It’s no secret that independent pharmacies are facing a variety of challenges that threaten their survival. PBMs, shrinking reimbursements, and chain pharmacies are constantly putting pressure on independent pharmacies.
Doug Niedermann, PharmD, owner of Blairs Ferry Family Pharmacy, is no stranger to these challenges. Although it would have been easy to feel discouraged, Niedermann was committed to finding a solution to give his pharmacy a boost.
“We decided to purchase the RapidPakRx when we did, because we saw strip packaging as the wave of the future,” says Niedermann. “We wanted to help patients stay compliant with their medications and be ahead of the curve and do things that other pharmacies weren't doing at the time.”
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Better Health Outcomes
Payers are increasingly focused on improving patient health outcomes, putting pressure on both pharmacists and physicians. Low adherence negatively impacts the patient, but also influences the reimbursements healthcare providers receive. Low adherence ratings can often mean higher financial penalties for healthcare providers.
“We had providers coming to us asking if there was any way we could help them with their patients to meet their goals by taking their medications,” says Niedermann. “We saw that as a great opportunity to make the investment so we could bring in more patients, and these doctors can meet their outcomes goals.”
Having better adherence outcomes also increases physician referrals. “We're able to go and market ourselves differently to patients and providers because we are now offering a unique service to the area to help with patient adherence, so we've been able to bring in more patients and offer a unique service,” adds Niedermann.
Growing Script Volume
“Prior to purchasing the RapidPakRx we were using regular plastic med boxes to offer a compliance solution and we found it was just inconvenient for us as a staff because it was time-consuming,” says Niedermann. Manually filling each med box requires a significant amount of staff labor and is more susceptible to human error.
“It just wasn't really scalable to meet the needs of the patients anymore,” says Niedermann.
“Before we purchased the RapidPakRx we were only doing maybe 10 patients on the compliance option that we were offering and since we moved to the RapidPakRx we are now doing close to 100 patients,” says Niedermann.
The RapidPakRx can complete packaging for up to 50 patients using only one technician in an 8-hour shift. Using bulk-loaded universal cartridges, the RapidPakRx also eliminates remote filling stations. “Labor costs that we were incurring for doing our previous compliance option have been decreased drastically,” says Niedermann.
The RapidPakRx utilizes a 3-step integrated vision verification system, making it easy to double check the contents of each pouch. Pharmacists can feel confident that the right medications are going to the right patient every time.
A Good Solution for Independent Pharmacy
“It's best to be ahead of the curve and not trying to mimic what someone else is doing later down the road,” says Niedermann. “If you're thinking about buying the RapidPakRx, I would say go for it, it's easier to be ahead of the curve than trying to catch up to it.”
With giants like Amazon’s PillPack entering the industry and marketing to millions of patients, it is important that independent pharmacists continue to stay ahead of the competition.
“The RapidPakRx has empowered our business by bringing in new patients that weren't previously coming to this clinic because we are now offering a unique service to the area,” says Niedermann.
Watch Doug Niedermann’s full testimonial above. If you would like to learn more about the RapidPakRx, please visit our product page or call a strip packaging expert at (877) 797-2332.
