Programs – Pharmacy Landscaping
The focus for most of our programs is for systems that can enhance or deliver actual paid clinical services.
There is no single system that can deliver on this program – more it is a complex of overlapping systems that can integrate one with the other and form up as a unified “whole” that represents good value to a potential pharmacy patient.
We have given a title to the over-arching program and have called it Pharmacy Landscaping and the structure and form of its presentation is designed to be logical for marketing and general communication to the pharmacy patient population.
Much like the commercial presentation of a store layout for products, we have to deliver concepts that can be quickly and easily visualised by a prospective patient.
A product correctly displayed will sell itself and a service supported with information constructed with appropriate language will have a similar effect.
This process of developing and cataloguing systems is called market positioning and has to be undertaken so that there is a “logicality” to this market segment.
In the layout situation for products you might catalogue the product Bisolvon within the mucolytics section of the cough and cold department.
This would parallel a diabetic review service (product) in a convenient care clinic (section) within clinical services (department).
By putting together a pharmacy landscaping catalogue in this fashion you are then free to set up a market plan that is broadly recognisable, but differentiated by your personalised customisation.
Again, using the product layout as an example:
Toilet paper may be positioned in the paper products section in the bathroom and toiletry department.
However, some pharmacies (because of higher sales volumes) may position toilet paper within the bathrooms section of a paper products department.
This emphasis requires a different display space and the whole comes together with other paper products (toilet tissues, baby disposable nappies etc) and provides a totally different perspective within that market plan segment.
The Pharmacy Landscape Program is comprised of a number of sub-programs that will be ongoing in their development, plus a number of finite programs that will have a distinct endpoint.
The major sub-programs (sections) under consideration are:
1. Convenient Care Clinics
These are specialised clinics that will provide a home or “stations” for a range of paid clinical services.
They will be comprised of one or more clinical spaces and will feature telemedicine and integration with GP’s and other health practitioners.
Some spaces may be developed as mobile “pods” capable of communicating in a range of technologies and being able to be set up in satellite locations.
2. Inventory Management
This area will be for specialised items such as medical foods, nutritional supplements, drugs for compounding, or drugs reserved for prescribing that are not normally part of an OTC catalogue.
A pharmacopoeia will be developed as part of the control of this area.
3. Health-in-the-Home
This will be an outreach program that will service people in their own homes, mainly the elderly.
Our population is rapidly aging and with aging comes a lack of mobility and lifestyle diseases.
The bulk of government subsidised health care expenditure (up to 90 percent) is spent on patients, usually in their last decade of life.
Telemedicine will be a feature of this service to preserve costs.
Some elements of this program are already in place (home delivery, prescription management, Webster packing) and a communications system is currently being planned and built.
4. Expanded Prescription Base
New sources of prescriptions will be developed from internal resources (Bulk prescriptions, Nutriscript, Compounding, other allied health practitioners).
4. Client Relationship Management
An ongoing client relationship program is being built to underpin all the above activities.
It will be Internet based, have cloud storage facilities and will deliver e-newsletters to customers and patients.
It will also have portable elements using iPad or similar tablets and will integrate with other major systems e.g. dispensing.
Macro Themes Changing the Health Landscape
BEHAVIORAL NUDGE
New tools and incentive systems are promoting a more proactive model of health by helping people better track and understand their behaviours a n d encouraging them to make healthier lifestyle choices. Wearable and mobile technologies are leveraging advanced sensors and algorithms to provide deeper insights and individualised coaching to activate users around their wellness.
When paired with game mechanics offered by insurance companies, employers and providers, these feedback loops motivate users to make incremental changes over time. The net effect of this approach is a healthier population that is less reliant on the resources provided by the broader healthcare system.
EMPOWERED PATIENT
Armed wit h a greater degree of knowledge about their lifestyles and conditions, consumers are taking a more central role in determining when they interact with the healthcare system and how their care is delivered. Patients are being empowered with technologies and participation in social communities that enable them to gather valuable advice or self-diagnose before visiting a medical professional. As a result, patients are better prepared to collaborate with their doctors during these consultations on the best course of action, which can be further supported by guidance around individual treatment plans to ensure optimal outcomes.
ORCHESTRATED CARE
Healthcare providers are using new technologies, social platforms and data systems to streamline the way information Is disseminated and accessed to deliver a more personalised and distributed model of care. Secure networks are offering a new ‘commons’ for doctors to share research and advice around conditions that fall outside of their expertise, while analytical tools interpret patient data to further support these decisions.
Similarly, digital platforms have evolved to ease the communication ion between doctors, patients and different medical personnel to ensure that pertinent records,treatment plans and face- to- face guidance is readily accessible, cutting down inefficiencies and mistakes.
AUGMENTED TREATMENT
Doctors are upgrading their medical toolkits with high tech visualisation instruments, imperceptible monitoring devices and 3D printing techniques to improve the level of care they can provide to patients.
Added biometrics from embedded sensors are aiding in patient diagnosis and tracking. Inside the examination and operating rooms, holographic projections and augmented reality overlays allow physicians and surgeons to offer less invasive and more effective treatments.
At the same time, 3D printers are enabling medical technicians to produce cost-effective prosthetics and implants that can be tailored to individual patients to ensure greater comfort and functionality and speed recovery times.
Lessons for Successful Healthcare Services
DATA SYNERGY
As people begin to generate a greater volume of personal health data alongside their existing medical records, questions around ownership and portability will loom large.
People will want control over this information to ensure that they receive the greatest benefit from shared access whether that be through lower insurance premiums or personalised care.
LIVING HEALTH DATABASE
As more reliable medical information flows into the healthcare system from patients, the data is added to aggregated research databases that can be mined for deeper insights about individuals and communities.
Doctors and other practitioners can use these insides to support better assessments about conditions, treatment effectiveness and warning signs.
INSTANT ACCESS
Patients will demand the ability to connect with their doctors through a wider variety of plat forms and channels—video, online, mobile and social—to receive care that is more personal, regular and convenient. This new level of access will place the relationship between patients and physicians at the centre of the healthcare system.
INFORMED CONVERSATIONS
As patients broaden their healthcare networks to include wellness experts and patient communities, they’ll require access to personal medical results and resources that are accurate, standardised and easily understood to facilitate discussion and collaboration on treatment plans.
PRESCRIPTION FOR TECHNOLOGY
Digitally-savvy patients are looking to their doctors and healthcare providers to be technology and information advisors in the medical space. Whether curating trusted content or recommending relevant mobile apps and wearable devices, these new resources will support a more continuous and responsive model of healthcare.
RESPONSIVE CARE SYSTEMS
As sophisticated health monitoring and analysis technologies develop for the consumer and
professional marketplaces, we’ll see a transition to a more responsive model of care that steps in to provide support at key moments. These systems will automate processes like appointment and medication reminders, and provide prompts when human input is required, such as when a patient is deviating from their treatment.
CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKETPLACE
As patients take advantage of connected technologies, social tools and information resources to become more knowledgeable about their health and that of their families, there will be a subsequent push for healthcare options that better fit their lifestyle choices. In order to compete in this new marketplace, providers will rethink their offerings to consider plans that include performance incentives, transparency and greater flexibility.