Pharmacy Satisfaction Did You Knows

PharmacySatisfaction.com puts out a weekly factoid. They are very interesting and make some great points. I have talked about it before, but here is an updated list with the new factoids from 2008.

• Independent drug stores continue to score highest in customer satisfaction, followed by food stores, clinics, and chain and mass merchandise pharmacies, in that order.
• The number one concern across all pharmacy users is that their prescriptions are filled accurately.
• Independent pharmacy customers are the most satisfied with the services their stores provide.
• The most useful feature those Web sites offer to them, the survey found, is the ability to order refills online.
• Nearly three in 10 order their refills online.
• An average of 69.4% of customers own or use a computer.
• Customers average three visits each month to their pharmacy.
• Only about 1-in-5 pharmacy customers, overall, say that they use a loyalty card that provides points, discounts or other savings.
• While the majority of loyalty card users are satisfied with the expected cost savings by using their card and with the ease of enrolling and understanding the benefits of their card, fewer than 1-in-4 card users are highly satisfied.
• The drug store industry remains largely up for grabs, with nearly half of pharmacy customers saying they use more than one pharmacy to fill prescriptions.
• Pharmacy use varies considerably by population. Chain pharmacies are most commonly used among residents of areas with more than 100,000 people. Independent pharmacies are most commonly used among rural respondents (areas with less than 100,000 people). Use of independent and mass merchant pharmacies decreases as population increases. Chain, food store, mail/online, and clinic pharmacy use tend to increase with population.
• However, as pharmacy customers age, they are much less likely to use chains and considerably more likely to use mail/online and clinic pharmacies.
• Seven-out-of-ten pharmacy customers indicate that they “definitely would” or “probably would” use their local pharmacy if they could receive the same amount of medication at the same price as their mail-order pharmacy.
• The heaviest users of prescriptions are survey respondents in their 60s, averaging 5.4 new scripts and 29.2 refills per year.
• The most preferred method for filling those prescriptions among respondents is to take them to the pharmacy and wait for them to be filled.
• Indeed, physically handing a paper script to the pharmacist or tech in the store—or picking up a script phoned in by the doctor—remains the overwhelming choice among consumers. Most shun the use of drive-through windows.
• How long patients have to wait for their scripts to be filled is a key component of customer satisfaction.
• Fully 93 percent of those surveyed expressed satisfaction with the ability of pharmacies to dispense their new prescriptions in the time promised.
• Pharmacy customers’ most commonly preferred method of refilling prescriptions (assuming prices and amounts of medication are the same) is calling an automated telephone system and picking up prescriptions at the store.
• Independent customers are the most likely to receive prescription refills in less than 15 minutes, followed by food store, chain and mass merchant customers.
• The average survey respondent is spending a considerable sum each month on drugs at their pharmacy—$82 on average (versus $57 a month on food and groceries at their pharmacy).
• Customers who paid full retail price for their medications, paid an average of $81 for their most recent prescription.
• Customers who paid the store discounted amount for their medications, paid an average of $75 for their most recent prescription.
• Customers who paid a fixed-percent co-pay for their medications, paid an average of $56 for their most recent prescription.
• Customers who paid a fixed-dollar co-pay for their medications, paid an average of $36 for their most recent prescription.
• On average, respondents spend $82 a month at their pharmacy on prescription drugs, $57 on food/groceries, $18 on non-prescription (OTC) drugs and $14 on personal care/cosmetics.
• An average of 85.9% of computer owners/users use the computer to improve their health by looking for information about diseases.
• Much has been written about the value of closer pharmacist-patient relationships, but Americans seem to feel far more connected to their physicians, dentists and nurses than to their pharmacists. That’s clearly not all pharmacy’s fault; the same survey respondents agreed that they were usually given the opportunity to speak with their pharmacist when filling their last prescription. What’s more, pharmacists ranked a close second to doctors as sources of information about medications.
• Only 16 percent of respondents describe their relationship with their pharmacist as “We are on a first-name basis and have known each other for a very long time.”
• Walgreens’ “Dial-a-Pharmacist” initiative, launched in February 2006, allows non-English speaking patients to connect with pharmacists speaking 14 different languages.
• Doctors (94%) are the most commonly referenced source of information on medications, followed by pharmacists (83%), nurses (57%), pharmacy brochures (50%) and the Internet (42%).
• Doctors (77%) are the most trusted source of information on medications, followed by pharmacists (64%), nurses (43%) and pharmacy brochures (20%).
• Independent pharmacy customers have the most trust in pharmacists, while mail/online customers have the least. Compared to last year, customers of all types of pharmacies place more trust in their pharmacist as a source of information.
• More than one-third of pharmacy customers failed to fill all their prescriptions last year, and only 35 percent of all respondents said they were fully compliant on the medications they did take. Nevertheless, refill reminders from the pharmacy remain relatively rare, most patients profess.

2008 Factoids

• In general, older patients tend to be more compliant than their younger counterparts.
• The biggest reason for not taking all medications as directed was simply, “I forgot.”
• Nearly 2-out-of-3 (65%) indicate that they missed a dose or took less medication than prescribed in the past year.
• The most commonly cited reason for not filling all prescriptions is not needing (42%), followed by too costly (27%), changed by doctor (20%), side effects (17%) and insurance did not cover (16%).
• Among the medical conditions displayed, those treated for HIV/AIDS and high blood pressure are the most likely to have filled all of their prescriptions in the past year. Those treated for RLS are the least likely to have filled all their prescriptions in the past year.
• For competing pharmacy providers, satisfaction is a key measurement. Customers who say they are “highly satisfied” with their pharmacy are much more likely to return than those who are simply “satisfied.”
• Pharmacy customers who are “highly satisfied” with their pharmacy overall are considerably more likely to have positive return intentions, compared to customers who are simply “satisfied” (97% definitely intending to return versus 65%). Survey results have also shown significant revenue differences between highly and poorly rated pharmacies, health plans, and PBMs.
• Compared to last year, pharmacy customers place more importance on four of the six overall areas of pharmacy services—most notably professional services — followed by pricing and insurance, and overall convenience.
• 31% of customers consider it “very important” that Pharmacists give advice on OTC/herbal products.
• 38% of customers consider it “very important” that Pharmacists give advice on health conditions.
• 57% of customers consider it “very important” that Pharmacists are friendly and courteous.
• 65% of customers consider it “very important” that they are able to speak to a Pharmacists give clear instructions about Rxs.
• 65% of customers consider it “very important” that they are able to speak to a Pharmacists about their concerns/questions.
• 66% of customers consider it “very important” that their pharmacy protects the privacy of their health info.
• The most common ailment that drives customers into your stores is high blood pressure, which afflicts nearly 50 percent of the respondents surveyed by WilsonRx. High cholesterol, allergies, ailments of the esophagus, arthritis and diabetes also are extremely common among patients.
• When asked about their satisfaction levels, respondents who received birth control prescriptions were happiest with the medical treatment they’re getting, followed by those thyroid disorders, epilepsy/seizures and type I diabetes.
• Among the pharmacy services customers say are most important to them is: Help untangling complicated insurance issues, and money-saving alternatives like generic drugs.
• Consumers are generally satisfied with many of the services, medicines and health-oriented advice they find at their local pharmacy, but they’re also keenly aware of the high costs of pharmaceuticals and quick to shift outlets if they feel their needs aren’t being met.
• Those who are covered by prescription plans—including nearly 39 million Medicare patients enrolled in some kind of coverage—often feel overwhelmed by the complexities and co-pay issues they encounter at the pharmacy counter.
• Know your customer — whomever, wherever they are. Being able to identify different customer types is an important first step in anticipating customer needs and managing the expectations of each person.