How I Increased Patient Participation by 2x Through Better Positioning and Process Design

Executive Summary

As part of my work with an independent pharmacy, I noticed a common challenge: despite offering free medication reviews (a valuable 20-minute consultation service covered by the government), patients weren’t signing up. The pharmacy owner struggled to fill appointments, and conversion rates were dismal.

By rethinking when and how patients were approached and aligning with their existing behavior, I helped the pharmacy increase participation by over 2x. This case study outlines the structured approach I used to identify the problem, validate a solution, and drive measurable business impact.

Problem Identification & User Needs

User Pain Points

Patients didn’t see the value in booking a separate visit for a service that didn’t result in a prescription. The owner spent hours calling patients with little success, only 3–4 bookings after dozens of calls.

Market Analysis

Competitors like Shoppers Drug Mart were running dedicated medication review days, achieving 8–10 reviews daily. The market was proven, but execution at our pharmacy wasn’t connecting with patients.

Need Validation

Conversations with the pharmacy owner validated the issue: low conversion rates and high no-shows. The opportunity was clear. If patients already valued the service elsewhere, the problem wasn’t the product itself but how it was delivered and marketed.

Solution Development

Concept

Using a Design Thinking approach, I reframed the problem from “How do we convince patients to come in?” to “How do we make it convenient for them to say yes?”

We realized that many patients were already at the doctor’s office and often had to wait 30–40 minutes. That downtime could be turned into a value-adding experience instead of wasted time.

The Two-Pronged Solution

1. Book patients who already have doctor appointments.
   • Leverage existing behavior and available time.
   • Remove friction by bringing the service closer to where they already are.
2. Partner with doctors to promote the service.
   • Have doctors explain the benefits of medication reviews to their patients directly.
   • Build trust and awareness through a more credible source.

Validation

We ran a one-month pilot, booking patients around their appointment dates and briefing local doctors about the program.

Early Results

Conversion rates jumped from 10% to 55%, a clear signal that the new approach resonated.

Strategy & Goals

Product Goals

• Increase pharmacist expanded-scope services by 30%.
• Improve patient satisfaction and perceived value of the service.
• Strengthen partnerships with local doctors.

Key Performance Indicators

• Number of medication reviews completed (primary KPI).
• Patient satisfaction (NPS).
• Revenue from billable expanded-scope services.

Marketing Strategy

Instead of broad outreach, we shifted to embedded marketing: educating doctors, placing posters in waiting rooms, and integrating the offer naturally into the patient’s visit flow.

Implementation & Outcomes

Key Decisions

• Focused on convenience and trust rather than incentives.
• Treated doctors as primary stakeholders, not just referrers.
• Bundled the medication review with another activity patients already valued (doctor visits).

Results

• 2x increase in patient participation.
• Higher NPS: patients appreciated using their waiting time productively.
• Revenue growth through more billable services.

Lessons Learned

Success Factors

• Embedding the product within an existing patient journey created zero-friction adoption.
• Partnering with trusted influencers (doctors) boosted credibility.
• Clear, measurable KPIs kept the team aligned.

Challenges

• Initial doctor buy-in took time; we had to demonstrate how this added value to their practice.
• Managing scheduling logistics required better coordination tools.

Transferable Insights

• For any service business, context is everything. Success depends less on what you offer and more on when, where, and how it’s delivered.
• Aligning with existing user behavior often beats trying to change it.
• Data-driven experiments, even small ones, can uncover scalable wins.

Key Takeaway

This case taught me that product management isn’t just about features. It’s about behavioral design.
By aligning the product with user context and trusted stakeholders, we transformed a low-engagement service into a high-value experience that benefited both patients and the business.