Putting Patients First: The Lasting Impact on Pharmacies

There’s no question that for the independent pharmacies that serve their communities, patient experience is the #1 priority. You operate upon the idea that small, local pharmacies can best deliver personalized, quality care — and you’re 100% right in that thinking.

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What you might not have considered is the economic benefits of patient-centered care. Putting patients first and centering your pharmacy around the patient experience isn’t only better for health outcomes: but it can also have a lasting, positive impact on your practice. 

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Let’s explore how putting patients first can make all the difference for long-lasting pharmacy success. 

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A Team-Oriented Approach to Healthcare

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When you put patients first and adopt patient-centered practices, your pharmacy can play a much larger role in individual patients’ healthcare journeys. But what is patient-centered care?

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Patient-centered care is a form of delivering healthcare that stems from integrated care, which is a way to coordinate health services to better address a patient’s physical, mental, behavioral, and social needs.

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services defines patient-centered care as “integrated health care services delivered in a setting and manner that is responsive to individuals and their goals, values, and preferences, in a system that supports good provider-patient communication and empowers individuals receiving care and providers to make effective care plans together.”

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This means your collaboration with physicians would increase, but you also might offer more services like MTM, testing, and other procedural services — and you could collect a co-pay and gain other financial benefits from performing these services. 

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Opening the Lines of Pharmacist-Patient Communications

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Pharmacies can also maximize the impact of patient-centered care by prioritizing enhanced communications for better adherence and increased visits to your pharmacy.

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It’s a lot to ask for your pharmacy to have an ongoing dialogue on a 1:1 basis with every patient, but you can automate communications to improve patient (and your practice’s) outcomes. Systems, like Nimble, automate key communications like refill reminders to boost adherence while also encouraging patients to check out their prescriptions in a timely manner with your practice. 

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By communicating frequently with patients you can also get more chances to explain all your pharmacy has to offer beyond filling prescriptions such as selling OTCs, offering services like vaccinations, and much more. These additional services you offer can be incredibly convenient for patients, but also beneficial for your pharmacy’s long-term financial success by diversifying revenue streams.

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If you’re interested in how platforms like Nimble can help you more effectively center patients for your practice and streamline the refill process, set up a time to chat with one of our team members.

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