The idea of having medicine delivered to a patient’s house isn’t new. Many independent community pharmacies have been delivering medications to houses and assisted living facilities for years, and chain pharmacies now offer this same service in same day, next-day, two-day, and standard shipping formats. One important reason for this service is that pharmacists can continue improving medication adherence and patient outcomes, even when that patient might not be able to physically visit the pharmacy.
Delivery is an excellent solution for many housebound patients in receiving their medication. If your pharmacy is considering prescription delivery, or wanting to re-evaluate its delivery strategy, keep this in mind. Your delivery service should also be an extension of your pharmacy.
In order to extend your pharmacy’s standard of quality, you should consider the following questions:
- Do you charge for this service?
- How far out will you deliver from your pharmacy?
- Is this service free for customers within a specific mile radius of your store?
- Do you require signatures for delivery?
- How do you feel about leaving medication in a mailbox or on a person’s porch?
- Do you trust your delivery driver?
- Will your patient trust your delivery driver?
- How reliable is your delivery mode of transportation?
- Does your delivery vehicle advertise your pharmacy and its services?
Trust, safety and cost are important factors, not only for you and your business, but also for your patient. Think about the end goal. If it’s for improving your patient’s health by providing them the medications they need and keeping them adherent, then your delivery service will find success.
