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Increase Safety Checks as Pharmacists Prepare to Leave Dispensaries
With the introduction of automated dispensing systems new safety factors appear as the pharmacist has to interface and change work-flows between dispensing assistants and the patient. And that takes place after a complete refit of the dispensary to accommodate the new robotic equipment and its impact on work-flows. Because of the pressures on the pharmacist…
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Make the Right Turn at the Next Crossroads
In the latest edition of Drug Topics, senior pharmacist Truman Lastinger describes a scenario for what he describes as Retail Pharmacy in the US. Because US pharmacy is a bit ahead in evolution than Australian pharmacy his comments are very relevant for today’s Australian pharmacy, the practice of which has split into three components- Retail…
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Opportunities for Clinical Services
I was interested to read that Chemmart had introduced a genetic testing system designed to tailor drug treatments to an individual patient. At least that has been the promise of these types of tests as they have gradually made their way into the market-place. With the introduction of the myDNA test into a pharmacy environment…
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Seth Godin Clarity – as applied to pharmacy
I have long been admired the mental agility of Seth Godin, the US marketing guru who was the author of an Internet transforming book titled “The Ideavirus”. Basically, he identified and predicted what has now come to pass, in that “word of mouth” would be displaced by “word of mouse”. His words reported further along…
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Taking the Initiative with Co-Pay
Chemist Warehouse, as you would have imagined, has taken the initiative to discount the co-pay for PBS prescriptions by $1.00. The impact on a retail pharmacy like the warehouse model is not quite the same as for a community pharmacy, because budgets for retail pharmacies are geared for lower profit percentages combined with higher turnover…
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The PBS $1 Discount – Strategies for Coping
The next 12 months will be a real time of testing as the discount PBS co-payment of $1 begins to bite. You must prepare to combat this process immediately to ensure that your pharmacy will survive. This cynical process adopted by government, has the potential to generate many bankruptcies after the first year of introduction. And…
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Back to Basics – What is your marketing strategy?
I have heard many comments floating around in pharmacy discussions, that community pharmacy has become exceptionally vulnerable since the “Big Yellow Box” has demonstrated that it can outspend all the rest of pharmacy in advertising. In other words, only two camps exist – them and us! To me, that is a lot of nonsense, since…
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Health Out of Pocket Costs Will Impact Pharmacy
The following information was recently released by the AIHW which is showing a trend for government spending to remain a constant while private expenditure is trending upwards. “Total expenditure on health was estimated at $154.6 billion in 2013–14, up by 3.1% on 2012–13 in real terms. Growth in expenditure per person was $6,639, which was…
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3D Drug Printing Becoming Commercialised for Pharmacy Use
The initial burst of enthusiasm that followed a laboratory experiment in the printing of drugs using 3D-technology, was in turn, followed by a hiatus that was due to the problems (needing solutions), of getting the product to market, and registered through the FDA, TGA etc. One of the first companies to emerge with proven functional…
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Why Large Pharmacies Must Develop
Traditionally, when pharmacists reach a mature point in their business and practice development, they have looked to increase their success by adding a new pharmacy to their collection. And sometimes more than two pharmacies, expanding to the legal limit of five or six (or even more using creative investment practices). While the gross profit capacity…