Roden-Smith Pharmacy has been serving Clovis, New Mexico for nearly 70 years, the only community pharmacy left in a town with a Walgreens, a Walmart, and a hospital pharmacy. Their services include vaccinations, specialty compounding, medication synchronization, medication therapy management, and hormone replacement therapy.
“I think the reason we have survived and prospered is that we have always been known for providing a high level of personal service,” said Roden-Smith Managing Pharmacist Micah Lansford, Pharm.D. “We acknowledge you as a person in our pharmacy, and we staff appropriately to make sure our patients get their medications promptly so they can be on their way.”
As a young pharmacist fresh out of school, Lansford saw a need for keeping up with the latest technologies and a strong digital presence. He soon became Roden-Smith’s resident IT guy, working with Digital Pharmacist to launch the pharmacy’s new website and mobile app in December 2015.
In 8 months, Roden-Smith has seen:
89
new mobile app prescription refills
6
new website prescription refills
5-10%
new refill volume after-hours
“One of the benefits of the Digital Pharmacist platform is that both the website and app work together and come from the same provider, so the branding, look and feel is consistent. That means the user experience for our patients is the same whether they are on our website or using their smartphones. Before, we had different vendors, which created some issues for us.”
In total, Roden-Smith achieved nearly 1,600 new digital refills through the website and mobile app between January and August 2020.
They also noticed a spike in after-hour refills as well. “In fact, about 5 to 10 percent of our refill volume is now coming in after hours,” Lansford said. According to him, switching to online refills has also helped Roden-Smith operate more efficiently. Knowing they’ll see a number of requests coming in overnight, the team now schedules a pharmacist to come in early and process the new refills before the store opens.
“It gives us flexibility, and it’s nice for our patients as well because they know their prescriptions will be ready and waiting for them when they come into the pharmacy,” said Lansford.
Roden-Smith’s rapid increase in digital and after-hours refills has been due more to decent digital marketing efforts than more traditional promotional methods.
“We really haven’t done any in-store advertising, but we do invest in advertising on Facebook using Digital Pharmacist’s digital marketing service. So that has worked great. When you compare Facebook versus other advertising costs, nothing beats it.”
Lansford firmly believes that the pharmacy’s active online presence plays an important role in appealing to and connecting with patients on social media.
Digital Pharmacist has supported thousands of pharmacies nationwide, helping them grow their businesses with digital engagement and communication tools during COVID-19. Our branded healthsite and mobile app offer HIPAA-compliant digital refills, secure 2-way messaging, and prescription management, promoting adherence and accessible communication.
To learn more about our offerings or request a software demo, get in touch with us today.
