At a Glance
S&S Drug in Beloit, Kansas has become a vital source for Medicare help in their community. With Medicare patients being such a big part of S&S Drug’s business, they have found that offering plan comparisons has helped significantly boost their patient retention among some of their most valuable patients. Despite Beloit having a population of just over 4,300 people, S&S Drug regularly performs 1,000 plan comparisons or more during an average open enrollment period.
Background
Located in downtown Beloit, Kansas, S&S Drug has been a pillar of the community for nearly 120 years and an invaluable medical resource for Beloit’s population of just over 4,300 people.
With nearly a quarter of the population being 65 and older and 60 percent of S&S Drug’s claims going through Medicare Part D, finding the best way to serve the Medicare population became a huge part of their business model. “We started offering Medicare plan comparisons as a way of standing out from the big chains in the area,” said Heather Johnson, CEO of S&S Drug.
During an average open enrollment period, Johnson performs around 1,000 plan comparisons (seeing as many as 45 patients a day), and that number is only growing. With the automation features in Medicare Match — like auto medication imports — she can breeze through plan comparisons while still finding the best plans for each patient.
Looking at plan comparisons is our number one customer retention tool. This is a product I couldn’t run my business without. It is an amazing program.
Heather Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, S&S Drug
Challenges
Inefficient Manual Plan Comparison Process: Comparing plans manually for patients can be a tedious process that can often lead to important details being overlooked. For instance, a pharmacist manually performing a plan comparison will need to check if a patient’s medications and other healthcare providers will be covered by each plan being reviewed. While sites like Medicare.gov help with this process, it can still be tedious and time-consuming.
Growing Number of Medicare-Eligible Patients: With nearly a quarter of Beloit’s population already eligible for Medicare and that number growing every day, more and more of S&S Drug’s patients needed help comparing plans. With limited staff and limited available hours, performing comparisons without any kind of streamlined process would lead to fewer patients getting help.
Patients Intimidated by Overabundance of Plan Choices: Because there are so many options to consider, many Medicare patients only switch Medicare plans when they are forced to. This means that they often miss out on potential cost savings and even run the risk of cost increases due to changing plan formularies.
Solution: Medicare Match by EnlivenHealth
Medicare Match by EnlivenHealth empowers pharmacies to strengthen patient relationships while expanding revenue growth opportunities. Medicare Match enables pharmacists to help patients choose a Medicare plan that’s the perfect match for their healthcare needs and their financial requirements. With Medicare Match, most plan comparisons can be performed in 10-15 minutes, yielding plans that often benefit both the patient and their pharmacy.
Results
1,000+ Plan Comparisons Performed Per Open Enrollment Period: With the streamlined process enabled by Medicare Match, S&S Drug is able to schedule up to 45 plan comparisons per day, helping over 1,000 people choose the right plan during the average annual enrollment period.
50-60 Additional Plan Comparison Appointments Each Year: Due to time savings and efficiency, S&S Drug had more time to build an outreach campaign that reminds the people of their community to “Check for Changes” by coming to the pharmacy and comparing their plan options for the following year, resulting in year-over-year growth.
Significant Boost in Customer Retention: The people of Beloit, Kansas know that S&S Drug is the place to go to help with Medicare plans. The Check for Changes program sets them apart from their competitors and keeps patients coming back year after year.
For More Information
To learn more about how you can help your patients compare Medicare plans and choose the one that’s right for their needs, reach out to EnlivenHealth today!