by Megan Moyer, senior marketing communications specialist, for the Home Health Care Opportunity blog series

If you’ve been following this blog series, trying to determine if home health care is a worthwhile investment for your store and customers, we’re past the halfway point. By now, you have discovered your pharmacy’s competitive edge; decided how much space to devote to HHC; determined what types of products to carry; and considered what specialty services you should offer.

Staffing is one more element that is important to a successful home health care business within the pharmacy. If yours is like most independent pharmacies, you have one or more pharmacists, any number of pharmacy technicians, and front-end staff who tend to the product assortment and check-out counter. This arrangement is appropriate for the typical pharmacy or for one that offers a minimal selection of home health care products. If in Steps 1 through 4 you determined that your pharmacy will carry more specialized products such as mobility aids, bath safety devices, rehabilitative products, or anything else that is not simply purchased “off the shelf,” additional staff development may be appropriate.

Complete this worksheet to quickly evaluate who of your current staff is best positioned to become the person primarily responsible for maintaining your home health care department and consulting with patients. If you find that existing staff will not meet the needs, consider additional training or adding to your team.

Take Action

Don’t avoid entering the home health care market or expanding your current practice simply because your present staff does not have the specialized knowledge they may need. Based upon your evaluation in the worksheet, consider if one or two of your current employees already displays abilities in these areas. Knowledge of HHC products and services can be taught, while the important personality traits listed in the worksheet typically cannot be easily “learned.”