want stocked in them, unlike the chains. We can sell what we think we need and be most profitable with. We get to dictate that ourselves and not have anyone else do it for us.”
The loop floor plan forces customers to walk a certain path, giving you complete control over traffic flow and guaranteeing extra exposure to your products.
Have you looked at your pharmacy’s front end lately? If not, take some time to look at it from a customer’s point of view. Because it’s the first thing your customers see, you want it to invite them in, not send them out the door. The front end, if done correctly, can bring in quite a bit of revenue for your pharmacy.
You can also stock or quickly acquire special-order items for your patients, plus cater to your patient demographic by ordering items the area demands. And as time goes on, staying on top of changing the merchandise and layout of the store can help keep things fresh and eye-catching. Changing up your front end can produce enormous profits.
The combination floor plan utilizes multiple floor plans to suit your store’s particular needs and strengths.
The free form floor plan allows you to prominently and creatively highlight products and provides an attractive, comfortable space for customers to walk through.
GIVE THE FRONT END AN OVERHAUL
GRID
BASIC FLOOR PLANS
The area around a store entrance where the
23ELEMENTS | The business magazine for independent pharmacy | SEPTEMBER 2022
DECOMPRESSION ZONE
THE LINGO OF THE LAYOUT KEY TERMS TO KNOW
BETTER
02 inmar.com | solutions@inmar.com | (866) 440-6917
R x RETURNS
DSCSA PHARMACY COMPLIANCE
Cloud-based subscription service that streamlines DSCSA medication track and trace requirements, enabling transparency and regulatory compliance for your pharmacy.
Inmar’s Rx Recon and Collections Services mitigate receivables risk, improve cash flow and deliver critical business-building intelligence.
USP <800> PHARMACY COMPLIANCE Subscription-based service providing an annual Assessment of Risk for handling hazardous drugs to protect your staff and patients.
Inmar’s product bundle is designed to increase productivity, store traffic, and profitability. Select the solutions that best meet your pharmacy’s needs and we keep it simple with one contract and measurable ROI. EFFICIENCY. PROFIT.
04
BETTER WORKFLOW. BETTER
0503
CONSUMER DRUG TAKE-BACK
R x RECON AND COLLECTIONS
This customer-friendly, secure medication take-back program generates publicity, community goodwill and store traffic while supporting efforts to combat prescription drug abuse and helping to protect the environment from the effects of improper drug disposal.
01
Our clients recognize up to 25% more credit by leveraging Inmar’s returns management solution. Available on-site service combined with RxReturns Intel™ dashboards ensures robust reporting, enhanced visibility, maximum returns credit and manufacturer policy compliance.
For example, average rebates for generic compliance can range from $2,300 a month for the lowest tier to $17,500. That’s a lot of money to overlook.
ou live by the set-in-stone issues faced by community pharmacies every day. The dog-eat-dog competitive business environment. The constantly changing pricing, laws, regulations and restrictions. And the ever-decreasing third-party reimbursements.
While you can’t change them, you can control your operations, which begins with managing your inventory and optimizing your purchasing. This part of your business is so important because of the monumental cost of your pharmacy’s inventory, which makes up 80 percent of an average pharmacy’s total expenses. How can you better manage inventory and optimize purchasing? Your primary wholesaler agreement is the first place to start.
Yes, you could save $10 here or there. But that might push your GCR from 20 percent to 19.99 percent—dropping you down a performance tier and decreasing your rebate for the month. For the average pharmacy that .01 percent difference could result in $3,000 of lost
A BETTER COST OF GOODS
What can you do to change these bedrock challenges?
Byrebates.tracking
every item you purchase line by line, you can also ensure that your wholesaler is actually giving you the discounts and rebates agreed to in your primary contract.
Y
Wholesalers use a tiered system to determine how much your rebate will be. If 10 percent of your volume is generics, you might expect a rebate of about 10 percent. A 15 percent volume might produce a 20 percent rebate. And so on.
secondary or primary wholesaler?
Do you have the time?
make most of their money on generics, so they incentivize pharmacists to purchase more through a measurement known as the generic compliance ratio aware of your GCR, you may not be using and you may not realize how much cash you’re leaving unclaimed.
You know your primary wholesaler contract is the most important key to the future of your business. But do you know it well enough to unlock the best cost of goods for your pharmacy? Many pharmacists think they do, but they don’t. These contracts are notoriously and purposely complicated documents that can run 30 pages long. Once signed, the details of this contract are often not top ofWholesalersmind.
SPOTLIGHT
You might find that you’ve been spreading out your purchases to too many different secondary suppliers. What’s wrong with that? Shouldn’t you buy what’s cheaper, regardless of whether it’s from a
REVIEW YOUR BUYING BEHAVIOR
25ELEMENTS | The business magazine for independent pharmacy | SEPTEMBER 2022
ProfitGuard helps you hold the line
KNOW YOUR CONTRACT
To be successful, all you have to do is negotiate the best deal on your primary wholesaler contract, make sure you know every jot and tittle, track each purchase you make, correctly calculate your GCR and ensure your wholesaler follows through.
In order to optimize your rebates, you need to know exactly where you stand each month and each day before you make a purchase. Track your generic purchases versus your brand purchases for the last few months. How does it stack up against your wholesaler’s rebate structure?
“I feel like I have an army on my side with ProfitGuard,” said Taylor. “ProfitGuard worked for us. It helped us see the way we were purchasing was hurting us. We literally doubled our rebates.”
ProfitGuard, a service from PBA Health, can help. ProfitGuard forms groups of community pharmacies and uses that group’s combined purchasing volume to negotiate better terms, pricing and discounts for everyone. They also engage multiple wholesalers to bid for the group’s business, which earns you an even better deal.
“I signed my primary wholesaler agreement not because I trusted the wholesaler, but because I trusted PBA Health,” said Tawnee Taylor, PharmD and owner of Roy’s Discount Pharmacy in Wilburton, Oklahoma.
PROFITGUARD WILL HELP YOUR BOTTOM LINE
These analytical tools haven’t failed to improve a pharmacy’s profits or operations, with some users reporting an average increase of 2%-6% in overall profitability and a reduction in time spent ordering from a couple of hours a day to a few minutes a day.
26 pbahealth.com/elements
ProfitGuard negotiation experts know what to ask for and what to look for to deliver the best possible contract that suits your pharmacy. You direct the negotiations, decide which wholesalers you want to bid on your business and determine the specific provisions you want included in your contract. You receive a selection of contract options throughout.
The model’s advanced technology delivers each ProfitGuard pharmacy an individual report with simple step-by-step purchasing recommendations. The comparison shopping is done for you, so you can easily see if there is a lower price on a comparable product you purchase. It also shows you where you currently stand for the month. If you can’t save that day on your purchases, you won’t get recommendations.Withthisdata,combined with the details of the primary wholesaler contract, they are able to model the most efficient, effective and profitable ways to purchase what the pharmacy needs by also taking into account market demands and daily fluctuations in costs or shortages.
You might say the team examines data at a microlevel to improve and maximize your overall macro-purchasing behavior.
ProfitGuard doesn’t stop at contract negotiation—it’s an endto-end purchasing solution. ProfitGuard experts use a sophisticated modeling system that takes everything into account: your contract incentives, every purchase from the last 90 days, trends, current prices, availability, volume commitments, personal preferences and more. With this data, combined with the details of the primary wholesaler contract, they are able to model the most efficient, effective and profitable ways to purchase what the pharmacy needs by also taking into account market demands and daily fluctuations in costs or shortages.
Protect Your Assets
Safeguard Vaccines, Irreplaceable Samples, and Sensitive Environments with OneVue Sense™
Copyright ©2022 Primex, Inc. The Primex and OneVue logos are registered trademarks of Primex, Inc.
• Reporting: Limit manual paperwork with automated cloud-based data logging and on-demand report generation for auditing and compliance
Temperature Humidity Water Leak Pressure Contact Closure
• Temperature Range: Meet any storage unit temperature requirements with sensors that monitor from -328 °F to 302 °F (-200 °C to 150 °C)
Beyond temperature monitoring, the OneVue Sense portfolio offers additional environmental monitoring solutions like Differential Pressure Sensors to help ensure a sterile environment in compounding pharmacies. Also, Indoor Air Quality, Contact Closure, and Water Leak monitoring can be easily added to the OneVue Sense system and have the same alert and data logging capabilities to make for safe, efficient, and compliant facilities.
• Real-Time Alerts: Stay informed and updated with local device alarms plus phone call, text message, and email alerts for out-of-range conditions
Contact Primex www.primexinc.com/onevue-senseinfo@primexinc.comtoday!855-602-2934
OneVue Sense Environmental Monitoring
28 pbahealth.com/elements
I
The economic order quantity model of inventory management helps you find out the ideal quantity of merchandise to buy per order to minimize those costs.
Six strategies for mastering inventory management
Maximizing Inventory Turnover
A high inventory turnover rate means you are selling your inventory quickly. The average independent pharmacy turns over its inventory 11 times a year.
When you have inventory in your pharmacy, you incur costs related to holding, ordering, and shortages.
With so much money on the line, mastering inventory management becomes a crucial skill. These inventory management formulas will help you keep a tight grip on your inventory management for a more profitable pharmacy.
NOW IN STOCK
Inventory turnover rate = Annualized inventory cost of goods / total inventory
• Measure your inventory accurately. If you're eyeballing your inventory, you may not have a true sense of how things are moving.
The economic order quantity method can help you get
• Stock items that patients actually want. This may mean
Economic order quantity = The square root of [(2 x annual product quantity x ordering costs) / Holding costs]
Your inventory turnover rate is how many times you turn over your inventory in a given year. It's calculated with items from your balance sheet using this formula:
It’s determined using this formula:
ECONOMIC ORDER QUANTITY
MONEY
If you have an inventory turnover rate of less than 10, that's a sign you need to focus on inventory management.
INVENTORY TURNOVER RATE
nventory is the crux of every independent pharmacy business, and it’s also the costliest expense.
29ELEMENTS | The business magazine for independent pharmacy | SEPTEMBER 2022
When you have a slim net profit percentage (or worse, a negative net profit) that can be a sign that the costs associated with holding and ordering inventory are high compared to the income earned from sales.
To improve looking for ways to streamline your inventory management process or reduce other overhead expenses associated with running the pharmacy.
30 pbahealth.com/elements
When using the ABC analysis, you’ll change your approach to inventory management based on the category. Because your A items are extremely high value, you'll pay more attention to them. You'll perform cycle counts more frequently to ensure you know where you stand and reorder more often to ensure you never run out.For B and C items, you may cycle count less frequently and set less aggressive reorder points.
When using ABC analysis, you categorize your inventory into three groups: A items, B items, and C items.
Setting ABC Categories
• A items: 10 percent of inventory, 70 percent of sales
The advantage of this method is that it lets you stay within a tightly controlled budget and gives you tight reins on your cash flow. If your forecasts are good, you'll always have enough inventory to meet
However,demand.for your forecasts to be helpful, you have to dig deep into your past sales data to make accurate forecasts. In a situation where demand often changes from month to month, you'll have to constantly recalculate the formula to find an appropriate budget.
• B items: 20 percent of inventory, 20 percent of sales
• C items: 70 percent of inventory, 10 percent of sales
ABC ANALYSIS
How you categorize items will depend on your pharmacy, but they often break down along these lines:
The open-to-buy method of inventory management helps you create a monthly budget for your inventory.
To find out how much you can spend each month, use this formula:
Monthly inventory spending available = Planned sales + Planned markdowns + Planned end-of-month inventoryPlanned beginning of month inventory
For more control when using the open-to-buy method, you can use the ABC analysis method to create a budget for each of your three product categories.
Although the ABC analysis is not technically a formula, it is a helpful method for optimizing your inventory management.
As you might guess, your A items are the most important items in your inventory. Even though they probably are a small percentage of the items on your shelves, they make up the majority of yourOnsales.the other end of the spectrum, C items make up a lot of what your pharmacy stocks, but don't account for a large portion of your sales. B items fall somewhere in the middle.
OPEN TO BUY
The net profit percentage is designed to be looked at over time. One snapshot of the metric won’t tell you much, but if it’s going up or down over time, that can be a big picture indicator of whether your inventory strategy is working.
Headquartered in Bastian, V.A., InSource, Inc. is an NABP® Certified Wholesale Distributor serving Independent Medical Distributors and Independent Retail Pharmacies for over three decades. InSource operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, with a large selection of Brand and Generic injectables, vaccines, gloves, medsurg, disposables, consumables, lab, equipment, and other medical supplies commonly used in the practitioner, pharmacy, occupational health, industrial health, and home health care space. Since its inception in 1991, InSource has been providing independent distributors and pharmacies with quality products and unparalleled service! www.insourceonline.com • 1-800-366-3829 VAST SELECTION – Med-Surg, Diagnostics, Disposables, Pharmaceuticals, Equipment, and so much more! – Over 80,000 VALUE-ADDEDproductsSERVICES–PersonalAccountManagers–FreeShippingonmostorders over $250.00 – Just-In-Time Inventory – Multiple Distribution Centers COMPLIANCETECHNOLOGY–24/7OnlineOrdering–CustomerSupport–CustomizedReporting–ShipmentTrackingCapabilities–BudgetManagementandCreation–FreeonlineaccesstoPedigreeinformation–VerifiedAccreditedWholesaleDistributor®
“Research shows only about 20 percent of a person’s health and well-being is driven by access to healthcare and the quality of those services” said Jake Galdo, PharmD, MBA, co-founder and CEO of Seguridad, a startup that offers the first measurement system for community pharmacies. According to “Going Beyond Clinical Walls: Solving Complex Problems,” a white paper from the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, the remaining 80 percent is related to socioeconomic factors such as education, income, job status, community safety, family and social support, physical environment, and individual health behaviors such as tobacco or alcohol use.
The leading cause is a broad mix of factors generally referred to as “social determinants of health.” These determinants are a potent mix of volatile variables in the environment where people are born, live, work, play, worship, and age, and they affect their health, ability to function, and quality-of-life risks and outcomes.
“RESEARCH SHOWS ONLY ABOUT 20 PERCENT OF A PERSON’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IS DRIVEN BY ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE AND THE QUALITY OF THOSE SERVICES.”
T
In addition, Healthy People 2030 is the federal government’s agenda to build a healthier nation, according to the Office of Disease Prevention & Health Promotion. It organizes social determinants
into five broad categories: Economic Stability, Education, Health and Health Care, Neighborhood and Built Environment, and Social and Community Context.
OUTLOOK
wo babies are born in two ZIP codes just five miles apart in Philadelphia. One can expect to live about 20 years longer than the other. The same is true in Miami, Richmond, or many other places in the United States, according to the Center on Human Needs at Virginia Commonwealth University.
32 pbahealth.com/elements
EDUCATION
NEIGHBORHOOD/PHYSICALENVIRONMENT
Housing, safety, reliable transportation, parks, and playgrounds
Discrimination,
33ELEMENTS | The business magazine for independent pharmacy | SEPTEMBER 2022
POVERTY
LACK OF ACCESS TO CLEAN AIR AND WATER
Employment, income, housing, debt, and expenses
COMMUNITY support systems, social integration, and community engagement
HOUSING INSTABILITY
ECONOMIC STABILITY
Literacy, language, early childhood education, vocational training, and higher ed
ENGAGE,
BEYOND THE PHYSICAL
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH PHARMACIES?
What if your patient can’t afford medications, health insurance, or health procedures?
“COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS REFER, AND CONNECT PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES—THEY ARE TRUSTED SOLUTION-FINDERS.”
Hunger or lack of reliable access to affordable, nutritious food
Nimit Jindall, PharmD, congressional aide, outlined four specific barriers that can affect a patient’s medication compliance at the American Pharmacists Association 2022 Annual Meeting & Exposition.
What if your patient doesn’t have a refrigerator to store their medications?
LACK OF EDUCATION
What if your patient doesn’t have the ability to understand the care plan provided by their physician or how to take what might be multiple medications?
What if your patient’s water supply is full of lead or the air supply has contaminants?
FOOD INSECURITY
NATURAL SOLUTIONS
“While a good start, many of the patients who need the most help don’t respond to email or won’t answer a phone call from an unknown number,” Galdo pointed out.
Much of that time may be reimbursable, specifically medication optimization, vaccine hesitancy counseling, or a host of screenings, referrals, and assessments. Galdo recommended using Z-code categories to document such work.
REASSESS COMMUNITY NEEDS
Galdo, who’s also a community pharmacist at Ross Bridge Pharmacy in Hoover, Alabama, and former assistant professor of pharmacy practice at McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Samford University, said the challenge isn’t as imposing as it may seem.
Are you optimizing the time and the skills of your pharmacy techs? Galdo said you may already have a community health guru on staff. “They might be interested in training as a community health worker,” Galdo said. Generally, a high school diploma is required, with either a one-year certification or a two-year associate degree covering ethics, wellness, and cultural awareness.
“Examine services you already offer and build from there,” he advised. Say your pharmacy offers delivery service. While a popular point of differentiation from competitors, it can also address the social issue of reliable transportation. Go the extra mile and train drivers to notice such telling signs as an overgrown yard, rickety porch stairs, or unsafe conditions. Then, connect your patient to available resources.
NATURAL RESULTS
While advising a patient with type 2 diabetes, Jindall realized two things: the patient’s disease wasn’t controlled, and they took multiple meds to treat the same condition. Plus, they underdosed their insulin to stretch their supply and avoided dental appointments to save money for rent.
Determine what will have the most long-term impact and focus there.
As national awareness rises, commercial payers, healthcare providers and local, state, and federal governments are addressing social determinants to health by implementing a variety of initiatives.Forexample, some Medicare Advantage plans include payment to address residential pest control. “While this is a factor not traditionally viewed as a healthcare issue, a rodent or cockroach infestation can trigger allergies and asthma or exacerbate COPD,” said Galdo. “It’s less expensive and more efficient to pay for pest control than a hospital stay.”
Such complications, he maintained, positively position community pharmacies to lead efforts simply by doing more of what they have always done—develop ongoing, long-term, and trusted personal and professional relationships with patients, their families, and their support systems.
Identify the structures and policies that allow the most pernicious inequities.
34 pbahealth.com/elements
Think about the things you can or can’t control,
Galdo also advocated integrating a community health worker into your pharmacy. “Community health workers engage, refer, and connect patients and their families—they are trusted solution-finders,” said Galdo. “They free up the pharmacist and team to spend more time working with patients and creating new opportunities.”
NATURAL ADVOCATES
BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS AND COALITIONS
Reflect on changes, internal biases, and determine future goals.
DEVELOPING AND ADVOCATING FOR POLICY CHANGES
What can community pharmacists do
He also mentioned that many national commercial payers are investing in personal health navigators to assist members with common chronic conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, by calling or sending an email.
www.fillmastersystems.com | 800.884.5771 ext. 402 | info@flav WATER, FLAVOR AND SMILES AT THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON Fully Automated Flavoring Automated Reconstitution Full Color Touch Screen Includes RO Water Filtration Wifi & Ethernet Compatible Access to Flavoring Recipes 24/7 Customer Support Base Price: $3,995 You TotalSave:-$300Price:$3,695 Turn Medicine Time into Treat Time with FLAVORx for Pets800.884.5771www.flavorx.com|info@flavorx.comwww.flavorx.com/for-pets800.884.5771|vetinfo@flavorx.com Automate Dispensing and Save Time with the FLAVORx Auto
Sight impacts taste almost as much as flavor and smell.
FLAVORx Color Dose syringes are a cost-neutral way for your pharmacy to provide parents and children with a better, more memorable wellness experience.
Order now at www.rainbowdose.com
Translucent colored syringes give children the perception they are swallowing the flavor they chose for their medicine.
A unique, inexpensive way for your pharmacy to help parents administer medication to their children.
