Why are Pharmacy refill reminders not sending for 40% of prescriptions?

Introduction

Pharmacy refill reminders failing to send for 40% of prescriptions is a critical issue that directly impacts patient health outcomes and our product's core value proposition. I'll approach this problem systematically, focusing on identifying the root cause, validating hypotheses, and developing both immediate and long-term solutions.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the scope, I'm thinking this might be a system-wide issue. Can you confirm if this 40% failure rate is consistent across all pharmacy partners or if it's concentrated with specific providers?

Why it matters: This helps determine if the problem is internal or related to specific integrations. Expected answer: It's consistent across partners. Impact on approach: If consistent, we'd focus on internal systems; if varied, we'd investigate partner-specific issues.

• Considering recent changes, have there been any updates to our notification system or prescription data processing in the last 30 days?

Why it matters: Recent changes often correlate with new issues. Expected answer: A system update was deployed two weeks ago. Impact on approach: If yes, we'd prioritize investigating that change; if no, we'd look at gradual degradation.

• Examining user segments, are we seeing any patterns in the types of prescriptions or patient demographics affected by this issue?

Why it matters: Helps identify if the problem is universal or affects specific groups. Expected answer: No clear patterns identified yet. Impact on approach: If patterns exist, we'd focus on those segments; if not, we'd look at system-wide factors.

• Thinking about data integrity, has there been any change in how we're measuring or defining "successful" reminder sends?

Why it matters: Ensures we're not dealing with a measurement error rather than an actual problem. Expected answer: No changes to measurement criteria. Impact on approach: If changed, we'd reassess our metrics; if not, we'd focus on the reminder sending process.