We will be conducting our Boot Camps once again this year beginning in the spring of 2019.

Vancouver: Feb 16 -17, 2019.
Toronto: Mar 23 – 24, 2019

To sign up, click the following LINK.

Be Inquisitive, Be Knowledgeable; Be Receptive to Change.

The first law of healthcare business and medication adherence is “Care > Commerce.” It’s a scenario that can best be described as a win/win/win/win.

The patient wins because adhering to their medication improves their overall health outcomes.

The pharmacist wins because of the personal satisfaction it brings to improving their patient’s care.

The healthcare system wins because healthy patients do not go to the doctor’s office nor do they require treatment in the hospital.

The pharmacy wins … increased adherence directly improves pharmacy financial results.

The great thing about increasing adherence is you can increase your profitability without acquiring new patients. You only need to ensure your existing patients are taking their medication as prescribed.

What is the impact of medication adherence to pharmacy financial results?

Be Inquisitive, Be Knowledgeable; Be Receptive to Change.

Ask yourself … Do you proactively manage your pharmacy decisions or are your decisions a reaction to an event? Information is the key to making decisions about your pharmacy but, with so much the data; so many scripts; all the invoices that come from suppliers, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Stephen Covey said it best in “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People” … begin with the end in mind. In the context of obtaining financial information… The end in mind is the dashboard.

We use this metaphor because over many years of providing training, coaching and consulting to pharmacy owners we’ve had to develop a consistent way to describe the importance of information (data) to plan for and to execute an excellent pharmacy business.

Let’s be candid about a few things:

1. Few pharmacists choose their profession because of their passion for planning and monitoring.
2. The clinical skills learned to serve patients’ needs are not enough to run a successful pharmacy.
3. Owning & operating a pharmacy has many components that require different gauges.

So what do we need today to fly our pharmacy businesses with proper vision and clarity?

Be Inquisitive, Be Knowledgeable; Be Receptive to Change.

Have you reviewed your accounting system?

Have you evaluated other accounting systems in the marketplace?

Do you know how much you are paying for your accounting system?

Do you view your accounting system as an asset or as a cost of doing business?

Do you know what information you can get from your accounting system?

Be Inquisitive. Be Empathetic.

These two simple directives are at the core of our medication management interactions with patients. In fact, when we have third and fourth year pharmacy students at Howe Sound Pharmacy, our preceptors help guide them with these two ideas in mind.

The ability to help patients adhere to their medications is based on respect and an understanding of the patients wants and needs. We know that 75% of patient non-adherence is intentional! That’s right, almost eight out of 10 cases of non-adherence are conscious choices by patients to avoid taking their chronic medications.

The Trouble with “Minny”

One of our dear patients, let’s call her Minny, had a mild stroke last year. Understandably she was shocked and upset after she returned from the hospital. Against her initial reaction, I gently urged Minny to let us blister pack her new discharge medications. She held the belief, that only the old and sick need to have their medications in blister packs.

An Introduction to the AdhereRx The 9 Power Probes© of patient assessment and communication

The 9 Power Probes© is one of many ready-to-use clinical skills included in the AdhereRx Boot Camp. Participants apply them in real-world simulations and arrive back at their home pharmacies ready to include them in daily practice. These tools can guide better patient interactions every day.

As pharmacists, the most critical skill we can develop is to build deep, lasting relationships with our patients, especially as we head into the new era of ‘skills over pills’. Overall, it is a pharmacist’s job to uncover and address each patient’s drug therapy problems (DTPs), win her or his trust and then collaboratively co-create care plans to which they are willing and able to adhere. Now ask yourself, how often have you heard these comments around your pharmacy?

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL ON MARCH 11, 2016

UPDATED BY THE GLOBE AND MAIL ON  MAY 16, 2018

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/rexalls-takover-could-boost-bottom-lines-for-pharmacies-and-health-care/article29145724/

Jim Danahy is CEO of retail consultancy CustomerLAB and a partner in pharmacy specialty firm AdhereRx Inc.

Last week’s agreement by global health care distribution giant McKesson to acquire the 470-store Rexall pharmacy chain has the potential to instigate a healthy “space race” among big chains. This deal could accelerate lifesaving and profitable expansions to the scope and quality of care that pharmacies deliver to Canadian communities. And this race could be as beneficial for independent pharmacies as for the big chains that lead it.