Posts By: Beth Osborne

Pharmacy Information System Origins and Evolution

Posted January 12, 2021 by Beth Osborne & filed under Pharmacy.

The art and science of pharmacy traces back to ancient times of the Egyptians and Greeks. Pharmacy was once a subset of medicine, but eventually, they split. The first college of pharmacy was the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, founded in 1821. Louis Dufilho, Jr. was the first licensed pharmacist, opening the first pharmacy in New Orleans. Of course, so much has changed, and technology now plays a huge role in pharmacy operations, specifically the pharmacy information system.

So, what’s the history and evolution of these systems? And what does the modern pharmacy information system look like?

What’s the Purpose of a Pharmacy Information System?

The foundation for a platform is to support the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners’ (JCPP) pharmacist patient care process. It includes five steps: collect, assess, plan, implement, and follow-up. How the technology supports these steps:

Collect data as well as store and organize it to have a full patient profile.
Assess collected information to provide the best care.
Plan strategies to address patient needs.
Implement that plan.
Follow up with patients on care plans and make adjustments.

Features of the System: Now and Then

Pharmacy information systems began with a simple user interface and little functionality. They were, however, a giant leap for pharmacists regarding organizing and storing patient data. The biggest challenge most pharmacies had in the early days was switching to another software. Over two decades ago, it was impossible to do this without it being completely manual. InfoWerks actually changed that, completing the first pharmacy data conversion.

The current market for pharmacy software is large and broad. There are options for almost every type of pharmacy: retail, hospital, LTC, specialty, and more. Pharmacists and technicians use these systems to manage:

Prescriptions dispensing and labeling.
Patient information and medication history.
Physician monitoring.
Inventory.
Billing and insurance.
Pricing structure variables.
Reporting.
Clinical screening (i.e., allergies, drug interactions, etc.).
Staff and workloads.
Compounding and manufacturing.

The newest pharmacy platforms are robust software engines that automate many practices and ensure that you’re always compliant with regulations. It’s become the central location of data, which can be analyzed and evaluated to make better decisions about care and business, in general.

What’s the Future of Pharmacy Information Systems?

Future iterations of these software systems will bring even more functionality. Right now, there’s a push toward interoperability with EHRs, but that same demand applies to pharmacy systems. New tools that are data science related to track data trends and challenges are likely to become prevalent.

These platforms will also play a role in comprehensive medical management and medication adherence. If pharmacists can proactively view patients at risk of not adhering to the prescription plan, outreach could help. Support from a pharmacist and the prescriber could curb medication nonadherence, which costs the healthcare system millions every year.

Further, the data they collect could also enhance public health initiatives to better understand social determinants of health (SDOH), chronic diseases, and addiction.

Are You Happy with Your Platform?

With so many options, pharmacies often change up their software. Sometimes it’s due to a lack of functionality. Other times it’s a cost decision. Regardless of why you may be looking to switch, remember you’ll need a HIPAA compliant data conversion. That’s our specialty, with thousands of completed conversions and experience with over 150 systems. Learn more about our pharmacy data conversions today by reading our eBook, The Ultimate Guide to Pharmacy Data Conversions.

Pharmacy Transition Services: Buying, Selling, and Closing

Posted January 8, 2021 by Beth Osborne & filed under Pharmacy.

Pharmacy is a large enterprise in the U.S. In such a market, hundreds change ownership each year or completely close. The buying, selling, and closing of pharmacies prompt the need for specific services. We define them as pharmacy transition services and include data conversions, analytics, archiving, and print and mail solutions.

Learn about the solutions we offer for pharmacies in transition.

Acquisition Analytics: Valuate with a Third-Party Report

Before you make a pharmacy purchase, you’ll certainly want to evaluate the operations and profitability. However, sometimes, this view isn’t as transparent as you’d like. Seeing this was a challenge in the industry, we developed Acquisition Analytics.

We take the selling pharmacy’s data, and create a non-biased report, redacted to follow HIPAA guidelines. The report offers greater visibility around revenue and volume. With this, you can make a better determination of future profitability and the ability to retain patients.

Data Conversions: Migrating Data to New Platforms

If you’re buying a pharmacy, whether just the patients or the complete location, you’ll likely need a data conversion. Pharmacy data conversions are very common and consist of moving data from one software platform to another. We make them as pain-free as possible with a thorough process that ensures accuracy, security, and compliance.

Data Archiving: Store Healthcare Records Compliantly

If you’re buying, selling, or closing a pharmacy, you should understand your data archiving options. Patient record retention requirements require you to maintain files for at least seven years, even if they are no longer active.

If you are buying a pharmacy, you should consider only migrating current records to your software platform. You can archive the rest with a web-based solution that offers easy access and robust security, including encryption and backup.

If you’re the seller or closing a pharmacy, you may be responsible for maintaining the records as a custodian. It’s too expensive and complicated to keep them on legacy systems. The decision to archive satisfies regulations and is very low-cost.

Print and Mail Services: Tell Patients the News

The previous pharmacy transition services have been data-focused, but you still need communication solutions, too. Our pharmacy print and mail services can take care of spreading the news. We’ll send first-class letters to patients, based on the data in the pharmacy system, notifying them of the pharmacy change. These letters can inform patients no matter the situation. As a buyer, let them know you’ll still be able to serve them. If closing, thank them for their business and direct them to a new provider. They are completely customizable with your branding, maps, and more.

Further, we have large format and exterior signage capabilities. If you’re closing the purchased location, purchase signage for the old site to point them to the new one. If you’re taking over the store, we can develop a turnkey rebrand package for every signage need.

Buying, Selling, or Closing in 2021? Let Us Help with the Transition

Is a pharmacy transition in your future? If so, you can trust our pharmacy experts to support you through the journey. Get started by downloading our transition services spec sheet.

Pharmacy Customer Satisfaction: 2020 Rankings and Tips for Improvement

Posted January 5, 2021 by Beth Osborne & filed under Pharmacy.

Every business wants to delight its customers and deliver excellent service. That can be challenging, especially in healthcare. Pharmacy customer satisfaction involves many layers, something further complicated by the pandemic. There have also been major shifts into the industry where retail pharmacies do much more than just dispense prescriptions.

However, pharmacies do have insights into if their customers are satisfied. The J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Pharmacy Study^SM released its rankings of the pharmacies with the highest customer satisfaction. The study surveyed 13,378 customers that filled a prescription within the last 90 days. We’re breaking down the insights from the survey and offering some tips to boost pharmacy customer satisfaction.

About the Study

The study includes several categories, rating both brick-and-mortar and mail order pharmacies. For brick-and-mortar, they further divided the category into three segments: chain pharmacy, mass merchandisers (i.e., Walmart, Costco), and grocery stores. The top chain pharmacy was Good Neighbor Pharmacy. Leading mass merchandisers was Sam’s Club and Wegmans for grocery. Humana had the highest score for mail order.

Key Insights: What Drives Pharmacy Customer Satisfaction?

The survey looks at various metrics around customer satisfaction, including those related to costs, billing, and service. Additionally, the survey sought to define what drives satisfaction, and these are some of the findings.

Health and wellness services correlate to higher satisfaction and higher spend.

48% of retail pharmacy customers used at least one of these services, a 5% growth from 2019.
Those who take advantage of services spend at least $11 more. This number rises to $34 more when they engage in two or more services.
Users of services are also more satisfied than those that are not.
Takeaway: Your customers will stay loyal and spend more the more they engage with your pharmacy. Awareness is key to increase participation in services. Retail pharmacies that offer services need to ensure their patients know about them! These awareness strategies need to cross channels, including digital, mail, and in-store signage.

Digital ordering leads to satisfaction, but adoption is low.

Only 9% of brick-and-mortar customers order prescriptions online.
32% of mail order customers order through digital channels.
Customers that do use these channels report higher satisfaction.
Takeaways: First, it will be interesting to see if adoption levels rose in 2020 because of the pandemic. It’s possible they did for convenience. Second, the low adoption again probably is due to the lack of knowledge of options. Pharmacies can step up communication efforts around this, but health plans should, especially Medicare Advantage, should also make sure their members know about the options.

Patients welcome physician recommendations, but few make them.

8% of respondents said they received a recommendation from their physician for pharmacy or wellness services. Of those that did, 80% went with the recommendation.
Takeaways: Providers are a critical part of the prescription ecosystem and can influence patient actions. Pharmacies can seek to build relationships with providers, not only to gain new customers but manage the continuum of care. For example, working with providers on medication adherence could be a great way to avoid adverse situations and reduce healthcare costs.

How We Support Pharmacies with Customer Engagement

As pharmacy data management experts, we do more than convert and archive behind the scenes. We also have turnkey solutions for pharmacy print and mail services through our Printwerks brand. If you want to engage your customers, then we can help. From in-store signage to promote wellness services to direct mail letters to reengage patients, we’ve got solutions!

Check out our pharmacy print and mail services today.