THE PCCA BLOG

Profiles in Personalized Medicine Samantha Pitzarella, PharmD

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 22:44:56 GMT

I didn’t set out to be a pharmacist who compounds. In fact, my journey into compounding began in the most unexpected way — at my hometown pharmacy in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, when I was a teenager. The owner, Jerry, did a little bit of compounding, and I started helping out after school — pouring suppositories, labeling, cleaning up. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was fascinating. I loved the hands-on aspect, the idea that we could make medicine specifically for someone who needed something different.

That experience set the course for my entire career. When I went to pharmacy school at the University of Pittsburgh, I was fortunate to receive a scholarship from that same hometown pharmacy — a full circle moment that shaped my path. Years later, I ended up working for Jerry again, and now, in an incredible twist of fate, our pharmacies have come back together to create ColtRx Pharmacy. It feels like my career has come home.

Compounding quickly became more than just part of my job — it became the reason I love pharmacy. In a world where most medications are mass-produced, compounding allows me to think creatively, to solve problems for real people. If it weren’t for compounding, I honestly don’t think I’d still be in pharmacy. It’s what keeps me inspired, challenged and deeply connected to my patients.

Over the years, I’ve learned that compounding can completely change a person’s quality of life. One of my most memorable patients has a rare mast cell disease that caused her to have severe allergic reactions multiple times a week. After hearing about new research at PCCA’s ThinkNext International Seminar, I had an idea — what if we tried low-dose naltrexone for her condition? It wasn’t something we’d used for mast cells before, but I reached out to her doctor and found one willing to give it a try. Months later, she went 75 days without a single episode of anaphylaxis. She even sent me a photo of herself driving a car again after years of being unable to. That one message — just a picture of freedom — reminded me exactly why I do what I do.

And that’s where PCCA comes in. I’ve been connected to PCCA since I was 18. They were my first call when I needed help troubleshooting a formula or validating a chemical. Compounding can be isolating — you’re solving unique problems that don’t have easy answers — but PCCA gives you an entire network of people who understand exactly what you’re doing and why it matters. Their quality standards allow me to sleep at night, knowing every ingredient is tested, verified and supported by data. Their innovation lets me focus on my patients, not on making bases from scratch. And their training programs — whether online webinars or in-person seminars — keep my team educated and confident. My technicians love those sessions; they make them feel like experts in their craft.

The truth is, compounding is both art and science. It takes creativity, precision and passion. But with PCCA behind us, it also comes with reassurance — the kind that enables me to stand behind what we do with qualification. Compounding isn’t just personal; it’s my purpose. And PCCA has been there every step of the way, helping me turn that purpose into something powerful for every patient we serve.

Best Practices for Marketing

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

Compounding pharmacists offer unique solutions tailored to meet specific patient needs and should have the opportunity to share these options appropriately in their communities. While promoting awareness of compounding services is vital, it’s important to thoughtfully approach how you market the services your pharmacy provides. Poorly executed marketing can attract regulatory and legal scrutiny. As such, it’s essential to understand that all marketing content, including publicly available materials, are subject to review by regulators and legal entities.

Patients, caregivers and healthcare practitioners seeking treatment options may not be familiar with the concept of compounding or the variety of ways compounding pharmacies can address specific healthcare concerns. It’s crucial that patients have access to all available treatment options and that prescribers are aware of and refer patients to compounding pharmacies that adhere with state and federal regulatory agencies. When promoting your compounding pharmacy, keep in mind the following key areas when creating or contracting marketing collateral.

Adhere to Legal and Regulatory Requirements for Compounding

Compounding pharmacists, technicians and marketers must be familiar with the requirements of the state boards of pharmacy where they are licensed. While state boards typically require compliance with the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), it’s important to note that some states may have alternative or more stringent standards. The FDA also provides various guidance documents that compounding pharmacies should be aware of — notably their Insanitary Conditions guidance. The most important aspect of these standards is patient safety. Staying up to date on compounding regulations helps minimize risks to patients and helps compounders avoid marketing noncompliant compounded preparations or practices.
Avoid Unsubstantiated Claims

Under Section 503A of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, compounded human drugs are exempt from the new drug approval process. Because compounded preparations don’t undergo the FDA’s approval process for safety and efficacy, compounders should refrain from making statements suggesting that these preparations are “safe” or “effective.” It’s critical to avoid marketing materials that could be interpreted as making unsupported claims.
Conduct Thorough Marketing Reviews

Whether you choose to outsource marketing or develop materials in-house, it’s essential that all marketing content is reviewed and approved by someone with the necessary expertise. If your organization lacks this expertise, consider partnering with a legal or regulatory professional who can oversee the approval process. This precaution helps prevent potential pitfalls, such as inadvertently making unapproved claims or what may be perceived as a claim.

Resources: Best Practices for Marketing

It’s crucial that both patients and healthcare practitioners understand that compounding exists to address specific and the often-unmet needs of patients. Appropriately communicating compounding services through various marketing channels is essential — but it must be done responsibly.

The Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding (APC) has developed a detailed document outlining best practices for marketing by compounders. While these recommendations are not legal advice, they provide useful guidance to help navigate the creation of marketing materials.

Ensure your practice remains in FDA regulatory compliance by reviewing the FDA Insanitary Conditions guidance.

PCCA members with clinical services access may reach out to our Clinical Services team for help with marketing, as well as with other compounding concerns.

PCCA is recognized as the leader of quality products, education and advocacy in the compounding industry. Find out how a PCCA membership can benefit your compounding practice.

Charting the Course for Your Pharmacy’s Success

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 20:15:00 GMT

Running a pharmacy without a strategy is like navigating a stormy sea without a compass. As a pharmacy owner, you're often caught up in daily operations, reacting to the chaos of the days, weeks and months. Before you know it, the year has flown by and you're simply celebrating survival. This article explains how strategic planning benefits your practice, including tips to get started. I remember this feeling from my years as an owner. At the end of each year, I had grand plans for the year ahead with big goals in mind. Somehow, even without focused strategic planning, my pharmacy would achieve many of those goals. However, it wasn't until I truly understood the importance of strategic planning that I felt in control and found it easier to achieve and even surpass my goals.

Strategic Planning: The Key to Growth

The relentless pace of pharmacy operations may make you feel there is no time for strategic planning. However, operating without a clear plan leads to missed opportunities, lack of growth and burnout for everyone on the team.

Imagine having clear goals and improved team accountability. Picture your business achieving the big-picture goals you've been meaning to tackle for years, all within the next 1-2 years. What impact would that have on you and your team?

Planning may feel overwhelming, especially in an industry where so much changes quickly. You might wonder, "What's the point of planning when the plan is likely to change?" Planning aligns your goals with action steps and accountability check-ins to ensure you reach your goals. It's okay if some goals change along the way. A strategic plan guides decisions and prioritizes efforts. A team accustomed to working from a detailed plan will be better prepared to pivot if needed.

Tips for Getting Started

Start with the End in Mind: What do you want your business to look like in 5 years, 3 years, 1 year? What do you want your personal life to look like in those timeframes?
Define Your Goals: Clearly outline what you aim to achieve.
Plan Your Path: What needs to be done in order to get there?
Identify Key Team Members: Recognize who will help you get there.
Outline Action Steps: Break down the goals into actionable quarterly (90-day) increments.

Even in a chaotic environment, it's possible to carve out time for planning. Block off a half-day each quarter for strategic planning. Can you find 3-4 hours per quarter to sit down and create a simple plan? It doesn't have to be elaborate. Start by writing down your top 3 goals for the next quarter and identify a few action steps for each goal.

The easiest part of strategic planning is making the plan. Plans tend to fail if there's no follow-through. You and your team must be held accountable. Regular team meetings to check progress and make necessary adjustments are crucial. Utilizing a strategy worksheet, accountability software or an accountability coach can also be helpful.

Small, consistent efforts can lead to significant results. Like anything, practice makes perfect, so stick with it! If you feel like the captain of a boat in a stormy sea, simply hoping to navigate safely, take the time to work on a plan and take back control of your destiny. The peace of mind a well-prepared and well-executed plan provides is profound. When you look back on your year and see what you've accomplished compared to years without a plan, you'll undoubtedly prioritize strategic planning moving forward.

A successful compounding pharmacy owner for more than 20 years, Laura offers guidance to create strategic plans that take your practice to the next level. See how Business Accelerator can assist you strategically plan for success, engage and empower your staff, improve operations and attain growth.

Listen to Laura as she shares very personal experiences as a compounding pharmacist and pharmacy owner, as well as how investments in the right support system provided a fast-track to success, in this episode of the Mortar & Pestle podcast.

Marketing Your Practice: Jump Start with Freelancers

Wed, 22 May 2024 17:38:22 GMT

Marketing your compounding pharmacy in the digital space is no longer an option — it’s a necessity. Skilled freelancers can help you get started or expand your digital footprint by providing compelling written content, engaging designs or strategic social media management. But how do you know you’re hiring the right professionals for the job? Ask these essential questions during the interview process.

Questions to Ask Freelance Writers & Designers

Do you have experience working in the healthcare or pharmacy industry?

It’s crucial that the freelance writer possesses excellent writing skills, versatile writing styles and the ability to translate medical jargon into plain language for the general public. It’s also important that a writer understands regulatory requirements, such as avoiding making claims and HIPAA privacy laws.

Similarly, designers with experience in the pharmacy or healthcare sector likely have a good grasp of how to communicate visually with your audience. They understand the nuances of designing for providers and patients.
Can you provide a link to your digital portfolio?

Reviewing a writer’s online portfolio offers insight into their writing style, quality of content and versatility. Look for styles that range from conversational to professional to formal so you know the writer can accommodate your specific needs.

Reviewing a designer’s online portfolio shows their design style, diversity and versatility. Some designers specialize in website design, while others’ design skills may range from creating banner ads to digital presentations. A designer’s online portfolio can also reveal how well they visually represent their work in a digital environment.
Do you charge by the project or by the hour? What is your anticipated timeframe for project completion?

It’s extremely important to establish financial expectations during the interview. Some freelancers prefer charging a set fee for a specific project, while others prefer to charge by the hour. Some require partial payment before starting the job or complete payment before they submit their final work. It’s also important for you to ask about timeframes for project completion. In addition to helping you and the freelancer establish workable deadlines, it can also help you plan and stay within your marketing budget.
How many edits and revisions are included in the project’s cost?

This is an often overlooked question that can lead to an unexpected increase in cost. Professional writers and designers understand that several iterations may be required before the content is finalized. Some limit edits and revisions to a specific amount before adding charges, while others have no limits and no additional cost. Either way, you should ask and know before hiring.
What is your availability and communication preference?

Understanding a freelancer's availability will help you align your expectations regarding deadlines. Knowing their communication preferences helps to ensure collaboration is smooth and efficient.

Questions to Ask Social Media Managers

Do you have experience managing healthcare or pharmacy-related social media accounts?

Similar to writers and designers, social media managers with a background in healthcare or pharmacy are aware of the many regulations, whether state or federal, that impact our industry. They also understand the unique challenges and opportunities in engaging with a healthcare audience, including the general public and healthcare prescribers.
What strategies do you use to engage the local community, build trust and boost brand recognition?

For compounding pharmacies, it’s especially important to establish relationships within your community to increase awareness of your practice and foster trust. A good social media manager should have strategies that drive these connections digitally and recommendations for which social media platforms best serve your community and target markets.
What metrics do you use to measure success and how do you use data to improve performance?

Effective social media management is data driven. A skilled manager should make recommendations on which data-collection app would best serve your pharmacy and staff. The social media manager should also track specific metrics that align with your business goals and use these insights to refine and continually improve your social media strategy and content.
Using data, can you provide examples of how you’ve helped improve engagement and recognition?

Experienced social media managers are comfortable sharing their success. Since social media is data driven, expect to see graphs, charts and other indicators that visually represent increases in user engagement over months and years. This is also a great time to ask what new strategies, such as paid advertisements on social media platforms, were employed.
What is your availability and communication preference?

Understanding a freelancer's availability will help you align your expectations regarding deadlines. Knowing their communication preferences helps to ensure collaboration is smooth and efficient.

PCCA members may access handy marketing tools and helpful “how to” videos on our Marketing Resources page, as well as view the “Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media Marketing” on PCCA Play.

Best Practices for Promoting Compounded Preparations

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 16:12:31 GMT

Below, we outline key guidelines to help ensure your promotional efforts remain ethical, compliant and effective.

Guidelines for Promotional Content

Focus on Facts
We encourage members to share factual information about the technical aspects of compounded preparations and ingredients, supported by published articles, case studies and technical reports. Any use of patient testimonials should be focused on aspects of service, such as customer satisfaction, personalization of care or the professionalism of staff, rather than the effects of the compounded medication itself.
Communicating with Care
When discussing the effects of compounded preparations, it's essential to avoid claims about treating, curing or mitigating diseases unless backed by substantial evidence and in compliance with FDA guidelines. Similarly, steer clear of suggesting that a preparation is "safe" or "effective" for any condition. In all communications, prominently include the disclaimer: “The FDA does not review any compounded medication for safety or efficacy.”
Avoid Comparing Compounded Preparations to FDA-Approved Commercial Drugs
Avoid all direct comparisons between compounded medications and FDA-approved drugs in marketing materials. Instead, focus on the unique aspects of compounded medications, such as their ability to be tailored to meet individual patient needs when commercially available options are not suitable.

Our Commitment to Compliance

PCCA is committed to upholding the highest compliance standards with regulatory guidelines, recognizing the complexity of pharmaceutical compounding and marketing. These recommendations are a starting point; we strongly encourage engaging with legal counsel who specialize in FDA regulations and pharmacy law to regularly review your marketing materials. This proactive approach ensures your promotional efforts reflect the latest standards and practices.

The 4 C’s Of Successful Sales Presentations

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 17:25:12 GMT

by Tim Wackel, Keynote Speaker at PCCA’s 2024 Marketing & Sales Symposium

In the sales world, giving a “presentation” means more than standing in front of a group of people — with a PowerPoint — discussing a topic.

Here’s what you should be thinking about when you hear the term “sales presentation”:

Phone calls with customers
Phone calls with prospects
Email conversations
Voicemails left
Proposals you put together

Once you learn the skills to put together a successful sales presentation, every point of contact you have with your prospects and customers will be an opportunity to impress and persuade them. No matter what the situation, there are certain characteristics to focus on:

1. Clear

Make sure the person, or people, that you’re presenting to understand what you’re trying to convey. The worst-case scenario is for someone to listen to what you’ve communicated to them and have no idea what to do next — or what the point of the interaction was.

Here are some ways to improve clarity:

Don’t get too jargon-y. When you’re selling to someone, make sure you’re talking to them on their terms. You might think that 15-point word you threw in sounds great, but you might lose them in the process.
Have a clear call to action. Make sure your presentation is clear about next steps for the listener. If it’s a voicemail, let them know the best way to get back to you. If it’s a proposal, let them know what the next steps are before you can get started.
Focus on one thing at a time. As the sales rep for your company, you’ve got a vast expanse of knowledge you want to share with the world. But trying to tackle too many things at once can be confusing. Focus on one thing per presentation and only deviate if asked.

2. Concise

Do you want to read a 1,000-word email or listen to a 4-minute voicemail? Neither do your customers and prospects. In the same vein as clarity, be sure to get your point across as briefly as possible. When it comes to sales presentations, brevity is your friend.

3. Compelling

Concision, however, cannot work if the content of the presentation is not compelling. Ideally, you want to be able to hook your listener with your presentation so that their interest is piqued and they ask questions.

One of the best ways to ensure that your presentation is compelling is to develop your storytelling skills. Come up with the perfect formula for any situation that tells the story of your company, product and services that can be adapted whenever needed.

4. Credible

Who are you? And why are you reaching out to your audience?

Before you launch into your presentation, make sure you’ve informed your listener about who you are and why they should trust you, and ultimately your company.

Some things to mention to improve credibility include:

How long you’ve been in your role.
How you’ve seen your company help others with the same issue your prospect is having.
Site examples like a mini-case study if possible.
Any data that backs what you’re going to be presenting.

Learn more from Tim as he discusses the Four-Steps to Improve Prospecting.

Detoxification in the New Year

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 15:37:00 GMT

by Stephanie Allen, ASIN, DCN, DSS, CPES, Wellness Works Manager

Toxic Exposure

Everything from clothing and furniture to the air and soil has some level of chemical contaminants that can be harmful to health. Many of these are deemed “safe” individually and in very small volumes, but they build up over time. Multiple exposures to combinations of many different chemical toxins can lead to health problems such as metabolic syndrome.

Toxins are often stored in the adipose tissues and released back into circulation during weight loss, increasing autoimmune responses and leading to feelings of fatigue, increased allergies and illness. Therefore, a quality detoxification protocol is also an important part of any weight loss program.

To lessen the exposure and subsequent toxic load in the body, adopting a healthful diet that is low in processed foods, preservatives and pesticides is a good first step. Choose organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Decreasing any unnecessary over-the-counter medications, limiting alcohol intake and avoiding any nicotine products are very important steps to lessen the burden on the body. We are also unnecessarily exposed to foreign chemicals through our personal-care products. The United States allows more than 1,600 chemicals in personal care products that are banned in most of Europe due to health concerns.¹ We should regularly review used hygiene products, cosmetics and fragrances that may increase toxic exposure.

The Environmental Working Group is a great resource and contains lists of fruits and vegetables with the least and most pesticide, as well as information on toxins in personal care and cosmetic products. The regularly updated lists can be viewed on their website at ewg.org.

Boosting the Body’s Natural Processes

Lessening exposure to environmental toxins and chemicals is only part of decreasing our toxic load for optimal health. Boosting the body’s natural ability to process and eliminate toxins is another necessary step. Processes and metabolic systems of the kidneys, skin, liver and lungs, for example, rid the body of foreign chemicals. Movement and exercise, especially activities that generate sweat, are a great way to help promote clearing through increased lymph flow and cleansing through the pores in the skin. Steam baths and warm showers are a great way to destress and detox too, and increased water consumption helps eliminate broken-down toxins from the body.

Diet is also crucial. Cruciferous vegetables contain indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a strong antioxidant shown to improve detoxification processes and promote healthy metabolic pathways. Increased consumption of colorful vegetables also provides beneficial antioxidants that counteract free radicals formed when toxins break down. Some great dietary additions include blueberries, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Herbal teas that contain dandelion, milk thistle, ginger, rooibos, green tea and burdock — or any combination of these — will provide chemicals and compounds that assist in detoxification. Beware of detox teas that contain large amounts of senna. Senna is a natural laxative and may lead to dehydration or poor absorption of needed nutrients if used too often or in too large a dose.

Adding Nutritional Supplements

Ingesting enough fiber is also paramount for clearing foreign materials. The Wellness Works combination product, Colon Health Support (WW #10370), is a proprietary blend of fibers, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), pectin and detoxifying herbs, as well as ingredients that support the detoxifying and cleansing pathways. Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that helps clear free radicals that form during the breakdown of toxins, as well as supports the regeneration of antioxidants in the body. The liposomal form available in Liposomal Glutathione (WW #10325) — provided in a purified phosphatidylcholine delivery system — helps protect glutathione bonds from degradation during digestion. The liposomal delivery system also offers enhanced absorption due to the hydrophilic nature of the phospholipids. Studies have shown that the Setria^® glutathione, available in L-Glutathione Reduced (WW #10389), supports enhanced immune cell function and increases levels of glutathione in the blood. Liposomal Glutathione and L-Glutathione Reduced are good options to add into a detoxification routine or for daily use.

Milk thistle provides silymarin, a highly active botanical that works to protect the liver from free radical damage and supports glutathione concentrations. In addition to herbal teas, milk thistle is also available in Milk Thistle Plus (WW #10110). Our supplement provides 175 mg of milk thistle extract and is standardized to contain a minimum of 80% silymarin.

During the holidays, it is also common to overindulge in alcohol. For those looking to specifically provide the body with the depleted nutrients caused by excessive drinking or limit its impact with nutrients prior to alcohol consumption, we offer Alcohol Detox (WW #10395). Our Alcohol Detox formula combines micronutrients and cofactors essential to supporting healthy liver function and proper alcohol metabolism.²

References

Zhou, L., Martiner, J. (2022, Oct. 25) Personal care product chemicals banned in Europe but still found in U.S. Accessed November 2022 at https://www.ewg.org
Lieber C. S. (2003). Relationships between nutrition, alcohol use, and liver disease. Alcohol Res Health. 2003;27(3):220-231. (3), 220–231. Accessed November 2022 at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15535450/

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products referenced in this article are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Benchmarking: Know Your Numbers and Your Worth

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 15:40:32 GMT

By Bryan Prescott, PharmD, MBA, PCCA Director of Business Coaching Services

Successful pharmacy owners know staying ahead requires more than just efficient operations, great people and solid marketing; it demands a deep understanding of your company's performance relative to industry standards and peers. Financial benchmarking is a powerful tool, offering pharmacy owners a strategic way to assess their financial health and identify areas for improvement.

Financial Benchmarking: What It Is and What It Does

Financial benchmarking is the process of comparing a company’s financial performance against industry averages and competitors, allowing companies to evaluate their performance objectively. It involves analyzing various financial metrics and ratios to gain insight into the organization’s efficiency, profitability, liquidity and overall financial health. By comparing financial metrics, such as revenue growth, profit margins and return on investment, with industry benchmarks, pharmacies can identify areas where they excel or lag. Additionally, by aligning objectives with industry benchmarks, pharmacies can set realistic and achievable targets.

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) publishes the Digest yearly, which offers financial and operational comparisons of independent pharmacies. Compounding is mentioned in the Digest, but revenues, expenses and financial ratios are primarily representative of traditional retail pharmacies and not compounding pharmacies.

Compounding Pharmacy Management Services (CPMS)

Financial data is markedly different for compounding pharmacies compared to traditional retail pharmacies. Nonetheless, CPMS finds it useful to structure its managerial accounting reports in a manner consistent with the Digest. CPMS gathers data from compounding-only (or compounding-mostly) pharmacies as well as hybrid (compounding plus retail) pharmacies.

Compounding-only pharmacies are segregated based on number of compounds dispensed per month. CPMS designates pharmacies dispensing 1,000 or more compounds per month as large practices and pharmacies dispensing less than 1,000 compounds per month as small practices.

The tables below represents the benchmark averages for compounding pharmacies dispensing 1,000 or more compounds per day. Like the NCPA Digest, CPMS comparisons are constructed using a 12-month time period based on the January to December calendar year.

Financial ratios are also compiled for both large practices and small practices. This allows each compounding pharmacy to compare itself to other compounding practices of similar size and maturity. These ratios give useful insight to bankers and investors as to which pharmacies make efficient use of assets, manage risk and manage cash flow.

Buyers who seek to purchase pharmacies will use the ratios to determine what multiple of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) before they make an offer on a pharmacy looking to be acquired. A pharmacy that falls below the average in these metrics may be offered EBITDA x 3, while a pharmacy that reports above the average may be offered EBITDA x 5 or better. Obviously, the bigger the multiple, the better the offer price.

Your Guiding Tool

Financial benchmarking is not just a tool for evaluation; it's a compass guiding businesses toward informed decision-making and sustainable growth. It is also a valuable tool in determining the selling price of a pharmacy. If you are interested in having this type of evaluation performed for your pharmacy, please contact Bryan Prescott at bprescott@pccarx.com.

Charting the Course for Long-Term Pharmacy Success: Embracing Growth Strategies

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 15:38:58 GMT

By Jeff Roberts, Leadership & Business Coach, International Seminar 2023 Speaker

In the ever-evolving world of pharmaceuticals, success isn't just about knowing the ropes; it's about steering your pharmacy with purpose. It's about having a clear strategy, a big-picture view and an eagerness for growth. Let's dive into the heart of some "Strategic Growth Principles" and explore how they can shape the future of your pharmacy.

Seeing the Forest and the Trees: A Strategic Outlook

It's easy to get lost in the day-to-day hustle of pharmacy life, filling prescriptions and managing inventory. But to thrive over the long haul, you need to take a step back and think strategically. This means aligning every action with your broader goals for growth. It's about making decisions that not only serve

your immediate customer needs but also pave the way for steady expansion.

Empowerment: The Secret Sauce for Team Success

Behind every thriving pharmacy is a tight-knit team that works together seamlessly. Creating an empowered and collaborative work environment is the key to unlocking your team's full potential. Picture this: open communication, continuous skill-building and a workplace where every team member feels valued. In this atmosphere, your team becomes a powerhouse driving your pharmacy towards growth.

Data as Your GPS: Navigating with Insights

In today's data-driven world, insights are your guiding stars. Learning to leverage data and software as strategic tools is vital. Imagine being able to analyze essential metrics, understand what your customers prefer and spot emerging trends. With this data mastery, every move you make becomes a well-informed step toward long-lasting success.

Trust: The Bedrock of Your People and Systems

Trust is the foundation on which successful pharmacies are built — trust in your team and trust in your systems. It is critical that you nurture trust among team members and establish reliable systems that streamline operations. When your team and systems work together like a well-oiled machine, you can concentrate on strategic initiatives that fuel growth.

The Mindset That Fuels Growth

Pharmacy is a dynamic field that's always changing. To thrive, you need a growth mindset — one that's open to innovation and new opportunities. It is all about cultivating a growth mindset, giving you the ability to adapt to market shifts, experiment with new ideas and stay ahead of industry trends. With the right mindset, challenges become stepping stones on your path to sustainable growth.

Your Path to Success

Contemplating the future of your pharmacy is crucial, but the real magic lies in turning those insights into action. Dedicate time to sharpen your strategic vision, foster your team's growth, leverage data effectively, instill trust and wholeheartedly embrace a growth-driven mindset. Equipped with these essential tools, your pharmacy will stand ready to embrace lasting success.

Unleash Your Potential with Accountability

To thrive in the pharmacy world, you have to aim higher than mere survival. Embrace these "Strategic Growth Principles" as your guiding stars toward success. There are numerous ways to incorporate these principles: coaches, consultants, peer groups, workshops and more.

Yet, one key element stands out — accountability. Whether it's a coach, mentor or trusted partner, having someone to keep you on track is invaluable. Make this commitment non-negotiable in your life and the rewards will be monumental.

As you embark on this journey, remember that success means more than just getting by. It's about soaring to new heights, achieving greatness and unlocking your pharmacy's full potential. With the support of your chosen accountability partner, you'll conquer challenges, celebrate victories and watch your pharmacy, your team and yourself flourish like never before. Embrace this opportunity, set sail towards excellence and prepare for a future filled with endless possibilities.

Discover the path to lasting success for your pharmacy by attending our workshop, "Strategic Principles for Growth," on Friday, October 27 at 2:30 p.m., during ThinkNext: PCCA International Seminar 2023 (ISTX23). This immersive session will equip you with vital knowledge, tools and a growth-oriented mindset to transcend daily technicalities and focus on your pharmacy's holistic development.

Artificial Intelligence: The Good. The Bad. And the Ugly.

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 12:26:35 GMT

by Tim Hines, aka The Marketing Starter, International Seminar 2023 Speaker

By now, every business owner should be aware of artificial intelligence (AI) — arguably the hottest development in marketing since email. During this year’s training sessions, PCCA discussed how to get compounding pharmacists up to speed on all the interesting tools that pharma marketers can access to ease marketing efforts.

But just because AI is a shiny new toy on the playground, should you play with it, let alone use it? My quick take is yes, why not, as long as you don’t take a set-it-and-forget-it approach. In this article, I want to call attention to a few things to consider before entering the AI playground.

Brand & Tone

Let’s be honest, robots sound like robots and if you copy and paste from an AI platform, your customers will figure it out. AI is fantastic at content development based on what it learns about your business and industry, but it doesn’t understand your brand's unique voice or the personal services you provide. AI algorithms work off of prompts typed into search engines or collected from social media and other digital platforms, but it lacks the contextual understanding required for more complex brand communication. This makes human oversight essential. AI can, however, discern patterns and nuances that define a brand's voice by analyzing vast volumes of consumer interactions and content that already exists about your pharmacy.

Confidentiality & Privacy

AI-powered analytics let you process vast amounts of consumer data to tailor marketing campaigns. However, this capability raises concerns about the confidentiality of protected health information (PHI) and protected personal information (PPI), both a part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)–Privacy Rules. Fines for HIPAA violations can range from $100 to $1.5M, and HIPAA fines have been levied against pharmacists, as well as other healthcare professionals.
As AI delves deeper into consumer behaviors and preferences, there's an inherent risk of mishandling sensitive data, potentially leading to breaches of HIPAA confidentiality and privacy laws. Safeguarding a patient’s PHI and a customer’s PPI are paramount when accessing any AI platform.

Differentiation

Back to your pharmacy’s brand voice: If you just copy and paste AI created content, how will you maintain differentiation and a competitive edge? You have to be intentful and specific in the way you use AI and make sure your pharmacy isn’t doing the same thing that every other pharmacy is doing. Through data-driven insights, AI can distill invaluable information about consumer preferences, behaviors and trends, allowing pharmacy marketers to craft more targeted and relevant content. The key is to never forget your pharmacy’s brand, including voice and unique services.

So how do you put all of this information to use? Find out by attending PCCA International Seminar 2023 (ISTX23), where I am a speaker in the Workshops Marketing Track! My presentation, “Using AI in Your Marketing Efforts,” is scheduled at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 27. I look forward to meeting you and sharing more beneficial information!

Let’s Get Social

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 11:00:00 GMT

by Corinn Ponton, PCCA Canada Territory Manager | Sales Support Manager

More than 4.89 billion people — or approximately 59 percent of the world’s population — use social media and experts forecast those numbers to increase to 5.85 billion by 2027.^1,2 As social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok gain more users, getting social is a great way to promote your pharmacy, compounding business and brand.

A social media presence also offers great insights on what your customers and others say about your business, helps create “word of mouth” referrals, builds your brand identity and helps develop customer loyalty.

But with so many existing and upcoming social platforms, you’re probably wondering where to start. As with all marketing, you first need to identify who you’re talking to and where they reside in the virtual world.

Know Your Audience. Pick Your Platform

Understanding your audience is key to your social media success and will help you create and schedule relevant posts.

Start by identifying and classifying all potential audiences. For example:

Community (audience includes the general public and potential customers in your area)
Prescribers (audience includes doctors, nurse practitioners and others who refer or may refer patients to your pharmacy)
Favorites (audience includes folks who continuously purchase and/or loyally support your pharmacy)

After you identify potential audiences, decide which one you want to “target” first. For example, if you’re targeting your community, consider creating a Facebook page that showcases your pharmacy and staff participating in community events. If you’re targeting prescribers, consider social media sites dedicated to healthcare professionals such as Sermo, Doximity or Daily Rounds, where you can share your participation at provider conferences or showcase providers attending your pharmacy’s events (i.e., special lectures, consultations, etc.).

Be sure to look at the different social media sites and review the content to make sure it’s right for you and your pharmacy. Comparing platforms, as well as taking notes of why you like or don’t like the site will save time, money and potential embarrassment. You can also get ideas for content, including captions, videos, photos and graphics, by viewing different sites.

Goals, Strategy & Resources

As with all business plans, you want to set goals, create a strategy and tap into resources that can help you start and maintain your social media presence.

First, know what you want your social media presence to achieve. It helps to be as specific as possible. For example, do you want to:

Increase community recognition?
Increase general pharmacy sales?
Educate your community about the benefits of personalized medicines?

Second, create a strategy to achieve your goals. For example:

To create community recognition, participate in local events, sponsor a youth group or create an annual food drive with donations dropped off at your pharmacy.
To increase general pharmacy sales, consider hosting lectures on nutrition, weight loss or skin care at your pharmacy.
To educate your community, think of hosting a booth at special-interest events to explain how compounded medicines help special-needs patients, cancer patients or dermatology patients.

Third, tap into existing resources that aid in achieving your goals. For example:

Use creative design tools such as Canva or Snappa
Look into social media management tools such as Buffer, Hootsuite, Planable or Sprout Social
Access Marketing Resources tools on the Members-Only website > Marketing Resources > Digital > Social Media Posts for free tutorial videos, pre-designed graphics and more

After you establish your goals, strategy and access the right resources, the next step is to create content.

Create Interesting & Concise Content

It’s important to recognize that social media posts emphasize visuals — photos, videos and graphics — over text. Use your smartphone to capture images from events and post the most interesting photo on your social media platform. Write captions to explain the visual. Captions should be brief and generally written in a conversational tone and style.

As a general rule, avoid medical terminology — including abbreviations and acronyms — unless you know your target audience understands the words, abbreviations or acronyms. This includes doctors, nurse practitioners, veterinarians and other healthcare professionals who are not compounders.

It’s also important to recognize that many businesses successfully use social media to create emotional connections with their audiences. Creating an emotional connection with virtual strangers may sound strange or even silly. That connection, however, can easily translate into transactional dollars.

According to Gair Maxwell, an international keynote speaker, author and social media guru, “Attention is currency. Why? If you can get eyeballs and hearts paying attention to whatever it is you’re promoting, you win.”

Ideas, Insight & Resources

PCCA Members can access more ideas and helpful insights on our Members Only Website. After logging in, click here to watch an interview with Gair Maxwell. Members in need of additional support can also attend our Marketing & Sales One-Day Virtual Conference on September 14 to learn the latest marketing tactics and hear special segments on social media marketing. Register here. And remember, PCCA Members, to access Marketing Resources on our Members Only Website!

Now you’re ready to make your mark and establish your presence in the virtual world. Have fun, express your pharmacy’s unique personality and get social with the rest of the world!

The complete version of this article originally appeared in PCCA’s members-only magazine, the Apothagram.

References

Ruby, D. (2023) Social Media Users in the World — (2023 Demographics). Accessed 03.20.2023 athttps://www.demandsage.com/social-media-users/#:~:text=There%20are%204.9%20billion%20social,in%20 terms%20of%20user%20base
Sheikh, M. (2023) 50+ of the most important social media marketing statistics for 2023. Accessed 03.20.2023 athttps://sproutsocial.com/ insights/social-media-statistics

Mitigating the Myopic

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 12:00:00 GMT

by A.J. Day, PharmD, PCCA Vice President of Clinical Services

By now, the compounding community should be familiar with the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s (NASEM) report, The Clinical Utility of Compounded Bioidentical Hormone Therapy: A Review of Safety, Effectiveness, and Use . FDA commissioned the NASEM report, at a cost of $1.3 million, as part of the agency’s efforts to better understand the clinical utility of compounding bioidentical hormone replacement therapies (BHRTs) and guide FDA in crafting policy to regulate them.

The NASEM report states their committee only identified 13 studies relevant to the safety and effectiveness of cBHT (their abbreviation for compounded bioidentical hormone therapy), leading its authors to bemoan the “severe methodological limitations” and other shortcomings of available studies.

As a compounding pharmacist who reviewed a considerable amount of clinical literature on compounded hormone therapy, I found those statements to represent boilerplate complaints about compounds in general, rather than a factual description of published data.

To better evaluate the quantity and quality of data, PCCA performed a system review and meta-analysis of existing studies related to the safety and efficacy of commonly prescribed nonsterile compounds for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. After reviewing more than 3,000 published articles, we found 29 randomized control trials (RCTs) that collectively represented 1,808 women. We had hoped that NASEM would conduct this type of evaluation, yet given its absence, PCCA felt it was important to perform a separate review so clinicians, policy makers and patients are better informed about compounded hormones.

Criteria for studies evaluated in our meta-analysis include study duration of up to one year, double-blinded and controlled using placebo or a comparator commercially available hormone product. Hormones evaluated in these studies were estradiol, estriol, progesterone, testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA).

The results of our review are significant. First, we identified a large amount of data excluded from the NASEM report, which the authors claimed was a “consensus study report.” The omission raises questions about the thoroughness of the studies they reviewed and, consequently, the validity of the report’s conclusions and recommendations. Additionally, our meta-analysis provided new insights on existing safety and efficacy data. With consistent outcomes for indicators of risk and benefit (such as incidence of adverse events, impact on lipid profile and glucose metabolism, sonography for endometrial thickness, sexual function scores, and improvement of symptoms), our meta-analysis showed that, despite the heterogeneity of the studies, patients benefited from compounded hormone therapy.

Limitations to our meta-analysis exist: clinical cardiovascular events were not a focus in the studies we evaluated; none of the studies conducted endometrial sampling; and patients were not followed beyond one year. While available studies did not show an increased risk from compounded hormone therapy when compared to FDA-approved hormone therapy, additional long-term research should be conducted to measure these specific endpoints and fully evaluate risk and benefit of compounded hormone therapy.

Beyond the 29 studies included in our meta-analysis, PCCA identified other studies, many of which were well designed, powered appropriately and offered meaningful data. These studies were not included in our meta-analysis because they were not RCTs. It’s important to note that these studies were also provided to the NASEM committee and were excluded in their evaluation.

To mitigate such myopic reports, the compounding industry must engage in greater efforts to publish clinical data for all therapies. By publishing clinical data, we can and will continue to educate clinicians, policy makers and, most importantly, patients. In doing so, we help protect patient rights to access personalized, compounded medicines that meet their individual needs; we retain the rightful integrity of compounding professionals; and we secure the future for compounding pharmacists and pharmacies.

A version of this article originally appeared in PCCA’s members-only magazine, the Apothagram.

Four Things We Should Quit This Year

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 17:33:05 GMT

by Ryan Avery, PCCA International Seminar 2022 Keynote Speaker

There are t-shirts and bumper stickers and motivational speakers who will tell us to always move forward, don’t look back and never quit. And that is horrible advice for anyone in a leadership position or any of us who have the opportunity to influence others.

We are not sharks (sharks can’t swim backwards; if made to go backwards, they will die). We are allowed to move backwards and quit things. There is toxic ambition out there and some people believe that is okay. They say things like, “We will accomplish our goals…no matter what!” I am all about accomplishing goals — what scares me is the “no matter what” part!

I have found quitting things has actually helped me accomplish more in my life. The most successful people I know and interview talk about the importance of quitting and knowing when to do so. I know when to quit, how to quit and I have learned why quitting is such an important part of leadership, growth and ambition. Over the last few months, there have been four things I have quit that I believe all of us should do in order to be more successful at accomplishing our goals.

Quit One Idea

What is one idea that is keeping me from moving forward?

Quit One Action

What is one action that is taking me away from my big dreams?

Quit One Thought

What is one thought I want to get rid of that is not doing me or anyone else any good?

Quit One Person

Who is one person I no longer need in my life?

Those of us who quit certain things can accomplish crazy and amazing things. I have achieved more than most because I quit more than most. And, in this world, let’s all work on not being stubborn and work on being smart.

Sometimes, it is smart to quit! Some people see moving backwards as a negative thing. However, moving backwards gives us different perspectives and increases our ability to relate to others.

So the question isn’t really: “Am I okay taking one step back to move two steps forward?” The question is: “Am I okay taking 45 steps back to take 700 steps forward?”

Learn more from Keynote Speaker Ryan Avery at this year’s PCCA International Seminar 2022, where he will share relatable, relevant and memorable strategies that we all can use to keep Going From A to THE® in our industry! Check out our other keynote speakers and register today at www.PCCAInternationalSeminar.com .

The Profitability of a Compounding Pharmacy

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 14:17:27 GMT

By PCCA

Whether you are new to pharmaceutical compounding or already have some experience and are thinking about starting your own practice, you’re probably wondering what return on investment you can expect. This article will give you some insight into how compounding can strengthen your pharmacy financially while it expands the therapeutic options you offer patients.

Why Start Compounding?

Many independent pharmacies start compounding to diversify income and make up for falling reimbursements, direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees, and other challenges. These not only reduce retail profits, but also make it difficult to maintain cashflow because of the timelines for reimbursements and fees. It’s also hard to compete with pharmacy chains that can use big buying power and economies of scale to offer cheaper products than a typical independent pharmacy can.

Fortunately, Bryan Prescott, PharmD, MBA, says that offering customized medication positions you as a valuable clinical resource in your community and can improve your pharmacy’s bottom line. He works with independent compounding pharmacies extensively as the leader of PCCA’s Compounding Pharmacy Management Services, helping owners to run their practices so that they’re financially resilient and can continue to serve patients in the long term.

Is Compounding Right for You?

In working with successful compounding pharmacy owners over the years, Bryan has noticed that the best candidates for either opening a compounding-only pharmacy or a hybrid pharmacy (compounding and retail) have some familiarity with compounding, ideally direct experience. This helps them to understand the clinical possibilities that compounding offers as well as the operations involved in making high-quality custom medications.

The best candidates also have a good conception of how to talk about their products and services in ways that differentiate them from chain pharmacies. They can promote how compounding and services such as patient consultations and patient follow-up programs set them apart from competitors, which helps them to market what they offer to prescribers and patients.

“A lot of this is not third party driven — a lot of this is going to be a cash-based proposition,” Bryan says about marketing compounding and other services. “So you’ve got to be able to talk about your offerings in a way that price is not as big of a factor, but value is.”

There are many other characteristics that can help the owner of an independent compounding pharmacy, such as resilience in the face of rejection, but having some prior experience and knowing how to differentiate your pharmacy are the two biggest ones, he says.

The Profitability of Compounding

Every month, Bryan and each of his clients review the details of the pharmacy’s inventory, overhead, pricing and much more so that they can bring all those data points together and understand how the pharmacy can thrive. Between the data in the annual NCPA Digest — which aggregates information from independent retail pharmacies around the U.S. — and the data that Bryan can aggregate from his own clients who compound, he can see the significant difference that offering custom medications can make for a pharmacy’s bottom line.

He notes that retail pharmacies can typically expect around 3% net profit. Unfortunately, with decreasing reimbursements and increasing DIR fees, those profits are starting to shrink.

Based on the data he has collected, though, Bryan has seen many high-performing, compounding-only pharmacies operate with 20% net profits. This doesn’t mean a retail pharmacy that adds compounding to its practice will go from 3% to 20% net profit, but he does routinely see the addition of compounding increase net profit significantly. “We measure this with a lot of the pharmacies that send us data,” Bryan says, “and what we find is net profits in the range of 8-12% very routinely for our hybrid type of pharmacies.”

Bryan also has data on the timeline for the typical compounding pharmacy to see these results. “The reality … whether they’re starting as a startup or adding this to their existing [pharmacy] … is it does take a lot of long hours and hard work,” he says, “but the payoff we generally see for these folks usually happens within the first one to two years, especially if you’re adding compounding to an existing retail experience.”

Regardless of whether a pharmacy only compounds or offers both retail and compounding, providing custom medications to the people in their community can help the pharmacy to remain financially strong while serving patients with unique needs.

Learn more about PCCA Membership.

SEO and Best Practices for Pharmacy Websites

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 13:22:12 GMT

Seth Humble, PCCA SEO Analyst

This Article in 30 Seconds — for Those in a Rush

Build your website to be fast, easy to navigate and easy to update regularly with information that is relevant for your potential customers. Make sure you are using localized keyword phrases that are important to your potential customers. Use Google’s Lighthouse as a grading scale for your website ( quick guide found here ), and make all those grades as perfect as possible. Watch your search engine results page (SERP) ranking over time. Use Google Analytics to track your organic growth over time . Test small adjustments to the website using A/B testing ( A/B testing explained effectively). Only implement changes that positively affect your SERP and web traffic numbers.

Rinse and repeat.

This Article in 7 Minutes — for Those With More Time

This is the question:

Why is it so hard to get my pharmacy website to show up first on Google?

This is the problem:

Most businesses see Google’s search engine result’s page (SERP) as something built to help their websites be more visible to Google users.

This is the answer:

Google’s search engine is not built to help websites. Google’s search engine is built to help people find the answers to their questions.

Search engine optimization (SEO), therefore, can help put your pharmacy’s website in front of the people searching for answers on Google, which increases traffic to your website. SEO involves using keywords and phrases on your website that your potential customers use when they search Google for things that your products or services can help with.

This is how to apply that answer to SEO strategy and website development:

Build your website and your SEO strategy with this in mind: Google rewards websites that provide the most trusted, authoritative answer that is quickly accessed and easy for the user to understand.

What to Consider When Building or Updating Your Pharmacy Website

Continually Improve Speed

Google prioritizes speed and performance over animated, flashy websites. So should you.

Simplify the User Experience

You want your website to feel more like a comfortable home for the user, not a carnival ride. Simple, reliable experiences have proven to be the most effective in providing users with what they need.

Whenever you’re thinking about adding something to your website, ask yourself three questions:

“Is this valuable to potential customers?”
“Why is it valuable for them?”
“How can I make it work best for them?”

Consistently Build Relevant Website Content

Many websites throw everything they can think of on their homepages, taking a shotgun approach to content rather than a singular, targeted rifle shot. Think about what your local audience needs to know. What are their medical needs that you can help with?

If your pharmacy is in Louisville, Kentucky, then you should be building content that takes into consideration the needs and questions of people living there, rather than trying to attract visitors on a larger scale.

Getting more people on your website is always great, but ultimately, unless you are a national or global chain, you want to focus your website’s content on the needs of your community. That way you will get high-quality traffic on your website that will be more likely to turn into revenue. Ask yourself locale-specific questions, such as, “Do we have large populations of people in our community who are interested in HRT?” or, “Are people in our community interested in veterinary compounding because we are in a more rural area?”

Ask questions like that, ones that are relative to your surrounding area.

Then answer them on your webpages or website blog using local keyword phrases to increase the chance that potential customers will find you online. Local keywords are keywords that contain location-specific phrases that generate results related to the same geographic location, such as your city. These keywords help drive people in your area to your website — because they’re the types of things that they are already looking for. You can find local keyword phrases by working with your web developer or using a tool like SEMRush’s magic keyword finder. ( The tool can be learned in three simple steps. ) SEMRush does have a cost, but it can prove to be invaluable to your long-term success in SEO.

What to Consider When Building an SEO Strategy

Approach SEO With Google as Your Guide

SEO should be a part of building or updating your website. Align your SEO strategy with how Google approaches their search engine. They explain it quickly and simply. Google’s algorithm is the king of search engines, so much so that currently, no other search engine even comes close to being a true competitor. Knowing how Google approaches things should inform how you approach your website development and your overall SEO strategy.

Data Points Should Drive Decisions, Not Feelings or Anecdotes

Build your strategy or work with your website developer to create SEO goals that are clearly defined, easily testable and data driven. Your SEO strategy should revolve around concrete data points, not what you think might work or what you feel might work for users. Using the tool Google Analytics, either you or your developer should review data points — such as unique visitors, click-through rate and bounce rate — always assessing how well webpages are performing. Review the data often and make changes based on what the numbers say. Here’s a really great starting point for interpreting Google Analytics to help drive your SEO strategy .

If You Have a Website Developer, Be Clear About Goals

If your pharmacy has a website developer, you should be clear about your expectations and goals for the site. Do you want to drive more people to certain webpages on the site? Are you looking to have a simple user interface? (You should.) Do you want to reach for larger audiences or try to get targeted audiences in your area to take specific actions on your site?

Whatever your website goals are, discuss them with your developer. When you determine your specific goals, your developer can then report back to you how those goals are coming along. They will be able to help you course-correct when you don’t meet certain goals and expand goals when you do.

The key to working with a developer or an SEO specialist is transparency. A good, trustworthy developer is someone you can easily get in touch with; who will listen to your goals; who will help you map out those goals; and who will provide regular, easy-to-follow updates.

When in Doubt, Take a Breath, Make a Concrete Goal and Let the Numbers Guide You

SEO and website development can seem overly complicated — like learning an alien language. So when in doubt, always fall back on the fundamentals:

Build a fast, easy-to-use website that provides potential customers with the information they need, not the information you want them to want.

Do some localized keyword research for yourself, or with your developer, and set clear, attainable goals for your website. Define what success looks like through clear data points.

Follow that simple path, be consistent and patient, and you will see results for your pharmacy website.

Seth Humble is a member of PCCA’s Web Development team, serving as their SEO Analyst. He has worked in the realm of search engine optimization for five years.

What Types of Goals Should You Set for Your Pharmacy?

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 17:45:57 GMT

By Bill Letendre, MSPharm, MBA, PCCA Vice President of Pharmacy Management Services

If you read the literature on the topic of goal setting, business experts refer to the reasons why setting goals is one of the best practices a business owner can adopt. Many concur that you can accomplish more and go farther if you dedicate yourself to written goals, keep the goals on your organization’s and your personal radar screens, and follow through on the steps required to achieve them.

Business expert Angelo Kinicki, who co-authored the textbook Organizational Behavior, found that 68 out of 70 organizations examined in various studies enjoyed productivity gains as a result of management by objectives. Goal setting is the first step in management by objectives. “Research on goal setting shows that it’s a very powerful technique to improve individual productivity and organizational productivity,” says Kinicki. Another business expert, Rick Houcek, states, “Goals give us focus, get us going, add to our resolve and lead to actions. This is a common element of high achievers. In writing goals, high achievers are prepared to risk failure — and the demands of success.”

Types of Goals

These experts warn that when setting goals, finding the right amount of “stretch” — for growth — is crucial for an organization. Goals that are too easy do not boost performance, so they are of little value. Studies report that it is best to challenge employees, and expect them to challenge themselves, with goals that are attainable but that will require considerable effort. Kinicki provides another caveat when setting goals as well: Don’t fall prey to the allure of setting only financial goals. In doing so, it may compromise the other reasons you are in business — such as employing people and contributing to your community. He postulates that there are four corporate goal categories:

Financial — although an important driver, it should not be the only focus.
Customer service — in the pharmacy compounding industry, this may be the most important goal to focus on.
Employee based — these goals should focus on personal development and innovation and are a very important component for a successful compounding pharmacy.
Internal business process — in a compounding pharmacy, this may focus on lab efficiencies as well as research and development efforts.

Although one might intuitively believe that including employees in the process of setting goals will result in better performance, studies report that is not the case. Whether they set goals for themselves or are assigned goals, one method does not appear to be better than the other. What studies do find is that the more closely a manager can match the goal-setting style with the employees’ wishes, the better the chances for an outcome everyone seeks.

Kinicki also warns that bonuses and other pay-for-performance incentives that are gaining in popularity may not always work as one would expect. He says, “Pay should not be linked to achieving goals unless:

The performance goals are actually under the employees’ sphere of influence.
The goals can be quantified and then measured.
Frequent and relatively large payments are made for achieving goals.

If these three conditions are not met, undesirable outcomes are possible. Other studies have shown that quality suffers when quantitative goals are given highest priority.”

Setting goals for next year should be a priority for your compounding pharmacy. If you have not completed this exercise yet, I urge you to do so today. Follow the best practices reported in this article. The experts all agree that writing your goals and keeping them on your radar screen will result in a more effective performance next year. For a step-by-step guide to help you sit down and develop your goals, read my previous blog post, Pharmacy Goal Setting for the New Year .

Key Points

Write down your goals and keep them on your radar throughout the year.
Make sure your goals are attainable but not easy.
Don’t just set financial goals; consider goals that focus on customer service, employee development, and internal efficiencies or innovation as well.
It’s not necessarily a requirement to include employees in goal setting, but it is important to match your goal-setting style with what your employees want and how they work.
Be careful with pay-for-performance incentives because they can be detrimental if not done right.

Bill Letendre, MSPharm, MBA, PCCA Vice President of Pharmacy Management Services, has been honored as a Fellow of the American College of Apothecaries, the American Pharmacists Association and the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding. Past president of the New Hampshire Pharmacists Association (1981), the American College of Apothecaries (1982) and the Texas Pharmacy Association (2003), Bill currently serves on the Board of Commissioners for the Accreditation Commission for Health Care. Bill previously owned and operated six community pharmacies, two home infusion pharmacies and a home care supply company located in the state of New Hampshire.

Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash.

Lower Your Pharmacy’s Equipment Costs with Tax Deductions

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 13:56:13 GMT

By Tim Murphy, Vice President of Lease Consultants Corporation

Even if Tax Day isn’t right around the corner, it’s important to remember that tax benefits for the current calendar year apply to any purchases you make throughout the year. For most small businesses, the IRS allows the entire cost of equipment and software purchased each year to be deducted on that year’s tax return. For 2021, as a matter of fact, businesses can claim up to $1,050,000 if they spend less than $2,620,000 on total equipment purchases.

U.S. Internal Revenue Code Section 179 is what allows businesses to do this when acquiring assets like equipment and software. The deductions allowed by this impact your tax bill by reducing the amount of your taxable income. The limit on how much you can claim changes every year, but the concept is always the same: Purchase of qualified equipment or software is an expense you can claim that lowers your taxable income by the entire amount of the purchase price.

Here’s how the math works for a cash purchase:

Section 179 Savings Example (21% IRS Corporate Income Tax Rate)

Equipment Cost: $40,000
Deductible Expense: $40,000
Tax Savings ($40,000 x 21% tax rate): $8,400
Equipment Cost After Tax Savings: $31,600

Financing and Section 179: Cash Flow Savings & Tax Savings

Now let’s say you acquire a new asset with a three-year loan, for example. From the date you take possession of the equipment or software until Tax Day, you would likely pay 12 months of payments at most, which is about one-third of the total cost. When you file your taxes for the year, though, you get to deduct the entire purchase price from your taxes.

What does this mean? It increases your short-term cash flow! The tax deduction in April will most likely be more than the amount of cash you actually paid between taking possession and Tax Day. So if your business is in growth mode or looking to preserve cash, the combination of Section 179 and financing can be a winning strategy for all pharmacy types.

A Few Things to Consider

Keep in mind that to qualify for a Section 179 deduction, you must take possession of the asset by the end of the year. On December 31, if the equipment isn’t in place, you will miss the tax savings for the year. There are limits to Section 179 as well, and certain types of assets will not qualify. You should talk with your tax advisor for more details and advice for your specific business.

“On December 31, if the equipment isn’t in place, you will miss the tax savings for the year.”

Learn More

Lease Consultants Corporation has partnered with PCCA to finance equipment purchases for over 800 U.S. pharmacies in the last 10 years. To learn more about this option, talk with your PCCA account manager to see how our Easy Pay financing program can help you acquire the equipment and software you need and retain your Section 179 tax benefits.

Tim Murphy, Vice President at Lease Consultants Corporation, has over 20 years of B2B finance experience. He assists small and midsize businesses acquire equipment and assets to help them grow. Tim is the architect behind EquipMoney.com, a service of Lease Consultants Corporation that uses cutting-edge credit technology to offer instant credit decisions and instant digital signatures. By incorporating a personal connection with technology, the company has financed over $200 million in assets in the last 10 years.

How to Build a Strong Culture in Your Pharmacy

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 14:00:02 GMT

By Whitney Andrews and Michael Jones

Having a strong culture leads to a strong business. When we come together with our staff in unity for our customers, it’s a recipe for success. It would be easy to walk in one day and tell your staff, “This is our culture, and you will live by it.” However, it is not simply stated by one person; rather, culture must be cultivated and learned by the group. Grace Dickson, PCCA’s Director of Human Relations, recently wrote an article for The PCCA Blog that explained why company culture is important and also highlighted three crucial elements of a positive culture. We’re going to build on that foundation and take you through five steps that will help you cultivate a strong culture in your pharmacy.

Define your mission and values, and then get your team on board.

Where do you begin? An important first step in building a strong culture is getting clear on your mission and core values. Often, an organization’s mission is something that can seem almost ephemeral and hard to articulate. Defining the mission is a critical component of culture. Everything flows from your mission, both internal (including the hiring and onboarding process, recognition, benefits, all other policies and processes associated with your staff) and external (how you serve your customer and community).

Your pharmacy’s owners and management should set the mission. Think about why you started the business, what unique need you hope to meet and what purpose you intend to fulfill. The mission is the pharmacy functioning at its highest level and at its best. Once you put that mission into words, frame it, put it on the walls of your practice and include it in all your internal communications. Be intentional about it, and use it as a mantra.

Keeping that mission in mind, ask what values are most important to you. What are the principles that — no matter whether the business is in a lean season or is flourishing, fully staffed or short-staffed — define you and inspire you? These are your core values. Creating them is a perfect time to bring in your team. Have a brainstorming session or a team-building event centered around the following questions:

What are the values that we operate by?
What is important to us?
What sets us apart from any other pharmacy?
How do we live and work more toward the fulfillment of our mission each day?

Inviting your team to help you formulate these core values is a good exercise and a way they can become part of the initial stages of developing the foundation for your future. And just as with the mission, make the values a part of your everyday operation.

Reinforce the mission and values every chance you get.

Sometimes, seeing really is believing, and it helps to keep your mission and core values on your employees’ minds through signage and other creative methods. Consider investing in a plaque or sign that outlines your mission. Make it visible in a common area, like the break room, so that your staff sees it every day.

Also, make the mission and core values personal for your people. Remind them in meetings how staying true to the core values helps reinforce your mission, and begin to tie performance, awards and recognition to core values. For example, if you have a teammate who consistently goes above and beyond in exemplifying your core values, highlight them when you are all gathered in a meeting. Always invite your people to share their experiences as they relate to the execution of the mission and the core values. Doing so will help them become ingrained in people’s minds and will ultimately translate into their success.

Recognize team members who embody your culture.

As mentioned above, it is important to recognize good behavior with your staff as they begin to embody your culture. Not only will it make your staff feel good, but it will also reinforce the behavior that you want to see from the entire team. There are many ways to recognize your staff: on the spot, at a staff meeting in front of their coworkers, or through an employee reward program where the team is recognizing each other, and many more ways.

Engage your team through fun events and meals.

One easy and fun way to engage your team members is through events and breaking bread together. A happy employee is a productive employee. Researchers at Oxford University, MIT and Erasmus University Rotterdam conducted a study and found that happy employees are 13% more productive, in fact, making it highly important to prioritize time to have fun. ¹ Taking either a short break in the middle of the day or before and after the workday to have fun with your employees is important. Some ideas include:

Ordering breakfast or coffee for the team one day
Having a boardgame in the breakroom to play during lunch
Going out as a team to play mini golf or arcade games
Organizing a local ice cream truck to stop by the pharmacy one day and letting your staff pick something on the company

There are many ways to have fun with your staff, and as the study mentioned above shows, you need to make it a priority to help the pharmacy succeed.

Make your culture known to your customers and your community

Once you have engaged your team and integrated the mission and core values through rewards and fellowship, start thinking about ways to involve your customers. Take a moment and think about the businesses you interact with. Who provides the highest level of service? Who consistently impresses you? Then ask yourself why. Often, it is because those businesses have made their core values translate to their customer experience. Some even include their mission and values in their advertising. That is one option; another is to make the mission visible through signage, on receipts and in mailers. This way, not only will your staff be bought into your culture, but your patients and customers will, too. It is a great way to create and foster trust and accountability.

Having a strong culture is not just about what happens at the workplace but is also about how a company relates to and serves its community. Once you have defined your mission and your values, get out and share them with the world. Encourage your people to be active in the community (form a company team and run a 5K, participate in tournaments, engage a local charity) and empower them to be ambassadors. This is another way to bring your culture to life. Good ambassadors of your culture will bring positive attention and productive business relationships to your pharmacy and will help strengthen your ties to the community.

Also on The PCCA Blog: 3 Crucial Elements of a Great Pharmacy Culture

There is an indelible link between a strong culture and a strong organization. SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, says, “The key to a successful organization is to have a culture based on a strongly held and widely shared set of beliefs that are supported by strategy and structure. When an organization has a strong culture, three results occur: Employees know how top management wants them to respond to any situation, employees believe that the expected response is the proper one, and employees know that they will be rewarded for demonstrating the organization's values.”² This is a tall order. The pressing day-to-day needs of the business often taken precedence over everything else. However, it is essential that you make the effort needed to define your mission and core values and then make them actionable. The rewards will be manifested both inside and outside of your pharmacy and will reach not only your staff members, but potentially your entire community.

Whitney Andrews is the Benefits and Engagement Specialist at PCCA and has been a staff member for over nine years. Whitney is passionate about serving her PCCA team members through exciting employee engagement events, employee relations, and making sure that team members and their loved ones have all the benefits support that they need.

Micheal Jones is the Human Relations Specialist at PCCA, where he supports employee populations in the U.S., Canada and Australia. A human resources professional with more than 10 years of experience, he has a wide array of professional interests, including employee well-being, compensation, talent acquisition, employee relations, safety, and employee engagement and empowerment.

References

1. University of Oxford. (2019). Happy workers are 13% more productive. https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2019-10-24-happy-workers-are-13-more-productive

2. SHRM. (n.d.). Understanding and developing organizational culture. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/understandinganddevelopingorganizationalculture.aspHaving a health-and-wellness contest for a month

3 Crucial Elements of a Great Pharmacy Culture

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 21:03:03 GMT

By Grace Dickson, PCCA Director of Human Relations

Whether we realize it or not, every organization has a culture. Culture is created by the enhanced exposure to an organization’s mission, vision and values. If potential employees can see your values and behaviors as a business, this helps set the expectations and provide a positive experience for both current and future employees.

Why a Positive Culture Is Important for Pharmacies

Company culture is important, too. Indeed, a hiring platform and advertising website, highlights this in a recent article, “What Is Company Culture?” The article referenced one of their surveys, stating, “46% of job seekers who considered a job but did not apply to it said they ultimately chose not to apply because they didn’t feel it would be a good culture fit.”1 This reveals that culture is more than salary, benefits and training — it is an experience.

Some of you may read this and roll your eyes. You might think, what happened to the days when people simply came in to do a job and get paid for it? This thought process is not gone; however, it has evolved because people have realized they spend more time working than they do with their friends and families. They therefore want to be a part of a positive experience, and the companies listed as top places to work are the ones who provide that.

In other words, positive culture can make or break someone’s work experience, and it is essential for attracting and retaining the team members that pharmacies need to provide great service to their customers. From the first interview to hiring, training and development, an organization’s culture is a constant presence. In fact, it is present from the very beginning of a company’s story, and it starts with you as a leader.

If you’ve made the decision to be intentional about or to articulate the culture in your pharmacy, it is important to identify what has been laid as the foundation first. This is a way to see where your pharmacy’s culture is at now. The good news is that if your culture is not where you want it to be, you always have the opportunity to change it. Even if your culture is already moving in the right direction, some strategic investments in its future can help to make a strong and positive experience even better for your employees.

3 Elements of a Positive Pharmacy Culture

Though positive cultures consist of many elements, three come to mind as being most important: continuously identifying areas of improvement through open communication, promoting innovation among all teams and self-accountability. Let’s take a closer look at these ways to help you think about the culture in your pharmacy.

Continuously Identifying Areas of Improvement

This begins with listening to your teams and receiving feedback. You can do this by scheduling individual or team sessions as often as once a month or once a quarter. Asking questions such as, “What are the best aspects of your job?” or “If we could change something about what we did as a pharmacy, what would that be?” are essential for gaining candid feedback from your teams. You may be surprised by how much information you will gather during these sessions. Your teams will not only appreciate that you are asking their opinion, but it also shows that you value them.

Promoting Innovation among All Your Teams

When listening for areas of improvement, some of the ideas you hear will promote innovation in some form, whether it be an improvement to a standard operating procedure or holding team-building events to grow together as an organization. You may have quick-win items you could implement right away and some that you will want to wait until later to discuss further. Either way, this is a great opportunity to show your employees that you are listening and that they are making a difference in your organization. Ultimately, this process of not just taking in feedback, but also acting on it and communicating those actions will further encourage your employees to share their ideas for innovations in the pharmacy.

Self-Accountability

You can also move your pharmacy’s culture in a positive direction if you continue to promote and expect self-accountability. This element is sometimes the most challenging because you can always look at someone else for the reason why a process or procedure is not working well. Instead, challenge yourself and your teams to look inward to identify how you all can become better. Cy Wakeman, a bestselling author and leadership consultant, speaks about reality-based leadership and self-accountability. She recommends taking ownership in each situation and asking ourselves, “What do you know for sure?” and “What could you do next to add value?” These two questions eliminate the potential of placing blame on others and encourage self-reflection. If I see how I can be better, then I can mirror that and show others how to be great as well.

Employees need to know they are a part of something bigger than themselves, and when you share the story of your company, your culture is an integral piece of that story. Ensuring that your pharmacy has these three elements will go a long way in developing or reinforcing a positive culture, which in turn can help you attract and retain excellent employees.

Also on The PCCA Blog: How to Build a Strong Culture in Your Pharmacy

Grace Dickson is a graduate of Samford University with a BA in journalism and mass communication and a minor in communication studies. Grace has always had a passion for connecting people with opportunity. With roots in sales, she is skilled in aligning the perfect solution to a person’s goals — and she brings that mentality to corporate recruiting. Grace has a decade of recruiting experience that has grown her into an expert evaluator of skill sets and professional drive. This expertise has benefited PCCA for years as she has sourced the perfect candidates for their jobs. Today, as the Director of Human Relations, she uses an international lens to develop strategy for her U.S., Canadian and Australian teams. She guides their plans for talent acquisition and development, career coaching, refinement of processes and procedures, change and performance management, and much more.

Reference

Indeed. (n.d.). What is company culture? https://www.indeed.com/hire/c/info/business-in-culture

Nutritional Support for Detoxification

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 13:29:30 GMT

By John Preckshot, RPh, FAARM, Director of Wellness Works

“It can be strongly said that the health of an individual is largely determined by the ability of the body to detoxify.”

— Joseph Pizzorno, ND, Encyclopedia of Natural Health

Detoxification, the removal of harmful or toxic substances from the body, occurs through several body organs, including the kidneys, skin, liver and lungs. The term “detoxification” is sometimes misunderstood, though. There is the process of detoxification that occurs in the body 24 hours a day, primarily in the liver. The purpose of detoxification, in this context, is to remove common allergens and irritants from the body daily to ensure good health. Then there is the act of detoxification, which consists of making changes to our diet and using various supplements for a few weeks to help support the liver and other organs in their daily job of protecting us from the consumed and built-up toxins in our bodies. By assisting your body in the removal of stored toxins through detoxification programs, your body can more easily heal itself.

Do I have toxins in my body?

Unfortunately, we all have toxins in our bodies, and our environment is becoming much more toxic. This increase in toxicity is expressed in a greater incidence of illness and disease. Decreasing toxic load through a more healthful diet, daily exercise and decreased chemical exposure (including prescription and over-the-counter medications), can help your liver more effectively keep you healthy.

What constitutes a detoxification program?

The first step to detoxification is a change to a healthier diet for three weeks. There are three goals of this diet change:

Entirely eliminating common allergens and potentially irritating foods
Cutting out foods that promote inflammation and the build-up of harmful toxins
Providing the body with inflammation-fighting and liver-supporting essential nutrients

There are several diets that you can use to accomplish this. For a list of appropriate diets for detoxification, please contact Wellness Works at info@wellnessworks.com. While you may not feel great at the beginning of a detox diet, as the toxins leave your body, it will not be long before you feel healthier and renewed. And at no time during your diet will you starve or feel hungry! You will just learn to make better dietary choices.

Is that all I have to do?

In addition to a dietary change, a good detoxification program needs to supply your body with the nutrients it needs to help repair itself. The premier antioxidant and nutrient necessary for liver support of the detoxification process is glutathione.¹ Any detoxification program should include a good source of glutathione, like Liposomal Glutathione 250 mg found in Wellness Works.

The liver is also the vital organ involved in removing alcohol metabolites from the body. Research has demonstrated that the essential nutrients found in Alcohol Detox work to support healthy liver function and proper alcohol metabolism. ^2,3,4 If the stress and inactivity of the COVID-19 pandemic have increased your alcohol consumption, Alcohol Detox will be a good choice for you.

Finally, it is essential to remove the toxins from the body during the detoxification process. Colon Health Support is specially formulated to support comprehensive intestinal health by gentle waste elimination and intestinal cleansing. And as you begin your new, healthier, renewed life, a course of probiotics, such as our new SporeBiotic Max , would be the final step to a healthier you.

If you have any questions about detoxification programs for you, your staff or your pharmacy patients, please contact us at info@wellnessworks.com.

John Preckshot, RPh, CCN, FAARM, serves as the Director of Wellness Works nutrition. In 1981, he opened Preckshot Professional Pharmacy in Peoria, Illinois. The mission of the pharmacy was to provide a more holistic approach to health care by specializing in pharmacy compounding and functional medicine. Soon, Preckshot Professional Pharmacy was recognized as being the “non-pharmacy” pharmacy in central Illinois. Along the way, John received the PCCA M. George Webber Pharmacist of the Year award in 2000 and the Dupont Pharmaceutical Innovative Practitioner award in 2001. John completed his certification in clinical nutrition (CCN) in 2006. He completed his fellowship in anti-aging and regenerative medicine (FAARM) in 2014.

A version of this article originally appeared in PCCA’s members-only magazine, the Apothagram.

References

1. Sinha, R., Sinha, I., Calcagnotto, A., Trushin, N., Haley, J. S., Schell, T. D., & Richie, J. P., Jr. (2018). Oral supplementation with liposomal glutathione elevates body stores of glutathione and markers of immune function. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 72(1), 105–111. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2017.132

2. Bellentani, S., Saccoccio, G., Costa, G., Tiribelli, C., Manenti, F., Sodde, M., Saveria Crocè, L., Sasso, F., Pozzato, G., Cristianini, G., & Brandi, G. (1997). Drinking habits as cofactors of risk for alcohol induced liver damage. The Dionysos Study Group. Gut, 41 (6), 845–850. https://doi.org/10.1136/gut.41.6.845

3. Lieber, C. S. (2003). Relationships between nutrition, alcohol use, and liver disease. Alcohol Research & Health: The Journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism , 27(3), 220–231. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6668875/pdf/220-231.pdf

4. Ward, R. J., & Peters, T. J. (1992). The antioxidant status of patients with either alcohol-induced liver damage or myopathy. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 27(4), 359–365.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products referenced in this article are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

THE PCCA BLOG

Profiles in Personalized Medicine Samantha Pitzarella, PharmD

Best Practices for Marketing

Adhere to Legal and Regulatory Requirements for Compounding

Avoid Unsubstantiated Claims

Conduct Thorough Marketing Reviews

Resources: Best Practices for Marketing

Charting the Course for Your Pharmacy’s Success

Strategic Planning: The Key to Growth

Tips for Getting Started

Marketing Your Practice: Jump Start with Freelancers

Do you have experience working in the healthcare or pharmacy industry?

Can you provide a link to your digital portfolio?

Do you charge by the project or by the hour? What is your anticipated timeframe for project completion?

How many edits and revisions are included in the project’s cost?

What is your availability and communication preference?

Questions to Ask Social Media Managers

Do you have experience managing healthcare or pharmacy-related social media accounts?

What strategies do you use to engage the local community, build trust and boost brand recognition?

What metrics do you use to measure success and how do you use data to improve performance?

Using data, can you provide examples of how you’ve helped improve engagement and recognition?

What is your availability and communication preference?

Best Practices for Promoting Compounded Preparations

Guidelines for Promotional Content

Our Commitment to Compliance

The 4 C’s Of Successful Sales Presentations

1. Clear

2. Concise

3. Compelling

4. Credible

Detoxification in the New Year

Toxic Exposure

Boosting the Body’s Natural Processes

Adding Nutritional Supplements

References

Benchmarking: Know Your Numbers and Your Worth

Financial Benchmarking: What It Is and What It Does

Compounding Pharmacy Management Services (CPMS)

Your Guiding Tool

Charting the Course for Long-Term Pharmacy Success: Embracing Growth Strategies

Seeing the Forest and the Trees: A Strategic Outlook

Empowerment: The Secret Sauce for Team Success

Data as Your GPS: Navigating with Insights

The Mindset That Fuels Growth

Your Path to Success

Unleash Your Potential with Accountability

Artificial Intelligence: The Good. The Bad. And the Ugly.

Brand & Tone

Confidentiality & Privacy

Differentiation

Let’s Get Social

Know Your Audience. Pick Your Platform

Goals, Strategy & Resources

Create Interesting & Concise Content

Ideas, Insight & Resources

References

Mitigating the Myopic

Four Things We Should Quit This Year

Quit One Idea

Quit One Action

Quit One Thought

Quit One Person

The Profitability of a Compounding Pharmacy

Why Start Compounding?

Is Compounding Right for You?

The Profitability of Compounding

SEO and Best Practices for Pharmacy Websites

This Article in 30 Seconds — for Those in a Rush

This Article in 7 Minutes — for Those With More Time

This is the question:

This is the problem:

This is the answer:

This is how to apply that answer to SEO strategy and website development:

What to Consider When Building or Updating Your Pharmacy Website

Continually Improve Speed

Simplify the User Experience

Consistently Build Relevant Website Content

What to Consider When Building an SEO Strategy

Approach SEO With Google as Your Guide

Data Points Should Drive Decisions, Not Feelings or Anecdotes