Boost Revenue and Patient Satisfaction With Point-of-Care Testing
In a session from the PDS 2021 Virtual Super-Conference, experts discussed how POC testing capabilities enhance patient services and address antimicrobial resistance.
In a recent session from the Pharmacy Development Services 2021 Virtual Super-Conference, held virtually on May 20 and 21, experts from Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) and PTS Diagnostics discussed how pharmacy owners can reinforce their store as a destination for proactive health by incorporating point-of-care (POC) into their practice.
Megan Wimmer, MBA, global health economics and outcomes research manager, BD, and Beth Russell, senior manager, PTS Diagnostics, highlighted the importance of capitalizing on the POC testing market and options for POC testing capabilities within the pharmacy space.
For patients, the pharmacy is often the most accessible entry point into the US health system. With an estimated 13 billion annual pharmacy visits, pharmacists are in a prime position to drive customer demand and satisfaction through POC testing.
“There are 10 times as many pharmacy access points as there are all other primary care providers,” Wimmer explained, particularly from an equity and access perspective. “You are actually critically important to being…the first point of entry to the health care system for many of these patients.”
Carrying out POC testing can also drive revenue for your pharmacy and help prevent antimicrobial resistance, according to Wimmer. She said that more than 70% of symptomatic patients receive antibiotic. POC testing can aid in reducing unnecessary use of antibiotic prescriptions and antimicrobial-resistant infection risks. “Also from a patient education standpoint, you can really help eliminate fear, especially of certain infectious diseases,” Wimmer added. She cited COVID-19 as an example.
