Pharmacy Profit Boost: Travel Medications

Your pharmacy can be the key to a successful vacation by providing profit-boosting travel medications to your community.

It’s spring break time, and summer camps, vacations, and travel plans are just around the corner. Your patients are spending their hard-earned money and limited time away from work on a vacation. They don’t want it spoiled by a bad bout of Bali Belly or infectious bites, and you don’t want to miss out on potential pharmacy profit, either.

You can make their vacation blissful.

How, you ask? By offering travel medication services!

Gone are the days of frantically searching for pharmacies in unfamiliar locales or struggling to navigate foreign healthcare systems. By providing travel medication services, you can become your patients’ trusted companion on their globetrotting escapades before they leave for their trip.

So, why should you consider adding travel medication to your pharmacy’s repertoire? Let’s delve into the myriad benefits:

Boost Your Pharmacy Profits And…

1. Enhanced Patient Care

As healthcare providers, our primary goal is to prioritize the well-being of our patients. Offering travel medication demonstrates your commitment to comprehensive care by addressing the unique health needs associated with travel. From vaccinations to prescription medications for common travel ailments, you’ll ensure that your patients are equipped to stay healthy wherever their adventures take them.

2. Customer Loyalty and Satisfaction

By catering to your patients’ travel needs, you’re not just filling prescriptions—you’re fostering lasting relationships. When customers know they can rely on your pharmacy for all their healthcare needs, including travel medication, they’re more likely to remain loyal and recommend your services to others.

3. Differentiation and Competitive Edge

In today’s competitive landscape, standing out from the crowd is essential. By offering travel medication services, you set your pharmacy apart as a one-stop destination for all things travel-related. This unique offering can attract new customers and keep existing ones coming back for more. You will also boost your pharmacy profits by solving more of your community’s problems. They will trust you more and depend on you for more things in the future.

Now, let’s talk about the types of medications your patients might need for their travels. From tropical getaways to urban adventures, here are some essential travel medications to consider:

1. Antidiarrheals: A bout of traveler’s diarrhea can quickly put a damper on any vacation. Stock up on medicines like loperamide to help alleviate symptoms and keep your patients exploring worry-free.
2. Antimalarials: For travelers venturing into malaria-endemic regions, prophylactic medications such as chloroquine or mefloquine are essential. Providing these medications and counseling on proper usage can help prevent potentially life-threatening infections.
3. Motion Sickness Remedies: Whether it’s a turbulent plane ride or a choppy boat excursion, motion sickness can affect travelers of all ages. Offer options like dimenhydrinate or scopolamine patches to alleviate nausea and dizziness.
4. Sun Protection: Don’t forget about the importance of sun safety! Stock sunscreen products with adequate SPF levels to protect your patients from harmful UV rays while they soak up the sun.
5. Antibiotics: In some cases, travelers may encounter bacterial infections that require prompt treatment. Consider stocking a patient with a selection of broad-spectrum antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin or azithromycin, to address common travel-related infections like urinary tract infections or respiratory illnesses.
6. Vaccines: Depending on the location, your patients may need some routine or specialty vaccines.

Now, the million-dollar question: should travel medications be billed to insurance or paid for out of pocket? While insurance coverage may vary depending on the specific medication and travel destination, offering cash-pay options can streamline the process for both you and your patients. Consider implementing transparent pricing for travel medications, allowing patients to easily budget for these essential items without the hassle of insurance paperwork. We recommend creating bundles for cash-paying prescriptions. Include Rx and OTC items at 1 fixed price that will make their decision easier (no analysis by paralysis), and you can boost your pharmacy profits by making more sales.

Several companies have already carved out a niche for themselves in the realm of travel medication services, potentially serving as your competition. Companies like Passport Health and Travel Clinics of America specialize in providing comprehensive travel health services, including vaccinations and medication prescriptions.

While these companies may offer a broad range of travel-related services, your pharmacy has the advantage of convenience and personalized care. Your patients would much rather choose you than a faceless company, so make sure you tell them you can serve their travel needs. Don’t miss out on pharmacy profits because your patients didn’t know you offered these services.

How Should You Get Started to Boost Pharmacy Profit?

Here are some simple things you can do to start letting your community know you can handle their travel medication needs. 

1. In-store signage: put signs/posters up in your store to announce the travel services
2. Patient communication: Send an email or text to your current patients to let them know and remind them about every month.
3. Social media: Post on social media so that you can handle all their travel medicine needs. 
4. Travel Agents: As they book travel for their clients, they can refer them to you for their medical needs.

Embracing the world of travel medication services is not just a savvy business move—it’s a testament to your dedication to patient care and satisfaction. By offering essential medications, expert advice, and unparalleled convenience, your pharmacy can become the go-to destination for travelers seeking peace of mind and good health on their journeys. So, pack your bags and get ready to embark on a new adventure—one that’s sure to lead to pharmacy profit and success!

Safe travels and happy dispensing!