Buy Better
Take the Time Crunch Challenge
How much do you actually spend on your secondary shopping? Take PBA Health’s Time Crunch Challenge and find out.
For one week, track how much time you and your team spend shopping for secondary products. Put a blank sheet of paper by each workstation. Include even the “just a few minutes.” At the end of the week, tally the total time. How many minutes and hours does saving nickels and dimes cost you?
Then, take it a step farther. Figure out how much everyone is paid by the hour. For example, say a pharm tech spends 6 hours searching for products and a pharmacist spends 4 hours. That’s a total of 10 hours at each person’s hourly rate. Comparison shopping on the secondary market just cost your business an estimated $750 in one week.
# of TECH HOURS x HOURLY RATE + # of PIC HOURS x HOURLY RATE = TOTAL HOURS x TOTAL HOURLY RATE = TOTAL COST
Are the “savings” from all of that secondary shopping worth the time you and your staff spent searching? What could have been done instead?
One stop shop
Simplify and streamline your secondary purchasing. Choose two or three of the most reliable and trustworthy options instead of comparison shopping across multiple secondaries. You’ll want to select secondary suppliers with a broad offering, preferably brands, generics, controls, refrigerated items and over-the-counter products.
If you reduce time spent by even 5 hours, you’ll save hundreds of dollars a week. And just think of the extra time you’ll have to develop new skills, work on special projects or most important—counsel patients.
After all, did you and your team enter this profession to comparison shop or help your patients?
Convenience matters
Beyond offering a full line, make sure your primary secondaries has EDI capabilities. EDI, or Electronic Data Interchange, allows your system and your secondary’s system to “talk” with each other.
With EDI, you find the item you need in your system, pull up the price file, and then make the purchase without ever having to make a phone call or open a new program on your computer. The order is automatically sent to your supplier’s system, which gets the ball rolling on shipping the order as soon as possible. Make sure the EDI system has options for repeat purchases, previous orders and an instant search bar with multiple ways to look for a specific product.
Your ordering will be seamless, accurate and quick with far less red tape than using invoices or purchase orders.
Win-win situation
Add BuyLine to your regular rotation of secondary shopping sites. You’ll find everything you need in one spot, with a host of conveniences and monthly cash rebates. Opening an account is easy and quick. There are never any hidden fees, detailed contracts or long-term commitments. We accept credit cards with no extra fee. And dedicated Business Improvement Specialist is assigned to your account to help you find what you’re looking for. You’ll also find that we mean it when we say, “We’re in business to serve your business.”
Buy Better shows you how to save time and money with your secondary purchasing.
Need to Know
Vaccine variables
When it comes to vaccines, confusion and skepticism reign.
One agency says one thing. Another, something else. Your patients have done their “research,” and they may feel strongly about this, that or the other. Plus, they know a guy who has a friend who said this or reacted to that.
What’s an independent community pharmacist to do?
Trust the experts and trust yourself
That was the biggest takeaway from the informative, lively webinar hosted by The National Community Pharmacists Association on August 6. “All Pharmacy Townhall: Examining Changes in Vaccine Policy Affecting Practice and Community” explored the ever-evolving landscape of pharmacy-based vaccine delivery and what’s known so far about the upcoming respiratory infection season. It also featured a question-and-answer session.
The panel that a variety of organizations are the go-to experts, mentioned the Vaccine Integrity Project, which is a part of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. That project, in turn, published a report studying the integrity of the U.S. vaccine system.
The Vaccine Integrity Project also sponsored an expert presentation on the latest publicly available data regarding the safety and efficacy of flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccines. “From Data to Decisions: The Evidence Base for 2025 Fall/Winter Immunizations” includes a panel-led Q&A.
Tailor your services
When you advise your patients about vaccines, be sure your recommendations are based on their specific health circumstances. Is your patient elderly? Immunocompromised? Do they have diabetes or another chronic illness?
The NCPA panel strongly suggests relying on the expertise of other professional organizations. If, for example, your patient is pregnant, refer to recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. If your patient has diabetes, follow the lead of the American Diabetes Association.
The American Academy of Pediatrics published its annual recommended child and adolescent vaccine schedule just last week. For the first time in 30 years, the academy’s vaccine recommendations differ from the federal government’s guidance.
Prepare your payments
The uncertainty may also affect your ability to get paid. Some patients that are used to being covered by their insurers may not be any more. Reach out and determine the policies of some of your largest payors or providers. Make sure your patients know what their insurance will or will not pay for.
Overall, the science hasn’t changed but many other variables have.
Need to Know keeps you informed of dates, deadlines, and other information relevant to independent community pharmacy.