Why Medication Noncompliance Isn’t Your Patient’s Fault

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Are your patients struggling with medication compliance?
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As pharmacists, we pour our hearts into helping patients improve their health, yet many continue to face challenges following their prescribed treatment plans.
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Why is this?
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In this episode, I share how, after years of frustration with non-compliant patients, I had an awakening.
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I realized that medication compliance is rarely the patient's fault alone.
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By taking a personalized, empathetic approach, we can uncover the deeper reasons behind their struggles and provide the support they truly need.
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You'll discover that, with the right knowledge and tools, patients can be willing participants in their own health care, and that compliance isn't about strict rules.
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It's about meeting patients where they are with compassion.
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Are you ready to gain strategies for overcoming non-compliance and fostering long-term health improvements?
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Join me in today's episode.
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Welcome to Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrogenomics.
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Part of the Pharmacy Podcast Network, a must-have resource for pharmacist entrepreneurs seeking to enhance patient care while enjoying career and life.
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Join us as we pivot into Nutrogenomics, using pharmacy and nutrition for true patient-focused care.
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Explore how to improve chronic conditions rather than just manage them.
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Celebrate entrepreneurial triumphs and receive priceless advice.
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Align your values with a career that profoundly impacts patients.
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Together, we'll raise the script on health and pivot into a brighter future.
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A few years ago, I faced a challenge as a pharmacist, one I'm sure you face as well.
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I was frustrated, feeling as if I was pouring my heart and soul into helping my patients, yet they continue to struggle with compliance.
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They just wouldn't take their medications.
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I remember one patient in particular, a middle-aged woman with a complex medical history.
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I spent my time discussing her medication regimen, reviewing when to take them, what they were for, side effects to watch out for, but she couldn't seem to find the motivation to follow through with actually taking them.
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However, something shifted when I began to truly listen to her, not just as a patient, but as a fellow human being, with her own unique life experiences, dreams and challenges.
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The more we talked, the more she opened up about her deeper struggles, which went beyond her medical condition.
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It was then that I realized I needed to shift my approach.
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I needed to be more understanding, more compassionate and more personalized in my care.
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As I embraced this change, I found myself connecting with her on a deeper level, and her compliance began to improve over time.
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It was as if she had been waiting for someone to truly hear her story and consider her as a whole person, not just her symptoms.
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That experience opened my eyes, showing me the power of an intentional and personalized approach to pharmacy.
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Since then, I have continued to evolve in my practice, always striving to remember that every patient carries their own unique story, hopes and dreams within them.
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It's our privilege and duty as pharmacists to help them unlock their potential for better health.
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So let's dive into the heart of our episode today and explore why medication non-compliance isn't the patient's fault.
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As pharmacists, we're often in a challenging position.
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Patients turn to us for help and we do our best to provide it.
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We give knowledgeable advice on medications and how to manage their chronic conditions.
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We provide appropriate prescriptions and we spend time educating them about their health conditions.
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However, it can be incredibly frustrating when patients don't follow the plan We've carefully structured and discussed with them.
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This leads to a common perception that non-compliance is entirely the patient's fault.
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But let's question this belief.
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Is it really that simple?
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First, let's consider the term non-compliance.
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It conveys the idea that a patient is passively refusing to follow instructions, which paints a one-sided picture.
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In reality, the road to improve health is rarely as linear as.
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Take advice, use medication, get better.
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Patients come to us with an intricate web of life circumstances, health literacy levels and personal beliefs about medications that deeply impact their ability and willingness to follow medical advice.
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Moreover, health information can be complex and even the most diligent patients may struggle to fully understand or remember precise medication instructions.
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When we pile on the pressure for them to strictly adhere to their medication regimens without taking into account their personal challenges, it can often lead to feelings of inadequacy, guilt or frustration for the patient.
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In addition, other external factors, such as financial constraints, complex medical regimens, a lack of social and emotional support, can hinder compliance.
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While these issues may be out of a pharmacist's direct control, understanding these challenges and displaying empathy can go a long way in building a beneficial pharmacist-patient relationship, which can, in turn, improve medication compliance.
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So, yes, we as pharmacists provide advice and medications, but fostering compliance is a more complex process.
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Shifting the belief about noncompliance being solely the patient's fault towards a more empathetic and understanding view offers a more beneficial approach for both patient outcomes and pharmacist morale.
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By taking a holistic, individualized approach to each patient, we can start to tackle the roots of noncompliance rather than blame patients for their struggles.
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In doing so, we have the potential to fundamentally enhance the health narrative for countless individuals.
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Just as we want to find the root cause of our patients' conditions.
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We need to examine what's behind the deeply rooted belief that is the patient's fault.
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The healthcare model we've inherited and been trained in has many merits, but it also has an unfortunate weakness it's often overly simplistic.
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This entrenched belief that good health is just a matter of taking the right medicine at the right time implies that patients should be able to follow prescriptions perfectly and achieve expected outcomes.
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This mindset, however, doesn't take into account the complex nature of human beings and the new risk factors that influence our health.
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Some of the reasons we continue to make the mistakes may include our traditional healthcare education.
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As healthcare professionals, our education may not always emphasize the importance of patients' unique contexts.
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Focusing more on specific medical knowledge and guidelines that don't necessarily apply universally, we may be more prone to blaming the patients for their noncompliance due to time constraints.
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Pharmacists, like all healthcare providers, often face time limitations when dealing with patients.
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These time constraints can lead to hastily made assessments and an inability to get to know your patient more holistically.
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Then we need to consider the lack of interdisciplinary collaboration.
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Siloed healthcare assistance can limit collaboration among healthcare professionals.
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Due to this separation, we might not always be aware of the additional support our patients receive or need from other healthcare providers.
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And then there's this illusion of control.
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As healthcare professionals, we want to provide solutions and help our patients.
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By believing the narrative that good health is simply about taking the right medication at the right time, we may inadvertently seek to maintain control over situations that in reality are much more complicated.
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And then there's cultural factors Societal expectations can put pressure on healthcare providers to deliver quick fixes, resulting in an overemphasis on medications as a sole solution, rather than addressing the root causes of health issues, such as lifestyle factors or socioeconomic conditions.
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The cause of having this blame mentality is cruel.
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Our patients are labeled as difficult.
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They feel unheard, misunderstood and often give up on their pursuit of better health.
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But the truth is we are only understanding half of their story if we don't put ourselves in their shoes.
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Recognizing why we're making this mistake is a crucial first step, shifting our perspective and embracing a more comprehensive approach to patient care.
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By addressing these underlying factors, we can begin to foster a more empathetic understanding and effective healthcare model that recognizes the complexity and individuality of each patient's journey.
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That's why today we're advocating for change, a new way.
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A new way is about understanding our patient's beliefs, their lifestyles, their challenges, their fears.
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It's about exploring the possibilities of personalized healthcare that respects and interacts with our patient's individual needs, not just prescribed them.
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When it comes to improving patient outcomes and fostering long-term health, personalized care stands out as a transformative approach.
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This method is effective for several reasons.
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First, there is a holistic understanding.
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This takes into account not only the patient's symptoms, but their lifestyle, their environment and social factors.
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Then emotional support we know that a patient's emotional well-being plays a crucial role in their overall health.
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Personalized care acknowledges that emotions matter, and by taking the time to create meaningful relationships with our patients, we can address concerns, fears, anxieties that may be hindering a patient's compliance.
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Personalized care is also effective because it places a patient at the center of their health journey, actively involving them in the decision-making process.
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This not only fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility, but also empowers them with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed decisions about their health.
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In turn, this increases motivation and adherence to treatment plans.
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Along that note, in my health coaching programs I don't call my patients patients.
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I tell them that they're my clients for this exact reason, because when someone feels that they are a patient, they feel that it is your responsibility as a healthcare professional to help them get better.
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But when they see themselves as a client, that's a role in which they are taken accountability for their actions, for their goals, what they want their health to be.
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That's a position where they are empowered to make those choices and guide their own personal health journey.
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Then there's a focus on prevention when we look at personalized care.
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So, instead of merely treating symptoms or managing chronic conditions, personalized care places a strong emphasis on prevention and proactive health management.
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By addressing root causes and addressing patients' lifestyles, we can help them achieve long-term health improvements that may reduce their reliance on medications.
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And finally, personalized care recognizes that patients' needs, preferences and circumstances can change over time.
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A flexible, adaptable approach allows for ongoing assessment and modification of the treatment plan, ensuring it remains relevant and effective for patients' evolving health needs.
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All this, when combined with neutral genomics, is golden.
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Personalized care enhanced with neutral genomics provides a holistically tailored approach that empowers patients with genetic insights, supporting emotionally aware care and emphasizing prevention, which leads to effective interventions, increased patient satisfaction and improved long-term health outcomes.
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Let me relate a transformative journey of one of our clients who was in our insightful pharmacist led health coaching program.
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Let's just call her Sam.
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Sam had hypertension and was on multiple medications.
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She was non-compliant due to fears triggered by reading about potential adverse drug effects and also thinking that she was allergic to one of them.
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She felt overwhelmed by her multiple medications and the prospects of lifelong dependence on them.
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In our program, we took a non-traditional approach and personalized her health goals based on her metrogenomics report.
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Using our expertise as pharmacists, we spent time educating her on her medications, explaining their role in managing her hypertension and addressing her fears about the adverse side effects.
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Sam had hydrochlorothiazide allergy and was prescribed a thiazim hydrochloride.
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Because of the hydrochloride components, she was not taking her blood pressure medication, thinking it was the same as hydrochlorothiazide.
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Her non-compliance was due to a lack of understanding of what her medication really was, but she never reached out to her doctor or pharmacist to get an explanation.
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She actually got mad at her doctor and switched cardiologists.
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Once we discovered that this was, the issue was to why she wasn't taking her diltiazim.
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We were able to educate her on a difference between these medications and assure her that diltiazim was not similar to the medication she was allergic to.
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Through her neutrogenomic testing, we were able to provide essential insights into her unique genetic profile.
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For example, she had genetic polymorphisms, or SNPs, like the MTHFR that we mentioned in a previous episode and, as a reminder, this can significantly affect the body's metabolism of specific nutrients like folate and, as a result, had implications for her cardiovascular health.
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Based on these insights, we were able to guide her through the tailored dietary and lifestyle modifications that were formulated in her neutrogenomics report.
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Now, fully understanding her medications and being empowered by her genetic insights, sam became compliant with the medications prescribed by her doctor and willingly adopted the suggested dietary and lifestyle modifications.
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Over time, with these personalized approaches, her hypertension was so well managed that one of her medications was successfully discontinued Deprescribing success at its finest.
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Sam's experience is a testament to what our episode revolves around.
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It's not often medication noncompliance that is a patient's fault.
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Rather, it's the approach we take to manage their health, and her story illustrates that there is not a one-size-fits-all in healthcare.
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It is by appreciating each patient's uniqueness and implementing personalized, comprehensive strategies that include neutrogenomic insights that we can guide patients toward improved health, fostering a sense of involvement and validation as healthcare professionals.
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Our aim should always be to make sure our patients feel seen, heard and active participants in their healthcare journey.
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So remember, the next time you encounter a noncompliant patient, consider it as an opportunity to delve deeper, explore their unique narratives and provide a more personalized and empathetic form of care, turning the tide from noncompliance to active participation.
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In doing so, we're not just treating diseases, but we're caring for individuals.
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Well, that is all I have for you today.
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Thank you once again for joining me on Pivoting Pharmacy with Neutrogenomics, and if you want to connect with me personally, you want to hang out with me.
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I'm on Instagram and LinkedIn.
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You can find me at Dr Tamar Lawful.
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Drop me a message and share your thoughts about patient compliance and noncompliance.
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I would love to hear your experiences and your thoughts.
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If you're ready to become that pharmacist who makes a different, that pharmacist who is starting to see your patient as a whole and really be involved in patient care, I welcome you to explore the razor script blueprint program.
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This comprehensive program will guide you on incorporating neutral genomics, personalized health coaching and a patient-centric approach into your pharmacy practice.
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Discover more and apply at wwwraisescriptcom.
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Thank you for joining me on today's episode of Pivoting Pharmacy with Neutral Genomics.
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Now, if this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world for you to share it with a friend, and if you love the show.
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You've been listening and you haven't let me know how this show is impacting you.
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I would love to hear from you.
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All you have to do is scroll down in your Apple app, tap the five stars and write a quick review Just one sentence to let me know how this show is impacting you.
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It's a fantastic way to add value and nurture the relationship with your colleagues in your community, because we are all in this together to elevate health care for our patients.
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Next week on the show, I'm going to share why fixating on the cost of genetic testing represents a key misunderstanding many encounter when considering neutral genomic testing.
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By navigating past this roadblock, we can unlock the door to personalized wellness strategies designed with your unique genetic makeup in mind.
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This episode next week is specifically designed for patients, so join us next week and, until then, always remember in your journey as a healthcare professional, always raise the script on health, because together we can bring health care to higher levels.