For Australian plant medicine Patients, cost is often at the forefront of their decisions – that dollar figure influences everything from choosing their preferred prescriber, clinic and prescription brands (within their authorised prescriber’s guidelines).
As the plant medicine industry expands, we’re seeing more clinics opening their doors to new Patients, and we’re also seeing the increase of clinics who offer and promote low cost or even zero-cost consultations.
For many Patients, this can be a huge benefit, and a way to affordably access the health care they require – but could there be a downside to “free” consults?
Every business, even within healthcare, needs to consider the bottom line in order to thrive, so be mindful that a “free” or “$0” consult may end up costing you more in the long run, in more ways than one.
Before you book in that free consult, we encourage you to consider the following:
- Patient care and support: Does this clinic offer full-service customer service, and what kind of support is available? Can you only text the clinic, or are their hours limited? Will they resolve issues in a reasonable time frame?
- Product range: Is this clinic brand-agnostic, or do they promote a specific brand or line of products? Do they offer a range of product types and are you able to easily discuss these options with your Doctor or support team?
- Hidden costs: Does this clinic add on many additional fees as checkout? Keep an eye out for dispensing fees, rush fees, shipping costs or even monthly administration fees. These can quickly add up, and your free consult won’t feel like such a great deal anymore.
- Flexibility: How easy is it for you to move clinics or doctors within your clinic? Do you need to pay an additional charge to “release” your scripts or to send them to a pharmacy of your choice?
At Farma, we celebrate the growth of our industry and promote a sense of camaraderie rather than competition. With that being said, we also champion transparent, Patient-focused information, so our mission is always to educate you, the Patient, to make the very best choices for your health, your budget and your lifestyle.
So, before you take your first steps on your plant medicine path, look through our checklist above and be sure that your free consult doesn’t come with some less-then-desirable T&Cs.