Many pharmacy trends have taken center stage over the last few years. The long-term care at-home model is rapidly gaining traction. Med sync is becoming less of a pharmacy innovation and more of the industry standard. And how can we ignore the growing role artificial intelligence plays in the pharmacy industry?
Then we have pharmacy deilvery. A popular pharmacy service in large part to the COVID pandemic, pharmacy delivery is quickly becoming pharmacy staple. It's the best of both worlds — it maximizes patient convenience to new levels while doing wonders for your pharmacy’s profits.
Here are the whats, whys, and hows of pharmacy delivery.
As we just mentioned, pharmacy delivery is a growing trend in the indsutry. The pandemic has pushed patient convenience to the forefront of a pharmacy’s success. In short, if you’re not making it convenient for your patients, they’ll go elsewhere.
Pharmacy delivery is especially beneficial if your pharmacy is in densely populated urban area. Driving to a pharmacy in peak rush hour can be a time management nightmare.
Pharmacy delivery lightens that load for your patients, all the while getting their medication. Happy patients, happy pharmacy (that doesn’t rhyme, unfortunately but the point still stands!).
Now, more than ever, patients are placing a high premium on convenience. Everyday life leaves a precious few hours of free time — your patients likely don’t want to spend that precious currency waiting in line for their medications. But they will spend actual currency to get their medications delivered right at their door.
As mentioned in the beginning, med sync is now a staple of a pharmacy’s workflow. It provides consistency in an industry where the unexpected is to be expected. What's more, med sync gives your pharmacy a consistent revenue stream.
Med sync walked so pharmacy delivery can run (or drive). Pharmacy delivery is a superb and proven way to promote patient adherence. Your patients know what medications are getting delivered at a given time.
Even if they get their medications in two shipments, they know which specific medications are coming their way. All in all, pharmacy delivery is an unexpected proponent of medication education — all because you delivered their medications.
Now we know the “why” of pharmacy delivery. Let's see how you can integrate into your current pharmacy’s workflow.
First, let’s dispell the myth that pharmacy delivery can only work if you turn your workflow upside down. Your delivery services are meant to compliment your pharmacy, not the other way around.
Your workflow is what it is for a reason — it’s tailor-made to your community and their specific needs. That’s why you pick the pharmacy software you pick, and why you should do the same with your pharmacy delivery services.
Take VPL for example. An industry-renowned shipping and compliance solution (and a PioneerRx partner), they make it their business to make your business and pharmacy delivery services thrive and prosper.
Their TrajectRx solution helps control costs for both your pharmacy and patients, while making patient safety their top priority. On top of it all, they integrate with PioneerRx software, leaving your pharmacy workflow undisturbed.
Patient safety takes many forms. Whether we’re talking about your patient’s well-being or safeguarding their private information, every service you provide should contain the highest level of care and discretion.
We’ve had Amazon mess up our packages at some point. However, the consequences are much more dire when it comes to patient medications. No matter how small, an error in the delivery process puts your patients’ health and privacy in jeopardy.
VPL knows the importance of patient safety when it cmoes to pharmacy delivery.
Says VPL Director of Pharmacy Amanda Awe, “When you consider the degree of time, training, effort and investment that goes into filling a prescription, and then the complete lack of adequate tools to support the safe delivery to patients, it’s no wonder distribution errors are 5 times more common than dispensing errors.”
She continues, “The last mile requires a clinically-minded lens both from a technology and services perspective because the end user here is a patient! Anything we can do to make it safer and easier for pharmacists to provide the best care and experience to patients is a win for everyone.”
Patient safety is a chain reaction: an efficient and effective workflow ensures correct medication dispensing, meaning your patients take the medications how they’re supposed to.
Add a pharmacy delivery solution like VPL’s TrajectRx that prioritizes patient safety and privacy your pharmacy becomes a bonafide pillar of the community.
Expand your outreach with pharmacy delivery services. Delivering prescriptions to your patients’ door makes the patient experience more convenient for those leading busy lives. Pharmacy delivery is also a necessity for those with disabilities or who have no transportation.
While it is convenient, some patients depend on pharmacy delivery because it’s the only way they can get their medications. While offering more services can provide additional revenue streams, the real value is how they pave the way for a brighter health journey.
As with all your pharmacy services, make sure your pharmacy delivery services epitomize what your pharmacy is about: providing exceptional patient care efficiently and safely. With an effective pharmacy delivery solution, your patient care will know no bounds
