Impact of Pharmacist Follow-up Intervention on Patient Return to a Community Pharmacy from a Convenient Care Clinic

Abstract

Background: Convenient Care Clinics (CCCs) located within the same facility as a retail pharmacy offer the opportunity for immediate fill of prescriptions from the CCC and may also provide a source of new customers for the pharmacy. Objective: To assess the impact of a follow-up intervention on new patients seen at a CCC returning to the pharmacy for subsequent prescription fills compared to the control group. Methods: New patients who filled a prescription from the CCC in November and December 2015 received an initial follow-up telephone call or letter, respectively, from the pharmacist within 10 days of their prescription fill date. The primary end point of the percentage of patient return was assessed for 3 months following the initial fill date. Secondary end points included number of prescriptions transferred and customer satisfaction scores. Results: Thirty-four out of 214 patients in the control group returned to the pharmacy for subsequent prescription fills (15.9%). Fourteen out of 52 patients in the telephone group returned to the pharmacy for additional prescription fills following a telephone call from the pharmacist. (26.9%, P =.063) Sixteen out of 77 patients in the letter group returned to the pharmacy after their first prescription. (20.8%, P =.329). Conclusions: Following-up with new patients to the pharmacy in the form of a personalized telephone call increases the likelihood of patients continuing to utilize the pharmacy for their prescription needs.