Medicare Part D Open Enrollment ends on December 7th. The timeline for your patients to join, switch, or drop a plan is rapidly drawing to a close. Failure to review their current plan to make sure it still fulfills their healthcare needs means they could find themselves stuck with insufficient care in the coming year.
We’ve put together a list of ways your pharmacy can help your patients avoid this pitfall.
Schedule Message Reminders About Medicare Open Enrollment
One of the easiest—and most effective—ways to help your patients to enroll in the right plan for their needs is to remind them of the Open Enrollment dates. You can do this by automating text or email reminders to go out at regular intervals throughout the Enrollment period. Periodic reminders of how many days are left before the closing date can also be beneficial here.
These reminders should include easy links to the Medicare Plan information, as well as a note that informs patients that your pharmacists are available to answer any Plan-related questions they may have. Pharmacies that establish themselves as trusted healthcare advocates and resources see a huge increase in returning, loyal customers.
Be Ready to Answer Medicare FAQs
As you likely know, Medicare Plan selection can be a stressful and confusing process for patients. Having educational materials readily available both at your pharmacy and online will help patients access the important information they need regarding their current—or future—Medicare Plan.
Popular questions include:
- How do I know what Medicare coverage is right for me?
- How much does Medicare cost?
- Is Medicare mandatory?
- How does Medicare automatic renewal work?
- What’s the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?
A well-educated patient is more likely to pick a plan that best matches their specific needs.
Conduct Medicare Plan Reviews with Patients
If your pharmacy has the capability, conducting Medicare Plan Reviews with your patients has a number of tangible benefits, both for you and for them. We’ve taken a deeper look at why your pharmacy should offer plan reviews in a previous blog, but an overall summary is:
- Plan reviews boost patient-pharmacist relationships, which is a huge boon in terms of both quality of care and patient satisfaction
- Medicare Plan Reviews have been shown to increase patient engagement as well as enhance the rate of medication adherence
- Foster year-round engagement with eligible patients
With these suggestions in mind, you can tackle the last few weeks of 2022’s Medicare Open Enrollment period with ease. As a reminder, TDS has partnered with licensed agents to assist our pharmacy network to provide Medicare Plan reviews to your patients. Patients can review and choose the Medicare Plan that is right for them through a self-guided online experience or by speaking to a licensed agent over the phone. To get your free Medicare Plan Review Resources, click here.
