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A Special Report:
Find Out What Pharmacists And Customers Are Telling You.

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How can you counsel on drug-drug interactions, contraindications, etc., if you have no certainty of what the patient is actually taking, who the doctor is and what existing health conditions they may already have?

“I have a patient who is going to two different [stores in the chain],” said one pharmacist from a regional supermarket pharmacy chain. “He was getting 5/500mg Vicodin in one store and 10/325mg from the other store. The only way I found out was that I happened to be working at the other store one day,” she laughed. The not so funny part was that “our systems are not integrated so we have to call the other stores to connect to their computer to see a patient’s profile,” she continued.

The problem of patients’ using multiple pharmacies is an area of major concern. According to the 2006 Pharmacy Satisfaction Digest, almost half of all customers say they use more than one pharmacy to fill their prescriptions. In fact, 16 percent of customers use three or more pharmacies. Certainly, this number is bound to grow given the number of chains that have mimicked to one extent or another Wal-Mart’s $4 generic program.

Many pharmacists on the panel indicated they would like to see more educational materials directed at the patient—simple one-sheet information cards that explain in easy-to-understand language the dangers of using multiple pharmacies, contraindications and other critical aspects of pharmacy care that customers either don’t understand, overlook or take for granted.

Quite often, pharmacists are faced with questions from customers who get their prescriptions from other sources, whether it’s mail order, online or even a competitor’s store. “I try to give everybody the same service because it all ties into patient satisfaction,” one pharmacist explained. “Number one, it helps them; two, if they like the service I give them, chances are they’ll become my customers.”

Indeed, a recurring theme among the panelists revolved around the pharmacists’ natural sense of stewardship for the patient—many regard it not just as an opportunity to steal customers, but also as an obligation of the profession. “I just print out the drug information for them even if they don’t fill the prescription in my store,” said another pharmacist. “It’s a very simple service to provide—just a click of the finger. And it’s not fair to [the patient] just because they got their prescription through the mail.”

“In the last year, in northern Michigan, we have lost seven factories,” explained a pharmacist from that area. “We used to have three air force bases—they’re all closed now. The best paying job, if you’re not in a technical or a medical field, is $7 an hour if you’re lucky.” He feels it’s his duty to counsel these customers; if he doesn’t, who will? Another common source of inquiries, given the economic climate in the area, he said, comes from patients who received sample packs from their physicians. Doctors in the area are being more vigilant about getting samples to patients to ensure that those without drug coverage still get the medications they need.

From a business standpoint, however, there is the opportunity to raise the profile of the pharmacy as something more than just a pill dispensary, but rather a local destination for health care in the community. Some pharmacists on the panel regularly provide nutrition counseling to diabetes and heart patients.