7 August 2021 | Product and Promotions Guide
Strategy 1: Identify
your top sellers
Run a pharmacy sales report in your practice management
software. Sort data from highest to lowest to prioritize the
order of setting up refill reminders. Your top four categories will
be: 1) flea/tick preventatives, 2) heartworm preventatives, 3)
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), and 4)
long-term drugs for chronic conditions. Parasiticides represent
the largest market share of pet medications with 42 percent of
sales, according to Packaged Facts.
5
Your inventory or practice manager will set up reminders for
each drug and dosage dispensed. For example, a six-pack of
heartworm preventatives would have a refill reminder in five
months while a 12-pack would remind in eleven months.
Strategy 2: Send reminders
30 days ahead
If a client buys six months of heartworm preventatives today,
she may forget to reorder. Patient health and pharmacy
income are at risk. Refill reminders will alert pet owners to refill
medications before they run out. Besides allowing time for
home delivery or in-clinic pickup, this removes the aggravating
habit of pet owners who wait until the last pill is gone and call
you for "emergency refills" the same day.
TEXT/APP THIS " needs a refill of for
flea/tick protection. Click here to refill in our online store with
home delivery OR reply Y to get curbside/in-clinic pickup at our
clinic."
EMAIL THIS Create an email subject line that will grab
clients' attention, get opened, and have them ordering. The
email subject line is: " needs a refill of heartworm
preventatives | Click to order." The body of the email is: " needs a refill of for heartworm protection. Click
here to refill in our online store with home delivery. If you prefer
curbside/in-clinic pickup at our clinic, just reply with "curbside/
in-clinic pickup" in the subject line. We will email you when your
medication is ready and send a link to pay online. Enjoy the
same rebates/free doses online or in-clinic."
Strategy 3: Send lab test
reminders when required for
medication refills
Rather than have confrontational conversations that you
can't refill pets' medications because lab tests are due or
overdue, remind for recurring lab tests for patients on chronic
medications that require drug monitoring. If a client's dog takes
an NSAID and needs testing every six months, set the lab
reminder for five months, allowing ample time for the client to
schedule a nurse appointment for the sample collection.
TEXT/APP THIS " is due for a drug-monitoring
test, which is required before the next refill on . We will
collect a blood sample during a nurse appointment. Click here to
schedule online, download our app at , or call us at 555-
555-5555."
EMAIL THIS The subject line is: " needs a lab test
before next refill on | Click to schedule." The email states:
" is due for a lab test. Drug monitoring is necessary
for to continue to safely take the medication and
is required before the next refill on . During a nurse
appointment, we will collect a blood sample and run the test.
Click here to schedule online, download our app at , or call
us at 555-555-5555. We want to provide timely testing and
refills for ."
Strategy 4: Use a "Blood
work required before next
refill" sticker
This bright-colored sticker will prompt the client to take action
before the last pill is gone. When the client picks up the
medication, your client care team will lead the pet owner to
forward book the nurse appointment.
SAY THIS "This is your last refill before a drug-monitoring
test will be due. Let's schedule a 15-minute nurse appointment
for the blood sample collection. I have a nurse appointment
available next Tuesday at 1 p.m. or Wednesday at 11 a.m.
Which do you prefer?" This yes-or-yes technique guides the
client to forward book and gets stronger results (and revenue)
compared to the yes-or-no choice of "Do you want to schedule
a nurse appointment?"
Pharmacy sales represent 25 to 30 percent of revenue in companion animal
practices:
4
Here are smart pharmacy operational strategies:
