You can mail merge emails, so it would require 1 email. The only variables would need to be 1st name and their code / list ID
Drug List Web Site
- Thread starter kgmom219
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You can mail merge emails, so it would require 1 email. The only variables would need to be 1st name and their code / list ID
And the mail merge would grab their list ID?
Well I guess that depends on how you've been saving their List IDs.
I set up my CRM with a custom field "List ID" once I subscribed to S&S.
So I would (a) download client active csv file from CRM - fields: first name, list ID. (b) use the csv for mail merge - send email.
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- #24
Right now, it’s around 700 emails and 700 lists coming back via email. It’s a friggin nightmare. Who sent it back? Who am I chasing?
Then “who needs a call scheduled vs email is sufficient”
Picking out Levo caps vs tablets is going to be an issue, no question about it. But I can catch those. It’s not just typing in the lists. It’s who is responding vs not
Then “who needs a call scheduled vs email is sufficient”
Picking out Levo caps vs tablets is going to be an issue, no question about it. But I can catch those. It’s not just typing in the lists. It’s who is responding vs not
Truce
Expert
- 81
I used Sunfire last year for the first time and had full time admin all year to help for the first time. Everyone enrolled in a 2021 stand alone drug plan (about 250 people last year) got the personalized sunfire link containing their drug list, current plan total cost, and it lists their default renewal along with the other options in total annual out of pocket order. I sent them a link with pictures and a video for how to update their own list. Not many people took advantage of this, and I don't even remember if I used a feature to show me who made updates. I imagine many people would mess this up. Everyone also gets a mailer to set up a call with me and an email with my calendar link. About a 20% of people set up a 15 call /virtual meeting and most stayed put. So that's the "self-service" part of it.
I exported in excel all the people who had the Wellcare plan that went from $15 to $60/mo. They got individual phone calls until every one of them made a change. Lots of those were early December until they got back to me. Also sorted in excel all the people projected to have an increase in their current drug spend of over $200 a year if they used the same plan and same drugs. They got phone calls, and the data did spit out a few false positives. Less than half changed plans. I also had about a dozen people tagged as calling me during the year because they started on a new drug and I said we'd shop at AEP.
I'd say this activity is revenue neutral, a clear negative for my mental health, but essential for service and retention. I'd be willing to refine any part of it for next year.
I exported in excel all the people who had the Wellcare plan that went from $15 to $60/mo. They got individual phone calls until every one of them made a change. Lots of those were early December until they got back to me. Also sorted in excel all the people projected to have an increase in their current drug spend of over $200 a year if they used the same plan and same drugs. They got phone calls, and the data did spit out a few false positives. Less than half changed plans. I also had about a dozen people tagged as calling me during the year because they started on a new drug and I said we'd shop at AEP.
I'd say this activity is revenue neutral, a clear negative for my mental health, but essential for service and retention. I'd be willing to refine any part of it for next year.
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- #26
Essential for retention is key. I get a lot of clients each year because either they were DIY for the Med Supp or they never hear from their agent. "Sure, I am happy to help with your drug list but I want to be your Med Supp agent, too." And if you aren't talking to your current clients someone else IS. Count on it.
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- #27
OK, I am going to pay Search and Save whatever it is they want and play with it. Anything to get out of the current email hell we are in.
I think that this year, I will be sending out the first email with a "we are moving to this format" and here's the link. I am not entering in the drug lists prior to that email. Then for 2024, they will be in there.
I think that this year, I will be sending out the first email with a "we are moving to this format" and here's the link. I am not entering in the drug lists prior to that email. Then for 2024, they will be in there.
I run a PDF of the Rx list, email to client, and ask for changes/updates. This is not streamlined as your example, but gets the job done and I don't have to be concerned about them picking the wrong drug type (capsule or pill).
The only "streamlining" I do to minimize the number of emails is SEVERAL reminders in my monthly newsletter about gathering PDP info EARLY because of upcoming/ongoing AEP. They get at least FOUR reminders about updating their Rx if they want my help.
I don't do a lot of hand holding with my clients . . . figure they are adults . . . if they want my help they will ask. Tough love.
I am more than willing to help but if I ask for Rx updates and you don't respond, I am not calling or sending a personal email as a reminder. I also don't run a new report without confirmation of the current Rx list.
The newsletter also notifies them about huge premium increases and reminds them to check their ANOC since I don't get a copy of the ANOC.
Somewhere along the way the clients need to accept personal responsibility for some things. I am not their momma.
One annoyance about S&S is the way they show drugs on the drop down. I had an issue with levothyroxine the first time I had a client with that med. So many formulations of Levo that, if you don't scroll down far enough, you won't see the tablet.
Had a similar issue with another med, but after asking S&S why X med was not on the list they came back, a day later, and said it IS on the list
Here is the support dialogue.
me - Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) capsules not showing, only powder or solution. This is a relatively inexpensive drug . . . about $4 per capsule . . . using other drug plan finders.
them -It's listed under the brand name Drisdol. After typing in Drisdol, the system gives you the option to choose the generic form. It is not covered by Medicare, but Search and Save shows the cost from the pharmacy. Screenshot attached.
me -Thank you . . . seems more logical to include the more popular generic name (vitamin d2). How many searches for Drisdol show up in your stats?
them -You're welcome. I looked up what you asked me to, and it showed the brand name on Good RX then I found it on the system. I don't know the logic of how a drug is listed. We don't have stats on searches for particular drugs.
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- #29
Is anybody using the purl on Search and Save?
It looks great, but I really don't want to deal with my Med Supp clients getting questions about doctors. That will really freak them out.
And the whole point of this is that I am not typing in the damn lists.
I see year 1 as a major PITA but then it will get easier.
It looks great, but I really don't want to deal with my Med Supp clients getting questions about doctors. That will really freak them out.
And the whole point of this is that I am not typing in the damn lists.
I see year 1 as a major PITA but then it will get easier.
I haven’t subscribed to the PURL yet. The main reason is because I wanted to wait and see what it was going to be like for existing clients. The one the rolled out was more for prospective clients. The one for existing clients was to be added later (prior to AEP).
Have they released the second one yet? Is it different than the first?
In my attempt to be prepared and take advantage of the PURL for existing clients, I went through the painstaking process of uploading my clients to their CRM AND entering all of their medications. That was a chore, but hopefully pays off during AEP.
I’m hoping the PURL for existing clients requires less “effort” on the clients part. Hopefully they’ll just need to review their current list of meds and make changes as needed.
Edit to add - Just watched the PURL video for use with existing clients. Looks like they will have the physician question as well. I guess I'll have to send out an email to my Med Supp clients to skip this section.
I do have a question for anyone who has begun use of the PURL. Do you know if the only way to send the link to existing clients in the CRM is by clicking on each one individually? Can we not send one to everybody at once? That's a lot of "clicks" to go to each client individually to send a PURL.
And one last edit - Emailed support and was told the system currently does not have the capability to send out one email to all clients, but they will explore the possibility with the developers. Looks like hundreds and hundreds of clicks are on the way. Guess that beats having them call or email with their drug list and having to enter it in.
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