I have a busy pharmacy, how much time will each visit take?

Most pharmacists are not used to scheduling appointments or allocating time.  The visits should take no more than 10 to 15 minutes.  the exceptions are the first, seventh and last visit where you weigh, test and measure the patient.  Ancillary staff (even customer service, technicians, dieticians, nutritionists, nurses, etc.) can be used to maximize the use of your time doing the routine tasks like weighing the patient, getting them their next lesson and getting them their foods.  This way, your time can be spent with education and motivation of the patient.

How do I limit each meeting to just 10-15 minutes?

Many patients will need time to express their medical concerns and ask questions which are inadequately answered at their doctor's office.  The most difficult thing is getting the patient to focus on their weekly lessons and not get too far ahead.  TAKE CHARGE® patient manuals are designed to help facilitate this task.

How can my staff get involved with the TAKE CHARGE® program?

Ancillary staff (even customer service, technicians, dieticians, nutritionists, nurses, etc.) can be involved to help maximize the pharmacists' time.  These staff members can take care of the routine tasks like weighing the patient, getting lesson plans and foods together for next week.  This way, your time can be spent on education and motivation of the patient.

How do I find TAKE CHARGE® patients?

More than 2/3 of the US population is overweight and over 1/3 are OBESE. The market is more than $60 billion per year.  Your community is no different.  more than 70 million people in the US are on some kind of "diet".  TAKE CHARGE® has a health care professional as an integral part of the program.  When given the choice, patients are more successful and more satisfied with one-on-one counseling and YOU can provide such an atmosphere.

How do I gain the knowledge to offer this valuable service?

TAKE CHARGE® truly is a turnkey system, providing training manuals and ongoing support.  The TAKE CHARGE® staff is just a phone call or email away.  You already have knowledge of your patient's overall health and medications, so your main role is one of coach and accountability source.  The more you learn from working with patients, the more the program "becomes your own."

I have a small pharmacy, how much product do I need to stock?

Since you know how many patients you have on the program at any given time, you can determine in advance how much you need on hand.  There is really no need to have more than a couple of weeks (4-6 cases) of product on hand at any given time, so not much space is required.

Without a counseling room, where can I counsel my patients?

Counseling can be done in your normal prescription counseling area, however actual weighing and body measurements should take place in private.  Some pharmacists utilize an area in their stockroom or office.  Each pharmacy is different and TAKE CHARGE can work with you to find an appropriate area.

Is TAKE CHARGE® based on the food pyramid and calorie counting?

Yes, it is based upon sound nutritional principles like those found with the food pyramid.  It focuses on a balance of foods, not erratic swings such as low carb or high protein.  All recent studies have pointed out weight loss ultimately depends on reducing calories, not necessarily food types.

Do patients really need to use the TAKE CHARGE® functional foods?

The patient actually only utilizes meal replacement shakes for 2 meals per day, so that allows them to eat their third meal of "regular" food. The more they learn, the less they will rely on the functional foods.  The TAKE CHARGE® shakes are "crutches" that allow patients to achieve positive results BEFORE they gain the knowledge they need to establish healthy habits.

The ultimate goal is to teach the patient how to duplicate the quality of nutrition that is in the shakes with ordinary foods.  TAKE CHARGE® shakes only have 240 calories, which buys them a lot of room to make mistakes as they learn, yet still reach their goals.

Are there controversial ingredients in TAKE CHARGE® functional foods?

All of our foods contain soy based protein in a form that is very digestible and easy for the body to assimilate.  Patients with soy, milk or wheat allergies should be questioned thoroughly and asked to proceed with caution.  Most of these patients can utilize the foods with no problem.

Each shake contains less than 15mg of sucralose, however TAKE CHARGE® continues to evaluate the new Stevia based sweeteners and may consider their use in the future.

Can I "personalize" the program to meet the special needs of some patients?

TAKE CHARGE® does not teach abrupt changes other than meal replacement.  Patients learn through trial and error, which is a major reason the program is so successful.  With your help, patients will find changes they implement either help or hurt their efforts.  TAKE CHARGE® allows a lot of room for you to make adjustments.  No two patients are exactly alike.  Your expertise is especially helpful when relating the weekly lessons to their particular concerns such as Diabetes, Hyperlipidemia, CVD, etc.

How much should I charge my patients and should I ask customers to pay weekly or all up-front?

Ask your patients how much they are spending each day on food.  Most of them will give you a number of at least $15 per day.  Our foods will cost the patient as little as $7 per day, which is significantly less than the competition.  You are saving them nearly $8 per day, which offsets the cost of the program.