Giving Priority to Patient Care in Neighborhood Pharmacies

In the world of community pharmacy, a focus on patient care is important. Pharmacist providers are dedicated to delivering clinical services that improve health outcomes, but often, the journey to create and implement new programs in a community pharmacy can be daunting. This challenge is particularly prevalent in independent community pharmacies, where owners and managers juggle various roles, from prescription filling to team management and clinical services provision.

The common approach seen amongst pharmacists is to wait until everything is "perfect" before launching a new program. This perfectionism can mean having every detail meticulously planned out, from patient and provider forms to mastering medical claim submissions or even waiting for a few test patients. Unfortunately, this waiting game can delay the launch of crucial access to patient care by several months, which can impact both patient’s health and the pharmacy's bottom line. It's time for a change, and our patients and the pharmacy profession need us to act now!

Imagine having a centralized resource that offers customizable clinical content and support, allowing you to kick-start your clinical programs immediately. There is no need to wait until every aspect is perfectly researched and vetted or until your medical billing clinic is set up. You can begin by offering cash-based services while preparing your pharmacist provides for the next step: Medical Billing.

We want you to open appointment availability as soon as possible but there are still a few key considerations if you are brand new to expanding your traditional pharmacy to a destination of patient care. Topics that community pharmacists can benefit from support with include:  

1. Clinic Set-up: Ensure you have the necessary clinical space, supplies, emergency kits, consent forms, protocols, and procedures in place. Don't forget to think through how to apply for CLIA certificates in your state.
2. Clinical Pharmacy Workflow: Identify opportunities within your current workflow to enhance efficiency and shift the focus from speed and volume to quality and holistic patient care. Engage your team more meaningfully and make small adjustments to the way you practice pharmacy.
3. Prioritize and Select Clinical Programs: Review your current clinical services and the largest needs in your community, then create goals to drive the financial and patient outcomes you want. The table below lists some of the services commonly implemented in community pharmacies. The first column lists clinical programs that are most common, while the second column includes some that may be allowed depending on scope in your state and may be interesting places to expand access to care and generate additional revenue.
   
   

   Vaccines	Asthma Management
   Medication Management	Cholesterol Management
   Travel Vaccines and Medicine	Diabetes Management
   Tobacco Cessation	Hypertension Management
   Naloxone & Opiate Risk Assessment	Urinary Tract Inecction
   COVID Test to treat	Vulvovaginal Yeast Infection
   Flu Test to Treat	Minor Burns
   Strep Test to Treat	Bee Stings
   Hormonal Contraception	Human and Animal Bites
   Long Acting Injectables

4. Empower the Entire Pharmacy Team:  Engage your staff in this transformative process. Clinical services can boost job satisfaction as your team makes a meaningful impact on patients' lives.
5. Focus on Awareness: Let your patients know about your services through word-of-mouth, marketing collateral, signs, social media posts, and provider detailing. Increasing awareness is crucial for the success of any new clinical service. Do you have bag stuffers? Signs? Social media posts planned? What about provider detailing and a case study explaining your pharmacy and its impact? There are so many strategies to expand awareness around how pharmacy is changing. With impactful marketing, patients are being seen day one of starting a new program! We strongly believe that this is one of the MOST important steps of any viable new clinical service. 
6. Plan for Payment: While we are all for starting with cash-based services, there are many opportunities to receive payment from medical payors. Models surrounding this might be traditional fee-for-service billing, or possibly other alternative payment models for clinical programs. We recommend focusing on documentation for patient care services, regardless of reimbursement methods. This includes considerations to maximize efficiencies and ensure it is appropriately documented for medical payor reimbursement, should that be something your pharmacy clinic decides to take on. 
7. Collaborate with Professional Peers: There is so much we can all learn from each other! Seek opportunities such as online groups or discussion boards, monthly networking calls, pharmacy conferences, or team meetings. There are so many opportunities to continuously elevate care and learn. 

By following these steps, you can free up time to focus on what you do best, caring for your patients. You don't need a perfect 12-month marketing plan before seeing your first few patients. Evaluate your workflow, scope, and clinic needs, and dive right in. Remember that not every detail has to be perfect as you build your clinical program(s).

As professionals, let's unite behind clinical services and advocate for sustainable reimbursement. By shifting to new workflow models that enable clinical services within our scope, we, as clinical pharmacists, can expand access to care and drive quality outcomes, aligning ourselves with the broader healthcare ecosystem.

The future of clinical community pharmacy is bright, and our commitment to patient care will lead the way. Together, we can achieve remarkable progress in delivering quality healthcare services within our communities.