Health systems can be an important initial collaborator for providing telehealth-supported naltrexone injection services. Regardless of whether a health system is involved, it is important to identify the need for opioid use disorders services within the community and establish referral relationship to support the naltrexone injection service within the pharmacy. To accomplish this goal, the pharmacist should focus on activities related to marketing & outreach and building referral relationships.

Best practices are critical to building trusting and supportive relationships with practitioners.

Marketing & Outreach

Best Practice: Develop educational materials about pharmacist-provided injectable naltrexone

Pharmacists who offer injectable naltrexone should develop educational materials for potential referral sources and marketing purposes. The informational handout should describe the benefits of pharmacy-provided injectable naltrexone and identify the process associated with offering this service in the pharmacy. Important components of that messaging are convenience, flexibility, accessibility, and trust.

Promoting Your Injectable Naltrexone Services

Once the messaging has been created, the pharmacist should identify approaches (word of mouth, website, faxes, and e-mails) to promote that the pharmacy now offers naltrexone injections. Promotion strategies could include leveraging existing community relationships (local opioid coalition or community organizations) to reach target audiences (see above).

Referral Partners

Best Practice: Establish community relationships to build reputation

While some counties may be in a healthcare shortage area, the prevailing perception among pharmacists interviewed was that the lack of access to prescribers might be associated with: (1) a predominance of practitioners who are unwilling to prescribe naltrexone or (2) an unawareness of existing prescribing practitioners, or clinics or facilities, that can serve as referral sources for patients with an opioid use disorder and who need MOUD. It is, therefore, incumbent on pharmacists to seek out sustainable referral sources for patients who are viable candidates for injectable naltrexone treatment.

Target Audiences

To accomplish this best practice, the pharmacy must identify the key target audiences. These relationships could include:

  • Local emergency departments
  • Criminal justice systems (corrections, drug courts or local prison system). Click on the link below to view a panel discussion among community pharmacists in WI who offer injectable naltrexone and Wisconsin Association of Treatment Court Professionals (WATCP) affiliated Treatment Court Coordinators.
  • Physician offices, including those who are suboxone prescribers, psychiatric clinics, community counseling center, recovery centers, substance use or behavioral health providers. The Ford Research Group developed an Injectable Naltrexone Brochure for community pharmacists to use as a tool for marketing their injectable naltrexone service to providers and clinics. 
  • Fire departments [responding to 911 overdose calls]
  • Government agencies such as county health departments or public health which will require a knowledge of the chain of command (administrative hierarchy).

To determine if your pharmacy is in an identified healthcare shortage area for primary care or mental health services, please visit Health Professional Shortage Area Find to search by county or by address.

Hear What Providers Have to Say About Pharmacist-Provided Injectable Naltrexone

We  interviewed medical providers, including physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, to elicit information about pharmacist-provided injectable naltrexone for opioid use disorder. Interview topics included: 1) what information about pharmacist-provided injectable naltrexone services is needed to highlight the benefits of the services to providers, 2) best approaches for sharing this information widely with providers, and 3) information needed for providers to establish a referral relationship with a community pharmacy.

Based on provider feedback, we developed an Injectable Naltrexone Brochure for pharmacists to use when marketing their injectable naltrexone service to providers and clinics.

To view clips from our interviews please click on the links below.

Immediate Reactions

Providers share their immediate reactions to pharmacy-provided injectable naltrexone.

Immediate Reactions [Physicians]

Immediate Reactions [Nurse Practitioners]

Marketing Strategies

Providers share their thoughts on effective communication strategies for pharmacists when marketing their injectable naltrexone service to providers and clinics.

Effective Communication Strategies [Physicians]

Information Sheet [Nurse Practitioners]

Communication & Outreach [Nurse Practitioners]

Information Exchange

Providers share their thoughts on: 1) information they would need when deciding to make a referral to the community pharmacy for a naltrexone injection, and 2) what information they would like pharmacists to share with them following their patients receiving pharmacist-administered injectable naltrexone.

Information General [Nurse Practitioners]

Information Benefits [Nurse Practitioners]

Information to Make a Referral [Physicians]

Information Post Injection [Physicians]

Information Post Injection [Nurse Practitioners]

Information Returning Patients [Nurse Practitioners]