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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

New Board Game

Introducing the newest board game to rival Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary: Name My Drugs.
Pharmacists would excel at this game. It would be fun at the holidays and on college campuses everywhere. It could be a drinking game.
The set would include a box of cards and a playing board. On one side would be pill descriptions. On the other side, a picture. Points are awarded for guessing the correct pill based on the clues. More points are awarded for guessing it in the fewest clues. Board pieces would be shaped like common tablets-Blue Viagra, Red Sudafed, Black Nephrocaps, Yellow Synthroid 100mcg...
It's a fun, easy way to learn what exactly you take. There would even be informative stats on each card.  Since patients take their medication every single day, often 2 or 3 or 4 times, they should present quite the challenge to the professionals.
There would be booster boxes released once a year that contain the newest Brand and Generic releases to hit the market. There would even be a "Challenge" card or box of cards for those seeking an expert level. It would include only "little white pills". We could even have trading cards sold in booster packs so you and your kids can play together. Imagine the family time you will gain by sharing this common bond: taking prescriptions together and collecting trading cards. Fun for the whole family.

We would sell it at the pharmacy. We could file patients' prescriptions by Drug Name instead of Patient Name. Fun! Then for in-game bonus points, we can quiz patients when they come in to pick up their prescriptions. "What medication are you getting today? What does it look like? Why are you taking it?" If they get them all right, they can receive a gift card or online loyalty reward from the pharmacy chain where they do business. Imagine all the tie-ins with this!
Another booster pack? Narcotics only. Test your mettle to make sure what you bought on the street is really what that guy told you it was.
The board would take you on a lovely, meandering trip through Pharmacy World. We could have drug companies sponsor it as you go from Pfizer Village to Merck Meadows. Or it could be based on drug classes as you travel through Benzo Bayou into Penicillin Plateau. Better yet, we could set it up so your travels mimic that of your prescription through our pharmacy: Drop-Off Downs to Data Entry Woods to Filling Falls to Verification Vista to Checkout Chateau. Penalties would take you to Prior Auth Purgatory where you have to sit out of the game for 48-72 hours.

My lighthearted jest is sincere. As we all know, people do not know what they take or why. They don't read labels and only know them as "the green one at night and the little white one with lunch". How do we engage them? Loyalty Rewards!
(Just Kidding. I do think this would be a great game though.)

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