Independent pharmacies are always looking for revenue that is not tied to filling another prescription. Sometimes that means adding a product or launching a new cash service. Other times, it means recognizing the value in something the pharmacy already has trusted relationships with patients. Clinical trial recruitment is one-way pharmacies can turn those relationships into non-dispensing revenue.
Research organizations need help reaching potential participants, particularly in rural and underserved communities. Independent pharmacies already serve these patients and speak with them regularly. By helping patients learn about available clinical trials, pharmacies can improve access to research while receiving service fees for the work their teams perform.
If you are interested in expanding cash services, contact IPC Pharmacy Services to schedule a 1 on 1 consultation.
If you are interested in expanding cash services, contact IPC Pharmacy Services to schedule a 1 on 1 consultation.
An Active Nationwide Opportunity
SiteLabs, an IPC Vendor Advantage Network partner, is currently recruiting pharmacies for a nationwide colorectal cancer screening trial.
The trial is evaluating a new blood-based screening test designed to detect colorectal cancer and precancerous conditions in individuals at average risk. Patients who qualify provide a blood sample before their routine colonoscopy, so the results can be compared.
You can earn $140 to $200 for each patient who successfully enrolls. Patients may also receive $325 to $475 for their time and participation.
What Could Your Pharmacy Earn?
Start by pulling your merchant-processing statement. Take your total card-processing fees and divide them by your total card volume.
| Patients Successfully Enrolled | At $140 Each | At $200 Each | Potential Pharmacy Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $700 | $1,000 | $700-$1,000 |
| 10 | $1,400 | $2,000 | $1,400-$2,000 |
| 20 | $2,800 | $4,000 | $2,800-$4,000 |
If 10 patients successfully enroll, your pharmacy could earn $1,400 to $2,000 in non-dispensing revenue.
Actual earnings depend on patient enrollment, program participation, and the current terms of the study.
SiteLabs Makes Getting Started Simple
You do not have to build a clinical trial program or create your own patient-identification process. SiteLabs provides training, materials, and support.
SiteLabs can also work with pharmacy management system data to help identify patients who may meet the study criteria. The approved materials are used to introduce the opportunity and direct interested patients to the eligibility questionnaire.
From there, SiteLabs and the clinical trial team handle the remaining screening and enrollment process.
Start with Work You Already Do
Patient identification can fit naturally into:
- Prescription pickup
- Medication synchronization calls
- Immunization appointments
- Adherence conversations
- Community health events
The conversation can be as simple as:
“Our pharmacy is helping patients learn about clinical research opportunities. Would you like more information to see if it may be a fit for you?”
You are not determining whether the patient qualifies or manage the clinical trial. Your role is to educate the patient and provide access to the approved screening process.
Opportunities That Match the Needs of the Community
The current colorectal cancer screening trial is available nationwide, but other clinical research opportunities are created for specific cities, states, or patient populations. These regional studies may be especially valuable because they are designed to close a healthcare or research gap within a particular community.
For example, SiteLabs currently lists:
- A heart failure study launching through participating pharmacies near Somerset, New Jersey, and Irving, Texas. SiteLabs analyzes the pharmacy’s existing data against the study criteria and provides a list of patients for outreach—eliminating the need for the pharmacy to complete a manual chart review.
- A Parkinson’s genetics study focused on improving the representation of Black and African American patients in Parkinson’s research. Historically, these populations have not been well represented in genetic research, creating important gaps in what is known about the disease.
- A Parkinson’s Smell Test Challenge available through 30 research sites across 19 states. Participants complete an at-home scratch-and-sniff test to help researchers better understand the connection between smell loss and Parkinson’s disease.
- A community research awareness program in Orlando that pays pharmacies to introduce patients to clinical research through a four-question survey. Participating pharmacies receive a $250 activation fee and $15 for each completed survey, up to 200 surveys. That creates the potential for $3,250 in revenue from a program built around brief conversations already happening at the pharmacy counter.
These opportunities demonstrate how your pharmacy can help close different types of healthcare gaps. One study may improve access to colorectal cancer screening. Another may connect heart failure patients with an investigational treatment. Another may help researchers include a patient population that has historically been missing from clinical research.
For your pharmacy, a study that closely matches its location and patient population can create meaningful revenue while addressing a real need in the community.
Available opportunities will change as studies open, reach their enrollment goals, or expand into new areas. You should regularly review current studies and consider which opportunities best fit the patients you already serve.
A Different Way to Think About Pharmacy Revenue
This opportunity is not about adding more inventory or asking patients to pay for something you have traditionally provided for free.
It is about being compensated for connecting patients with clinical research and improving access to preventive care.
Clinical trials may also be only the beginning. SiteLabs works with pharmacies like yours on preventive screenings and care-gap closure programs that pay service fees for qualifying clinical work.
The bigger Cash Corner takeaway is simple: your pharmacy value extends beyond the prescriptions it dispenses. Your patient relationships, community access, and clinical knowledge may create revenue opportunities that have not traditionally been part of the pharmacy business model.
If you’re interested in testing the idea, the nationwide colorectal cancer screening trial provides a supported and relatively easy place to start.
If you are interested in expanding cash services, contact IPC Pharmacy Services to schedule a 1 on 1 consultation.
About the Author
Samantha Pomeroy, CPhT-ADV
Director of Pharmacy Services and Specialty Programs
Independent Pharmacy Cooperative
Samantha Pomeroy, CPhT-ADV, is the Director of Pharmacy Services and Specialty Programs at IPC, bringing over 20 years of experience as a certified pharmacy technician and operations leader. She helps independent pharmacies identify new revenue opportunities, implement clinical programs, and enhance patient care through innovative, strategic solutions.
