Pharmacies Must Market Their Clinical Services for Sustainability

As pharmacists gain authority to prescribe birth control and expand clinical services, many community pharmacies are discovering that a lack of promotion can impact the success of these services. In this interview, Sally Rafie, PharmD, BCPS, founder of Birth Control Pharmacist, explains that birth control prescribing and similar pharmacist-led clinical services are still new, and patients rarely know these options exist. Policy changes may broaden pharmacists’ scope of practice, but they are not accompanied by funding or public health campaigns, leaving pharmacies responsible for creating local awareness and demand.

Rafie outlines common marketing mistakes, starting with doing no promotion at all—failing to list services on the pharmacy website, neglecting to brief staff, and relying on a single trained pharmacist while the rest of the team is unaware. On the other end of the spectrum, some pharmacies overspend on digital advertising while ignoring existing patients who are already walking through their doors.

She details practical strategies to market pharmacist-prescribed birth control and other clinical services. These include training staff to mention services in specific scenarios—such as when patients pick up birth control with no refills remaining—using in-store signage, buttons on white coats, on-hold phone messages, automated texts, and monthly email newsletters. Pharmacies are urged to highlight convenience, extended hours, privacy in dedicated consultation rooms, and the fact that, under the Affordable Care Act, most birth control is covered with no out-of-pocket cost.

Further, Rafie emphasizes that patient satisfaction is high, with more than 90% reporting they would return and recommend these services. Pharmacies are encouraged to track how patients heard about the service and double down on the most effective marketing channels. With sustained commitment and data-driven adjustments, pharmacist-led birth control and clinical services can grow into a reliable, high-value offering for the community.

“Everyone knows about your traditional dispensing services, so you don't have to spend a lot of time on that, and when you're framing the prescribing services or clinical services that you provide for patients, it's all about convenience,” she said. “You want to emphasize that in your messaging.”

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