Mergers and acquisitions have diminished the breadth of choices available to pharmacy consumers. You could be fine with the current situation, or you may long for the personalized care provided by locally owned drug stores. Whether you seek a chain you can trust or a small operation that will keep your money within your local economy, here are some criteria you should consider while evaluating your pharmacy options.
Time-Saving Features
Your preferred pharmacy should never dominate your schedule. Ideally, your choice should offer ways to quickly interact with the company and its employees. Key time savers include drive-through prescription pickup, online prescription-refill submission forms and a smartphone app with exclusive offers.
Money-Saving Opportunities
In addition to app-user offers, a good pharmacy will have a loyalty-points program. You can use those points for discounts on over-the-counter medications, cosmetics or other items in the store. Worthy drug stores also save their clientele money by providing a diverse collection of brands that includes generic remedies.
Caring Pharmacists
When receive a new prescription, you may have questions that come up after you leave your doctor’s office. A well-trained and caring pharmacist is a useful resource in your path to a feeling comfortable about how to take your new medicine and what to expect from using it. Empathetic pharmacists are also well informed about over-the-counter remedies available within their stores.
Modern Pharmacy-Management Technology
To efficiently and effectively serve the public, pharmacies need specialized software that helps them manage their inventory, clientele and prescription renewals. If you want to verify that your preferred location’s software suite is up to date, you could ask an employee, or you could call the pharmacy’s phone number. A store with the latest software will use a pharmacy ivr system to answer your call. These systems employ voice-responsive tech to help you find out store hours, request a refill, speak to a pharmacist and complete related actions.
When you weigh your pharmacy options, your decision can affect your long-term health. Using the guidance you have learned today will help you affect it positively.
