This past week, something happened that might surprise many resellers. The number one product page on Wise’s website in terms of organic search discovery was prescription pads.
“Really?” you might think. “Do medical facilities even use prescription pads anymore?” Clearly, the answer is yes.
Despite the growth of electronic prescribing, paper prescription pads remain essential across the healthcare landscape. From small family practices to large hospital systems, prescribers need compliant pads for controlled substances, backup systems and situations where electronic prescribing isn’t practical or available.
The market spans every healthcare vertical: physicians’ offices, dental practices, urgent care centers, hospitals, long-term care facilities, veterinary clinics and more. Every state requires tamper-resistant prescription pads, and many states mandate additional security features beyond the federal baseline. This regulatory framework creates a stable market with built-in compliance needs.
The Revenue Opportunity
For resellers, prescription pads offer an attractive combination: healthy margins and automatic repeat business. A typical medical practice orders 10 to 100 pads multiple times per year, creating predictable revenue cycles.
Consider the math: A mid-sized practice with five prescribers ordering 50 pads per provider quarterly generates 1,000 pads annually. Scale this across your healthcare customer base, and prescription pads provide steady recurring revenue that smooths out the peaks and valleys of promotional products and project-based printing.
Reorders are straightforward, too. Once a prescriber’s information is verified and on file, subsequent orders require minimal administrative overhead as long as credentials haven’t changed.
Building Long-Term Relationships
Prescription pads serve as an entry point for deeper customer relationships, too Once you’re trusted to handle compliant prescription products, you’re positioned to provide other healthcare printing, like patient forms, appointment cards, HIPAA-compliant communications, and marketing materials for their medical practices. The manufacturing expertise you demonstrate builds credibility across your entire healthcare offering.
Choosing the Right Trade Partner
Given the importance of this market, selecting the right trade partner is critical. Here’s what to look for:
Manufacturing Expertise: Core manufacturing capabilities should include microprinting, chemical-sensitive paper, toner-adhesion treatments, void pantographs, watermarks, thermochromic ink, serialized numbering and security back printing.
Streamlined Process: Your vendor should provide templates and artwork support for collecting essential prescriber information, making order submission fast and accurate.
Fast Turnaround: Look for consistent, predictable delivery in days (not weeks), with rush options available. Multi-plant production capability is a bonus as it provides speed, redundancy, and capacity when needed.
Confidential Blind Shipping: All shipments should arrive without your trade partner’s branding, keeping your customer relationships secure and your brand front and center.
Complete Product Range: Your partner should offer standard Rx pads, Rx books with perforations, single sheets, multi-provider pads, and EMR-compatible laser prescription sheets that meet tamper-resistant standards for practices printing from electronic medical record systems.
Multi-Location Support: For group practices with multiple facilities, your partner should handle drop-shipping to various locations while maintaining consistent quality and compliance.
Trade-Only Commitment: Most importantly, ensure that your partner is truly trade-only and never competes for your customers. Look for established partners with deep security printing expertise who understand the value of protecting your relationships.
Prescription pads may not be the flashiest product in your portfolio, but they deliver something more valuable: predictable, recurring revenue. With the right trade partner, you can confidently serve healthcare customers while building a stable foundation of repeat business.
Bob Saunders is VP Sales of Wise, Alpharetta, GA. Wise manufacturers industrial/prime labels and tags, traditional forms and digitally printed products and services for resale only. To learn more about prescription pads, visit our prescription pads FAQ or email Bob at [email protected].
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