Wag MD detailing

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killingbill

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Gotta love WAGs. We don't let drug reps in the stores but we force our pharmacists to run around selling ourselves to doctors. Can someone say *******?
 
I dont think WAGs is the only one. I know CVSs in the philadelphia area that send their pharmacists/ pharmacy interns to go to doctors. ridiculous.
 
What our chain does is: Say "yes" and nod to all the drug reps that come in (in attempt to get them out of our store AS FAST AS POSSIBLE). Take all their brochures/ads, then after they walk away from our sight, throw them all in the trash can. Problem solved. 👍 :laugh:
 
pharmaguide said:
What our chain does is: Say "yes" and nod to all the drug reps that come in (in attempt to get them out of our store AS FAST AS POSSIBLE). Take all their brochures/ads, then after they walk away from our sight, throw them all in the trash can. Problem solved. 👍 :laugh:
Click to expand...

And go to the drug dinners :meanie:
 
killingbill said:
Gotta love WAGs. We don't let drug reps in the stores but we force our pharmacists to run around selling ourselves to doctors. Can someone say *******?
Click to expand...

Kroger and Safeway did it too....yes, it is a ******* waste of time. Like the staff is going to go "Oh my gosh! I didn't know there was a big Walgreens right across the street from us! Thanks for coming in and letting us know!" Stupid, Stupid waste of time. But that describes most of the dumb stuff you have to do in retail.
 
The point of doctor detailing is to let the MD know the services Walgreens can provide. Such as on site immunizations for shingles and soon to be other immunizations, blood pressure and other tests so the patient has an easier time monitoring themselves then always going to the doctor's office, or if the doc wants to start writing a compound script and no pharmacies really keep the ingredients in stock, Walgreens wants to let the MD's know that they wanna help them keep the patient healthy.

Some of you guys think that Walgreens is being stupid with all this. To me it sounds like they're trying to bring back patient care into retail.
 
Wheresmyaricept said:
The point of doctor detailing is to let the MD know the services Walgreens can provide. Such as on site immunizations for shingles and soon to be other immunizations, blood pressure and other tests so the patient has an easier time monitoring themselves then always going to the doctor's office, or if the doc wants to start writing a compound script and no pharmacies really keep the ingredients in stock, Walgreens wants to let the MD's know that they wanna help them keep the patient healthy.

Some of you guys think that Walgreens is being stupid with all this. To me it sounds like they're trying to bring back patient care into retail.
Click to expand...

If by on site blood pressure screening you mean being handed an electronic BP machine so you can do it yourself then sure, WAG does that. Independent pharmacies are lightyears ahead of retail chains in every department you mentioned. My uncle did on-site immunizations 15 years ago and now chains want to advertise this as something completely original? That they care about patients? Yeah right.

Patient care has always been in retail pharmacy, now the chains want a piece of that already discovered pie.
 
Wheresmyaricept said:
The point of doctor detailing is to let the MD know the services Walgreens can provide. Such as on site immunizations for shingles and soon to be other immunizations, blood pressure and other tests so the patient has an easier time monitoring themselves then always going to the doctor's office, or if the doc wants to start writing a compound script and no pharmacies really keep the ingredients in stock, Walgreens wants to let the MD's know that they wanna help them keep the patient healthy.

Some of you guys think that Walgreens is being stupid with all this. To me it sounds like they're trying to bring back patient care into retail.
Click to expand...

Boy are you a newbie!

Immunizations? Yea, doctors love the fact we are taking that business away from them. I am sure they enjoy it when the pharmacist comes in and tells them about it.

Compounding? With the dangerous staffing levels I would not feel comfortable getting a script for amoxicillin filled at a Walgreens let alone a compound.
 
BenJammin said:
If by on site blood pressure screening you mean being handed an electronic BP machine so you can do it yourself then sure, WAG does that. Independent pharmacies are lightyears ahead of retail chains in every department you mentioned. My uncle did on-site immunizations 15 years ago and now chains want to advertise this as something completely original? That they care about patients? Yeah right.

Patient care has always been in retail pharmacy, now the chains want a piece of that already discovered pie.
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Cool story, bro. Doesn't change my explanation of what doctor detailing is. And your blood pressure statement is stupid. I've never seen a pharmacist hand someone the blood pressure machine and tell them to do it themselves. They always sit down and talk to the patient afterwards to make sure they're taking medication if they have a high reading. Or to see how their medications are going and if they can offer any advice. But of course, since you hate all the chains, you'll probably just find another frivolous statement to pick at.


As for the immunizations comment from the other person, not a single doctor in my area can get in Zostavax. How can you take away from that which they don't have?
 
Wheresmyaricept said:
Walgreens wants to let the MD's know that they wanna help them keep the patient healthy.

Some of you guys think that Walgreens is being stupid with all this. To me it sounds like they're trying to bring back patient care into retail.
Click to expand...

Ha! I guarantee you Walgreens doesn't care one bit about how healthy anyone is. ALL they care about is making money. That is it. Are you aware of the profit margins on all those vaccinations that they have pharmacists running around promoting? It isn't about patient health. It is the $$$.
 
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Wheresmyaricept said:
As for the immunizations comment from the other person, not a single doctor in my area can get in Zostavax. How can you take away from that which they don't have?
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In NY we can't give Zostavax yet, but we're trying to get that added in a bill sometime this year. From what I've heard, it's not something many MDs will stock because it has some specific storage conditions, and it's pricey to keep on the inventory. I've also heard that it's covered by part D, which is good for pharmacy.
 
Zostavax just has to be kept in the freezer. A lot of physicians do not stock it because they cannot bill medicare for it. However, there are people who do not have medicare and want the vaccine. Some insurances will reimburse and others won't cover it at pharmacy level. I have no problem getting Zostavax. We get it through Cardinal.
 
They are paying you 125k/yr...suck it up...
 
Wheresmyaricept said:
The point of doctor detailing is to let the MD know the services Walgreens can provide. Such as on site immunizations for shingles and soon to be other immunizations, blood pressure and other tests so the patient has an easier time monitoring themselves then always going to the doctor's office, or if the doc wants to start writing a compound script and no pharmacies really keep the ingredients in stock, Walgreens wants to let the MD's know that they wanna help them keep the patient healthy.

Some of you guys think that Walgreens is being stupid with all this. To me it sounds like they're trying to bring back patient care into retail.
Click to expand...

Oh really!! PATIENT CARE
Can any one on the forum volunteer to work with him to get him out of his lalala land?
We dont have time to go to restroom or eat let alone take blood pressure.
It is something which is forced on us with all the other crap.How come you are so detached from reality I dont understand?
Get your facts straight before you are seriously disappointed.
I really wish that you were right.
 
abc1234567 said:
Is everything about money for you? Or that is the only answer you have?
Click to expand...

No it isn't about money, that is why I got out of retail.

Seriously, walk across the street and build relationships with other healthcare professionals. Is that really a big deal? If the office doesn't have time or care, then you tried. Move on.
 
abc1234567 said:
Oh really!! PATIENT CARE
Can any one on the forum volunteer to work with him to get him out of his lalala land?
We dont have time to go to restroom or eat let alone take blood pressure.
It is something which is forced on us with all the other crap.How come you are so detached from reality I dont understand?
Get your facts straight before you are seriously disappointed.
I really wish that you were right.
Click to expand...
👍
 
Wheresmyaricept said:
The point of doctor detailing is to let the MD know the services Walgreens can provide. Such as on site immunizations for shingles and soon to be other immunizations, blood pressure and other tests so the patient has an easier time monitoring themselves then always going to the doctor's office, or if the doc wants to start writing a compound script and no pharmacies really keep the ingredients in stock, Walgreens wants to let the MD's know that they wanna help them keep the patient healthy.

Some of you guys think that Walgreens is being stupid with all this. To me it sounds like they're trying to bring back patient care into retail.
Click to expand...

LMFAO! Are you for real? Or are you a WAG's store manager/corporate troll? They have enough advertising to choke a horse...they're just using RPh's to make more money, period.
 
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Wheresmyaricept said:
The point of doctor detailing is to let the MD know the services Walgreens can provide. Such as on site immunizations for shingles and soon to be other immunizations, blood pressure and other tests so the patient has an easier time monitoring themselves then always going to the doctor's office, or if the doc wants to start writing a compound script and no pharmacies really keep the ingredients in stock, Walgreens wants to let the MD's know that they wanna help them keep the patient healthy.

Some of you guys think that Walgreens is being stupid with all this. To me it sounds like they're trying to bring back patient care into retail.
Click to expand...

Yeah, not my job. Get someone who's trained in marketing to do that.
 
Wheresmyaricept said:
The point of doctor detailing is to let the MD know the services Walgreens can provide. Such as on site immunizations for shingles and soon to be other immunizations, blood pressure and other tests so the patient has an easier time monitoring themselves then always going to the doctor's office, or if the doc wants to start writing a compound script and no pharmacies really keep the ingredients in stock, Walgreens wants to let the MD's know that they wanna help them keep the patient healthy.

Some of you guys think that Walgreens is being stupid with all this. To me it sounds like they're trying to bring back patient care into retail.
Click to expand...

This is sales and marketing...none of the actual work/process has anything to do with patient care.
 
Wheresmyaricept said:
The point of doctor detailing is to let the MD know the services Walgreens can provide. Such as on site immunizations for shingles and soon to be other immunizations, blood pressure and other tests so the patient has an easier time monitoring themselves then always going to the doctor's office, or if the doc wants to start writing a compound script and no pharmacies really keep the ingredients in stock, Walgreens wants to let the MD's know that they wanna help them keep the patient healthy.

Some of you guys think that Walgreens is being stupid with all this. To me it sounds like they're trying to bring back patient care into retail.
Click to expand...

I work for Walgreens and since we lost our contract with Express Scrips corporate has come up with a list of "mitigation plans" to counteract this and doctor detailing is included in this list. In our district the corporate emails pretty much state that we need to complete the doctor detailing to keep prescription numbers up. And if those numbers don't stay up we loose technician hours. And we have quotas to meet-if we don't detail the number of prescribers asked of us they call that store personally and find out what happened.
 
Ghibli said:
I work for Walgreens and since we lost our contract with Express Scrips corporate has come up with a list of "mitigation plans" to counteract this and doctor detailing is included in this list. In our district the corporate emails pretty much state that we need to complete the doctor detailing to keep prescription numbers up. And if those numbers don't stay up we loose technician hours. And we have quotas to meet-if we don't detail the number of prescribers asked of us they call that store personally and find out what happened.
Click to expand...

Typical WAGS
 
MountainPharmD said:
Boy are you a newbie!

Immunizations? Yea, doctors love the fact we are taking that business away from them. I am sure they enjoy it when the pharmacist comes in and tells them about it.

Compounding? With the dangerous staffing levels I would not feel comfortable getting a script for amoxicillin filled at a Walgreens let alone a compound.
Click to expand...

MPD Doctor detailing can beneficial if you want to get a jump on the competitor- for example at my location- normally once a month(we are not require) but one of the staff Pharmacist calls or visit an MD office that writes a lot of scripts and we ask the MD/Staff or there any meds that yor customers are having a hard time time finding- most recently we contacted a very popular Pain Management MD who told us a lot of his customer were not finding Nucynta Er at pharmacies so we ask him what strengths does he normally prescribe and we order those meds and we just told the MD to tell your customer that we stock the meds on a regular basis and we have got plenty of new customers based on that one visit. So it can work if you take the time and find out what meds your area MD's are prescribing that are not being stocked by other pharmacies. I think finding MD's who write for C2's is the best bet to increase sales- because a lot of Pharmacies are hesitant about ordering C2's and don't want the hassle- bt most of my calls when customers are looking for Meds are for C2's that are hard to locate at other pharmacies.
 
Rxnupe said:
MPD Doctor detailing can beneficial if you want to get a jump on the competitor- for example at my location- normally once a month(we are not require) but one of the staff Pharmacist calls or visit an MD office that writes a lot of scripts and we ask the MD/Staff or there any meds that yor customers are having a hard time time finding- most recently we contacted a very popular Pain Management MD who told us a lot of his customer were not finding Nucynta Er at pharmacies so we ask him what strengths does he normally prescribe and we order those meds and we just told the MD to tell your customer that we stock the meds on a regular basis and we have got plenty of new customers based on that one visit. So it can work if you take the time and find out what meds your area MD's are prescribing that are not being stocked by other pharmacies. I think finding MD's who write for C2's is the best bet to increase sales- because a lot of Pharmacies are hesitant about ordering C2's and don't want the hassle- bt most of my calls when customers are looking for Meds are for C2's that are hard to locate at other pharmacies.
Click to expand...

Bingo! We have a winner. Filling legitamate C-IIs and keeping them in stock is the best way to increase sales. I have successfully done this at two of the pharmacies I have managed. I have also contacted doctors and pain management clinics just as Rxnupe. You can pick up an amazing amount of business just by keeping in stock the C-IIs for one pain management group. This makes sense.
 
MountainPharmD said:
Bingo! We have a winner. Filling legitamate C-IIs and keeping them in stock is the best way to increase sales. I have successfully done this at two of the pharmacies I have managed. I have also contacted doctors and pain management clinics just as Rxnupe. You can pick up an amazing amount of business just by keeping in stock the C-IIs for one pain management group. This makes sense.
Click to expand...
However, I do agree with your precious points that going to a Doctors office and saying:" Hey we want to cut into your salary so just send your patient to the Pharmacy for Flu Shots is very stupid- when I worked for Albertsons/Sav-On that was one of the requirements is to go to MD's office and promote immunization that's as crazy as a CVS pharmacist going to a WAGS and handing cards and telling the Pharmacist- hey send your cutomers to us because we will give them less wait time etc.
 
Rxnupe said:
However, I do agree with your precious points that going to a Doctors office and saying:" Hey we want to cut into your salary so just send your patient to the Pharmacy for Flu Shots is very stupid- when I worked for Albertsons/Sav-On that was one of the requirements is to go to MD's office and promote immunization that's as crazy as a CVS pharmacist going to a WAGS and handing cards and telling the Pharmacist- hey send your cutomers to us because we will give them less wait time etc.
Click to expand...

I have spoken to several MD's about this and they were not making very good margins on their flu shots anyway. I don't think pharmacists would've ever gotten the privilege of immunizing if it was profitable for physicians. It was just one of the little morsels they throw us to shut us up for a while. Kind of like MTM.
 
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Rxnupe said:
MPD Doctor detailing can beneficial if you want to get a jump on the competitor- for example at my location- normally once a month(we are not require) but one of the staff Pharmacist calls or visit an MD office that writes a lot of scripts and we ask the MD/Staff or there any meds that yor customers are having a hard time time finding- most recently we contacted a very popular Pain Management MD who told us a lot of his customer were not finding Nucynta Er at pharmacies so we ask him what strengths does he normally prescribe and we order those meds and we just told the MD to tell your customer that we stock the meds on a regular basis and we have got plenty of new customers based on that one visit. So it can work if you take the time and find out what meds your area MD's are prescribing that are not being stocked by other pharmacies. I think finding MD's who write for C2's is the best bet to increase sales- because a lot of Pharmacies are hesitant about ordering C2's and don't want the hassle- bt most of my calls when customers are looking for Meds are for C2's that are hard to locate at other pharmacies.
Click to expand...
lol. We did that in Florida. Worked great! Narcotics sales went through the roof! Then the DEA came and revoked the pharmacy's license. The bastards... 🙁
 
Unchained said:
I have spoken to several MD's about this and they were not making very good margins on their flu shots anyway. I don't think pharmacists would've ever gotten the privilege of immunizing if it was profitable for physicians. It was just one of the little morsels they throw us to shut us up for a while. Kind of like MTM.
Click to expand...

Wrong.

I have been around before the days pharmacists immunized. Trust me when we first started doctors were furious. I remember an editorial one doctor wrote that his practice made 25k to 30k a season on flu shots that he is now losing to Walgreens next door.

Doctors have a better margin than we do. First there are not paying a 100k a year person to give the shot. Most likely it is a $12 an hour medical assistant. Second, they can bill insurance and Medicare and get the max reimbursement. Medicare reimburses $35 dollars for a flu shot. To get business the retail chains low ball each other on the shot and charge $20 to $25 dollars. You cannot bill cash customers a higher price then your usual and customary charge submitted to insurance.
 
MountainPharmD said:
Wrong.

I have been around before the days pharmacists immunized. Trust me when we first started doctors were furious. I remember an editorial one doctor wrote that his practice made 25k to 30k a season on flu shots that he is now losing to Walgreens next door.

Doctors have a better margin than we do. First there are not paying a 100k a year person to give the shot. Most likely it is a $12 an hour medical assistant. Second, they can bill insurance and Medicare and get the max reimbursement. Medicare reimburses $35 dollars for a flu shot. To get business the retail chains low ball each other on the shot and charge $20 to $25 dollars. You cannot bill cash customers a higher price then your usual and customary charge submitted to insurance.
Click to expand...

This is actually something I like about CVS (yeah I know right...) They do not play the price lowering game and instead cater to people with insurance. You will not see many cash paying customers at CVS compared to other chains because they do not employ "loss leaders" to entice, they keep their prices high so that they can charge insurance companies a reasonable amount.

(29.99 still for a flu shot with a $10 gift card for cash paying pts, that way they can bill medicare for 29.99)
 
MountainPharmD said:
Wrong.

I have been around before the days pharmacists immunized. Trust me when we first started doctors were furious. I remember an editorial one doctor wrote that his practice made 25k to 30k a season on flu shots that he is now losing to Walgreens next door.

Doctors have a better margin than we do. First there are not paying a 100k a year person to give the shot. Most likely it is a $12 an hour medical assistant. Second, they can bill insurance and Medicare and get the max reimbursement. Medicare reimburses $35 dollars for a flu shot. To get business the retail chains low ball each other on the shot and charge $20 to $25 dollars. You cannot bill cash customers a higher price then your usual and customary charge submitted to insurance.
Click to expand...

Maybe years ago in the mountains of West Virginia where they were the only provider. Most practices used flu shots as a way to bring in new patients. Profit margins are higher for other services they provide. Most physicians are glad to refer their flu shot seekers to the local pharmacy. One could argue that our time would be better spent performing other activities. When you take into consideration time spent and all the coupons/incentives what are we making?
 
Dr Wario said:
This is actually something I like about CVS (yeah I know right...) They do not play the price lowering game and instead cater to people with insurance. You will not see many cash paying customers at CVS compared to other chains because they do not employ "loss leaders" to entice, they keep their prices high so that they can charge insurance companies a reasonable amount.

(29.99 still for a flu shot with a $10 gift card for cash paying pts, that way they can bill medicare for 29.99)
Click to expand...

WAGs does this too, I think I saw maybe 2-3 people pay cash price for their flu shot last season.

But then again, the way they do cash pricing on drugs in general is horrendous. I was chastised by my store manager because I sent this little old lady to Target to get her drugs because it was going to be $900 less expensive for her.

Apparently that was "wrong"
 
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