The non-prescription marketplace has come a long way since the blasé and overly simplified phrase, “Take two Aspirin and call me in the morning.” Over-the-counter medications and products that don’t require a physician’s prescription are an integral part of healthcare, with more and more providers opting to utilize them in their treatment plans.
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, 84% of patients trust their doctor’s advice on what first line, over-the-counter medication to take or give to others. Providers clearly have a lot of influence in the non-prescription space — but once they make their recommendations, whether patients follow up on that advice is typically out of their hands.
That’s where shiftMD comes in.
shiftMD Puts The Provider Back In Control
From the moment a healthcare provider recommends a product to their patient, there are a ton of obstacles that stand in the way of the patient actually getting that product. Even after a provider takes the time to talk to their patient about the product they’re recommending, the patient may forget what the name of the product was — or, they could get to the pharmacy and opt for a different product than the one recommended. Even more discouraging, the patient may end up not even purchasing any kind of product; sometimes life gets in the way, and the hassle of going out to purchase the product can be put on the backburner or forgotten altogether.
With shiftMD, that’s not likely to happen. shiftMD is an app that enables providers to send specific product recommendations directly to their patients’ phones, so that the patients can simply tap a link and order the product to be delivered straight to their homes. Even more beneficial, it allows providers to monitor their patient’s compliance, so they can see the moment their patient orders the product they’ve recommended.
According to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, people in the United States make an estimated 2.9 billion retail trips annually to purchase over-the-counter products. Considering the prominence of big-box drugstores like CVS and Walgreens, it can be safely assumed the majority of these trips were made to these multi-billion-dollar corporations. For many providers, it’s not exactly ideal to funnel more money into these businesses.
Instead, shiftMD gives providers the opportunity to boost their own practice’s income simply by doing what they already do — recommending high-quality, non-prescription healthcare products to treat their patients. When a patient orders a product their provider recommended to them via shiftMD, the patient receives the best price guaranteed, and since we’ve cut out the middlemen, now the provider can make a percentage of that sale, helping their practice to continue to thrive.
shiftMD Empowers The Patient
Sometimes, there’s nothing more stressful than needing to go on a shopping run when you’re already preoccupied with your health, especially now in times of COVID. Instead, shiftMD does all the legwork for patients, so they can get exactly what they need, when they need it — without the hassle. Patients get a text message sent straight to their phones, with a link to order the product that their provider recommended to them (cheaper than they’d be able to find it on their own). From there, all they have to do is order the product, and then it will be shipped directly to their homes.
The non-prescription market is only going to become more prominent in the healthcare space; shiftMD is leading the way into the future of this aspect of the industry.
Download the shiftMD app today and begin your journey into the world of digital wellness!