Like all business owners, if you manage an onsite clinic you’ll be looking for ways to grow. The good news? With 31% of all companies with at least 5,000 employees offering a primary care clinic, near-site and onsite clinics are growing in popularity, with increasing room for growth and expansion.
The bad news? While the pandemic has proven the importance of responsive healthcare, the rise of remote work and ongoing lockdowns and physical distancing has created service delivery and revenue challenges for many onsite and near-site providers.
According to research conducted by Mercer, clinic-based telehealth rose to 78% in 2021, up from just 21% in 2018. And, with remote work not going anywhere, it’s time for your onsite clinic to look at how you operate with fresh eyes.
Instead of the traditional approach of trimming staff or cutting services to reduce operating costs, evaluating how you deliver services may be the key to unlocking growth for your business.
Clearly, the emergence of telehealth provides one opportunity for your clinic to grow.
Other options, such as outsourcing your pharmacy services to an expert mail-order provider, could also pave the way for even more success for your onsite clinic, limiting risk and reducing a range of costs.
The risks of dispensing prescription medication for onsite clinics
Onsite and near-site clinics may offer a range of health and wellbeing services, from routine screenings to immunizations, physiotherapy, primary care, first aid, pharmacy dispensing, and wellness services.
If pharmacy dispensing is a core part of your clinic’s service offerings, you’re no doubt already aware of the risks associated with providing prescription medicine to your patients. Here are just some of the statistics that highlight those risks:
- There are approximately 6,800 prescription medicines available in the US.
- There are countless combinations of medications that can have potentially adverse interactions.
- Each year, 7,000 to 9,000 people die from medication errors.
- Each year, it costs over $40 billion to care for people affected by medication errors.
The number of medicines currently available, combined with the ever-present risk of an adverse reaction, present a growing risk to onsite clinics. Then there are the legal and reputational costs associated with medication errors, costs that could threaten the viability of your business.
The real cost of dispensing medicine for your onsite clinic
Aside from the risks associated with dispensing prescription medication, there are other costs involved in delivering this service for your onsite clinic.
- You need to have staff on hand to answer questions and ensure all medications are correctly dispensed, adding extra costs to your overheads.
- You require space to store prescription medications. If you’re operating onsite, you may not have enough space to store medications and dispense the best medication in the optimum strength or combination.
- Third, there are costs involved in the ordering and storing of medication. These include the capital costs of purchasing the medications and losses due to shrinkage and expired stock.
When you think about it, onsite pharmacy services take up significant time and money - resources that could be better utilized in delivering better health and wellness services for your client base.
Imagine not having to manage the day-to-day logistics of running an in-clinic formulary? What could that mean for your near-site or onsite clinic in terms of savings and scalability?
How outsourcing pharmacy services can help your onsite clinic grow
The world has changed. With so many services and products available online, 24/7, there’s no reason why your onsite or near-site clinic can’t take advantage of this same drive for efficiency.
Outsourcing pharmacy services is an easy switch that will take the pressure off your team. By sending e-scripts to a dedicated pharmacy services provider, your staff will no longer have the responsibility of ordering, storing, and dispensing medication onsite. This gives them the chance to spend more time on patient care and the freedom to improve clinic processes.
With no need to wait for medications to be dispensed, your patients will be in and out quicker. They’ll also benefit from having their medications delivered straight to their door, the ultimate in convenience. And, there’s no doubt they’ll enjoy an enhanced care experience with the focus of the clinic now solely on them.
By partnering with a nationally licensed pharmacy, your onsite or near-site clinic can grow, safe in the knowledge you are complying with local regulations for dispensing medications. With the ability to operate anywhere within the contiguous United States, you can expand your offering over multiple locations, paving the way for ongoing success.
Benefits of outsourcing pharmacy services to HomeMed
HomeMed is a nationally licensed pharmacy, with pharmacists certified to dispense prescription medication across the United States. Send e-scripts to us and we’ll dispense them within 24 hours (your patient will get delivery within one to five days). We also offer an auto-refill service to ensure they never run out of their much-needed medication.
Partnering with HomeMed means you no longer have to:
- pay for a pharmacist to be onsite at all times
- run the risk of medication dispensing errors
- worry about having the right certifications in place
- store medication onsite (taking up valuable clinic space)
- deal with insurance and cost queries
- manage inventory or remember to order medications.
Freeing your staff from the burden of dispensing medication provides the opportunity to develop new services, improve the patient experience and take a more strategic approach to the business. Everything your onsite clinic needs to drive growth and innovation.
Benefit from HomeMed’s expert pharmacy services
With an experienced team, and pharmacists certified in all 50 states, HomeMed is ready to handle the responsibility of dispensing prescription medicines for your onsite or near-site clinic. Reduce liability, save valuable space and get back to focusing on the health and wellbeing of your patients by outsourcing your pharmacy services to HomeMed.
