Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) pharmacies play a crucial role in providing comprehensive and accessible healthcare services to patients. One key element that significantly contributes to the success of these pharmacies is the buy-in from healthcare providers. When physicians and clinicians see the pharmacy as an extension of the care team, patients will likely view it the same way. This strategy's effectiveness lies in asking patients if they would like to use the entity-owned pharmacy at the time of their appointment, creating a seamless connection between medical and pharmacy services.
A pharmacy's success hinges on the perception of patients and healthcare providers alike. A level of comfort and trust is established by fostering the idea that the pharmacy is an integral part of the care team. However, health centers often hesitate to send patients to their entity-owned pharmacies, fearing it may be seen as steering patients. It's essential to understand that offering patients the option to use the health center’s pharmacy does not make it a requirement and does not infringe on their choice. Instead, it provides a level of comfort and trust and ensures they will receive the best care possible across the continuum.
Entity-owned pharmacies offer the advantage of certainty in providing patients with the medications they need. Building strong relationships between pharmacy staff and clinical teams fosters trust. When patients are directed to the pharmacy, this collaborative effort ensures they consistently receive the necessary medications, from pharmacy staff with full access to their medical records, preventing their needs from going unmet and ensuring the highest level of medication safety.
When patients face challenges affording their care, the pharmacy staff and health center team collaborate to meet their needs and ensure they align with the intent of the 340B Program. This partnership addresses financial concerns and ensures that all aspects of patient care are considered and supported.
While marketing for your pharmacy is often thought of as an external effort, internal marketing can be instrumental to the pharmacy’s success as well. When you first open an entity-owned pharmacy, it is crucial to continue to optimize your pharmacy and work with your staff to increase engagement within the pharmacy to create long-term success. It can be easy to assume that patients know about the health center’s pharmacy because they often pass it as they enter the health center. However, this is not always the case. Signage in your exam and waiting rooms may be helpful, but starting with employee education during orientation to ensure that the health center team is well-educated on the pharmacy services offered is often more effective. This internal communication strategy ensures that every encounter during a patient visit becomes an opportunity to inform the patient about the importance of the pharmacy, its services, and the impact of the 340B Program on patient care, creating a shared responsibility for success.
The most important place to discuss in-house pharmacy services is with the patient’s medical provider. Patients trust their medical providers and will most likely take their advice on the best pharmacy to use. These conversations can be used as a time to share what sets your in-house pharmacy apart from competitors: opportunities for compliance packaging, better communication with the medical care team, affordability, excellent customer service and any unique services that may be offered, such as free home delivery.
Knowing the capture rate—the percentage of prescriptions going to the entity-owned pharmacy—is vital. If a health center’s team does not know its capture rate, there is no way to improve it. Educating staff about this metric, its significance, and the services provided that would not be possible without the 340B Program empowers them to encourage the use of the pharmacy. Tracking the prescription capture rate provides insights into the effectiveness of these efforts.
To track your pharmacy operations’ success through your prescription capture rate, view the electronic health record, export the prescriptions written each month by your prescribers, and then assess how many of those scripts are going to your entity-owned pharmacy as a percentage. The lower the percentage, the greater the opportunity is to encourage your staff to send prescriptions to your pharmacy.
Pharmacy software and additional services, such as text messaging, delivery apps, or curbside pickup apps, can optimize operations by ensuring that prescriptions get picked up, ultimately improving the capture rate. Utilizing these tools, often available at minimal or no cost, enhances the overall patient experience and the pharmacy's efficiency, ensuring that the time a health center’s pharmacy spends filling prescriptions isn’t wasted.
Successful entity-owned FQHC 340B pharmacies are a collaborative effort that involves provider buy-in, patient engagement, internal marketing, continuous optimization, and leveraging technology. By integrating the pharmacy into the holistic patient care approach, health centers can ensure patients receive the best care possible while fostering long-term success for their entity-owned pharmacies. Contact our team of experts for more information, tools, and assistance with opening an in-house pharmacy or optimizing your existing pharmacy.
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FQHC 340B Compliance is the dedicated partner for Federally Qualified Health Centers seeking assistance with the 340B Program. Their mission is to provide the necessary resources to secure and optimize the 340B Program, enabling health centers to offer more comprehensive services to those in need. With a focus on improved compliance and oversight, they act as more than just consultants or automated systems, tailoring their services to meet your health center's unique needs. Visit their website, call (760) 780-7469, or email admin@fqhc340b.com to learn more about FQHC 340B Compliance and how they can help your health center thrive.
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