Despite the general public identifying Pharmacists as one of their most trusted healthcare providers, most people dislike having to go to the pharmacy because of the wait times they experience for prescription fulfilment. Clearly people appreciate the medication expertise and advice they can receive from their local pharmacist and enjoy the healthcare discussions that result when picking up their medications…but having to wait for long periods of time to get that face to face opportunity is frustrating.
For a pharmacy to generate more revenue, it needs to fill more prescriptions (which is antiquated way to be reimbursed, but that is for a future post) but the negative offset of higher volumes a busier dispensary, longer wait times for the clients and often missing or lost Rxs in the “Will Call” area.
This is often further compounded when the prescription they are picking up is a repeat fill for a medication they have been on for years and in the client’s opinion, one which doesn’t require a long wait for counselling.
A few simple changes can help reduce not only the wait times for your clients, but the frustration your pharmacy staff feel when things move from busy to hectic to chaos.
Immediate benefits, without adding any technology at all, can be found simply be adding a “Counselling” window, kiosk or room. Removing from the pick up line, the valued but time consuming medication counselling discussion, dramatically reduces wait times. No one wants to wait in line while a client receives counselling and advice from the pharmacist…plus, the client is uncomfortable knowing everyone behind them is waiting, so they might cut short the counselling. If a client wants to speak with a pharmacist, it should be in private area that doesn’t impact the other clients service needs and removes the “Bottle Neck” at the pick up window. Read more >
