Compete with Mail Order? Any Day and EVERY DAY

An independent pharmacist's greatest weapon in the battle with mail order centers around network building with allied health professionals AND patients in your community. Do NOT underestimate the value of your “human touch” in supporting the needs of patients with diabetes. In a community where I competed with 15 pharmacies within a one mile radius, I was only concerned about the two other independents in my same zip code! 

In 25 years of owning a community pharmacy, I never encountered a patient that REALLY wanted to talk to the mailbox about how to take their medicines or use their glucose meter correctly. 

In recent years, concerns about the affects of the elements -- heat, cold, humidity, etc.-- on drugs and medical supplies have prompted some states to enact legislation requiring that each package mailed provide a toll-free number for patients to report if they suspect the products inside may have been altered by the elements. Think sauna or freezer. 

Given a choice-- and that is the key word -- many patients will choose “the pharmacy right around the corner” for advice on how to contain drug costs and manage the complications of diabetes. 

My mother died from the complications of diabetes at age 62.  In our experience, it was worse than having cancer, for cancer can take your spirit quickly, but diabetes, especially uncontrolled diabetes, takes you a piece at a time. 

So, how did I compete, selling more than 1,000 glucose meters a year from one location in Baltimore County, Maryland for most of the 1990s? 

By, finding solutions to problems while never skimming on quality! 

Typically, helpful solutions revolve around cost containment, preventative care, and improving the patient’s quality of life. 

Sure, most patients now present with an insurance card, but the rising multi-tiered drug co-pays are a challenge for patients with diabetes, who spend nearly $4,500 each year on medications alone (source: Roche 2008). 

Serving patients with diabetes is NOT just about oral medications, insulin, needles, and strips. It's about providing comprehensive services that cannot be found in the mailbox. 

Here are some things to keep in mind if you want your pharmacy to be THE place for patients with diabetes:

• Keep inventory levels adequate to satisfy the need of your medical community. If you don’t stock it …get it.
• Accept billing assignment on Medicare Part B claims. Take that financial burden away from your customer.
• Provide diabetes foot care screenings, which minimize lower extremity complications from diabetes.
• Stock complementary products. Such as:
  • Therapeutic shoes and inserts
  • Compression stockings
  • Wound and ulcer care products
  • OTC glucose management devices (i.e. hemoglobin A1c testing kits)
  • Nutriceuticals that promote good health for persons with diabetes
  • Sugar-free foods and drinks
  • Sugar-free cough and cold products--understanding that sugar-free may not mean sorbitol or fructose free
• Educate your community
  • Visit community service clubs, i.e. Kiwanis, Lions, etc., and use your clinical training to educate your community about this debilitating disease.
  • Don’t forget senior centers, assisted living facilities, adult day care centers and other care levels that cater to the needs of the elderly AND caregivers. Senior care facility administrators love education programs that enrich the lives of their residents, plus it might open the door to other business opportunities as well.

I know what you’re thinking. They didn’t teach you how to be a skilled negotiator or salesperson in school. Many of us don’t like that part of the business. That’s why we became pharmacists, right? 

No one likes having to be told NO or having doors slammed in their face. Some of you are old enough to remember the new salesperson you had a hard time warming up to. Sometimes it took three to six visits for you to become comfortable with them, buy into their message, and buy the product. Why should it be any different for pharmacists preaching the gospel of solutions for the diabetes patients? 

It takes time to build relationships with other health care professionals AND your patients, but once you’ve earned their trust, it becomes much harder for them to talk to a hot stuffy mailbox . Don’t you think? 

Have courage, persevere, and, provide solutions. You WILL succeed! 

Did I compete with mail order diabetes pharmacy services? You better believe it.  And, SO can you!