Communication with the pharmacy team, trust and confidence in a pharmacist or nurse, and the ability to obtain prescription refills are the three top factors that influence a customer’s likelihood of recommending a specialty pharmacy to others, according to results of the latest National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) Patient Satisfaction Survey.
Also, academic medical center specialty pharmacies scored highest on all survey items by a relatively small margin—an average of 93.7% on a 100-point scale—compared with 92.8% for nonacademic health-system specialty pharmacies and 89.2% for independent specialty pharmacies.
These results, from 17,477 customers at 35 participating specialty pharmacies, were presented during the NASP 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo, held in Grapevine, Texas. They represented patient experiences from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022. Participating pharmacies included 13 specialty pharmacies owned or operated by an academic medical center, 12 health-system specialty pharmacies and 10 independent specialty pharmacies.
Scores increased for all specialty pharmacies across the board from 2021 to 2022 in five key areas:
- communication with the pharmacy team;
- pharmacy’s ability to return calls in a timely manner;
- patient knowledge of their health conditions;
- timeliness of prescription deliveries; and
- keeping patients informed of their prescription status.
Looking at Net Promoter Scores (NPSs), a metric used to rate a person’s likelihood of recommending the pharmacy to family and friends, participating pharmacies overall ranked at 80, noted Tom Jeffrey, the president of the SullivanLuallin Group, a healthcare consulting firm that worked with NASP to administer the annual survey and analyze results. He added that anything over 70 is considered “outstanding; specialty pharmacy performs very well when it comes to customer loyalty,” he said. Comparing this with other industries, Costco ranks at a 79 NPS and Alaska Airlines at 49.
Academic specialty pharmacies had an 84.5 NPS, while health-system pharmacies ranked at 81.6 and independent pharmacies at 69.2. Two specialty pharmacies were cited for exceptional performance in survey metrics.
Centers of Excellence
The University of Vermont Medical Center scored 97 on a 100-point scale for communication with the pharmacy team, and had an NPS more than 90. Since Vermont is largely rural with many dirt roads, wide seasonal temperature swings and lower access to cellular data, the pharmacy cannot always rely on national companies for rural deliveries, especially in areas of limited cellphone coverage, according to a survey results report. The pharmacy discusses delivery options and customer preferences during their first phone contact with patients. They use a local, same-day courier service for many deliveries, which allows customers to select their preferred day and time for delivery. Pharmacists also meet patients via telehealth to provide education for those unable to come on-site.
Ardon Health, an independent specialty pharmacy based in Portland, Ore., scored 97.2 on a 100-point scale for confidence and trust in the pharmacist or nurse, and had an NPS more than 87. The company’s pharmacists and specialty navigators established a close working relationship with providers in clinics operated by the nonprofit PeaceHealth health system, the report said, and embedded pharmacy services within those clinics. Ardon also established an interactive patient management program with enhanced communication so patients better understand their health conditions and prescribed therapies. The company also implemented a digital patient engagement tool that enables patients to refill prescriptions and interact with the pharmacy team via text, email or a mobile app.
Results Support Accreditation
Kacie Ratliff, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist specialist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, in Jackson, said during the NASP meeting that the specialty pharmacy at her institution has participated in the survey since 2020. She and her colleagues use results to support accreditation efforts with URAC and the Accreditation Commission for Health Care. They also present results to their program’s executive steering and quality management committees and provide any clinic-specific reports to corresponding clinic staff.
Dr. Ratliff added that they compare their pharmacy’s results for the current year with prior years, and their performance versus other pharmacies in the NASP database. They pay particular attention to survey items where any poor responses are indicated to see where they can improve. And, they have used comments from the survey to address patient concerns, such as making sure customers know up front that the pharmacy is not permitted to ship out of state or to post office boxes. They are considering apps for refill requests, per patient comments on the survey.
“Ultimately, in the end, we just hope to create a better experience and better outcomes for our patients,” she said.
The University of California, San Diego Health specialty pharmacy has used the survey results to make changes, such as implementing a more robust program to address customer concerns after hours, and offering more eco-friendly packaging for mail-order prescriptions, said Jason Bailly, PharmD, the US San Diego Health pharmacist-in-charge of specialty operations. “Meeting the patient where they are has become an important factor for specialty pharmacy,” Dr. Bailly said. “It’s no longer just delivery to the patient’s home. That’s a very different conversation. Patients need to have that trust in our ability, not just to get drug to them but to get it to them safely, and this survey has really helped us to be able to understand that journey a lot better.
“The future of our success is going to depend on our ability to connect with the younger generation of patients we’re going to see,” he added, such as implementing features like two-way texting or potential incorporation of artificial intelligence. “There are lots of opportunities for specialty pharmacies to become more efficient and more effective.”
A copy of the report is available on the NASP website.
The sources reported no relevant financial disclosures.
This article is from the April 2024 print issue.