RIDGEFIELD, Conn., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ — American consumers rate independent pharmacists the most highly satisfied and most trusted healthcare advisors and customer-service practitioners in the retail pharmacy industry, according to the first Independent Pharmacy Satisfaction Report presented by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In fact, 69 percent of independent pharmacy customers in the United States are highly satisfied with their pharmacies and thirty percent satisfied. But despite the high marks, Americans still believe independents fall behind their chain competitors when it comes to offering services such as automated prescription refill systems, toll free 24 hour service lines, blood pressure testing and screening and retail medical clinics.
The report for independent pharmacists is based on findings from the nationwide WilsonRx(R) National Pharmacy Satisfaction SurveyTM that is independently fielded and used as the basis for the 2008 Pharmacy Satisfaction Digest. Robert Belknap, executive director, Trade Sales and Operations, Boehringer Ingelheim, said the goal of the report is to provide independent pharmacists with additional tools to help with the success of their business.
“The Independent Pharmacy Satisfaction Report offers ideas and suggestions for pharmacy operators to consider implementing to possibly improve their shopper’s experience and differentiate themselves from larger-scale competition,” he said. “The report is a resource. It’s up to each operator to determine what is best for their particular store and implement the most appropriate ideas to help drive more customers into stores, improve satisfaction levels, and help meet customer needs.”
According to Jim Wilson, president, Wilson Health Information, LLC, which implements and analyzes the annual survey, the data included in the report offers explanations as to why customers are satisfied with their independent pharmacies and focuses on the unique strengths offered to independent pharmacy customers.
“Information from our research indicates that independent pharmacists succeed because they stick to the basics and provide superior one-on-one customer service as they have for most of this nation’s history,” he said. “They take the time to build personal relationships with their patients, counsel them on their medication needs and go the extra mile to make sure those needs are served.”
This is the fifth year Boehringer Ingelheim and WilsonRx(R) have partnered to produce the annual Pharmacy Satisfaction Digest, which serves as a valuable tool to help pharmacy operators gain a more thorough understanding of the nation’s pharmacy customers and the critical factors that drive their shopping behaviors. This is the first year for the Independent report. Other key findings specific to independent pharmacies include:
-- McKesson's Health Mart store network received the highest in overall pharmacy customer satisfaction nationally in the 2008 survey. Health Mart remains the fastest-growing pharmacy franchise, with nearly 2,000 independent-owner franchisees. -- As of early 2008, independent pharmacy customers generated the highest number of new prescriptions and refills. That amounted to 7.8 new scripts and 27.7 refills in the past year. Chain drug stores lagged behind that average with their customers producing an average of 6.8 new scripts and 23.8 refills in the past year. -- Customers who frequent independents tend to shop around more than those who gravitate to other trade classes with just 16 percent of those customers reporting they had used only one pharmacy in the past 12 months to fill prescriptions. Another 48 percent said they had filled prescriptions at two pharmacies in the past year, and 36 percent said they used three or more pharmacies to fill prescriptions in the past year. -- In contrast, 37 percent of chain drug store customers, 36 percent of clinic pharmacy users and 31 percent of those who rely on supermarket pharmacies for their prescriptions used only one pharmacy outlet in the past 12 months.
Data from the First Independent Pharmacy Satisfaction Report will be presented with the 2008 Pharmacy Satisfaction Digest at the National Community Pharmacists Association’s (NCPA) 110th Annual Convention and Trade Exposition, Oct. 11-15 in Tampa, Fla.
Visit http://www.pharmacysatisfaction.com/ for additional research, information and helpful tools such as patient information materials, prescription assistance plans, clinical guidelines, drug references and consumer satisfaction data.
About the Survey
The WilsonRx(R) National Pharmacy Satisfaction Survey(TM) is independently conducted by Wilson Health Information, LLC annually to identify and measure drivers of overall customer satisfaction and loyalty. The eight-page survey is distributed to more than 70,000 households in the U.S. The survey sample is balanced by geographic region, market size, age, household type, income, size, and state, with additional surveys being sent to the top U.S. Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA) markets.
Respondents to the survey are screened to identify the primary household healthcare shopper or decision maker. This year, a total of 34,454 individuals responded to the survey, making this the largest comprehensive analysis of pharmacy customers in the nation. The statistical reliance is +/- 0.5 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. A minimum of 40 respondents within a market are required in order to draw comparative and quantitative conclusions.
About Wilson Health Information, LLC
Wilson Health Information, LLC, is a leading independent healthcare research and consulting company specializing in research among consumers and healthcare professionals for the pharmacy industry. Wilson Health Information’s data and findings help pharmacy operators identify customer strengths and weaknesses, and provide insight into pharmacy, pharmacy benefit, health insurance and treatment satisfaction.
About Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Ridgefield, CT, is the largest U.S. subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation (Ridgefield, CT) and a member of the Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies.
The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 135 affiliates in 47 countries and approximately 39,800 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.
In 2007, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of US $15.0 billion (10.9 billion euro) while spending approximately one-fifth of net sales in its largest business segment, Prescription Medicines, on research and development.
For more information, please visit
http://us.boehringer-ingelheim.com/.
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
CONTACT: Tammy Curtice, PharmD, Pharmacy Satisfaction Program Director,Pharmacy Development, Trade Sales and Operations of Boehringer IngelheimPharmaceuticals, Inc., +1-203-798-4788, [email protected]; or Kelly Franck of Ogilvy PublicRelations Worldwide, +1-212-880-5208, [email protected]
Web Site: http://www.pharmacysatisfaction.com/http://www.us.boehringer-ingelheim.com/
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