Technology can be scary, especially for small, independent pharmacies who might be set in their ways and used to their routine. Now more than ever though, with independent pharmacies working tirelessly to beat PBM fees and declining reimbursements, pharmacists need to look to their pharmacy software systems for help. At Datascan, we believe technology can alleviate daily tasks, freeing up time for pharmacy staff and ultimately creating a more seamless workflow and increase in efficiency. Datascan’s innovative pharmacy management system can also help to increase profitability by managing losses, displaying estimated DIR fees, and even track patient compliance and performance.

Introducing patient mobile apps and online refills only helps to expand your pharmacy’s reach while also helping patients stay adherent to their medications. More frequent communication with your patients assists in their ability to manage medications correctly and ensures better compliance and ultimately a higher quality of overall health. Aligning yourself with the right vendor to help you implement some new technology both affordably and seamlessly is important. Datascan Pharmacy Software continues to educate clients and build in cutting-edge technology and features for its customers, most of which are completely free, only making it that much easier for pharmacy owners to use.

Managing prescription flow through Datascan’s electronic workflow system helps increase efficiency and organizes your staff throughout the day.  All pharmacies, regardless of prescription volume, benefit from multi-stage workflow settings by helping to avoid accidental filling and medication errors and improve efficiency. Any pharmacy can take advantage of workflow in their Datascan pharmacy software systems for free, and Datascan even offers training to teach you how to effectively implement a new workflow in your pharmacy.

According to Drug Topics, “Workflow management allows independent pharmacists to extend customer service into the area of counseling. Because the pharmacy’s workflow is orderly, where technicians and clerks take care of their areas of responsibilities, pharmacists have the time to counsel patients.” But it’s not just about counseling patients – what about prescription refills or making sure those pesky PA’s have been responded to by the doctors? There are so many tasks within a pharmacy that even with the automation of them within the pharmacy system, you will require a human to look over and work through. If you’re still not using any type of electronic workflow solutions in your pharmacy, consider looking into the benefits of multi-stage workflow within your pharmacy management system.

Optimizing your pharmacy’s workflow also frees up time for owners and managers to better track profitability and allows them to watch out for losses.  Additionally, turning on settings to include pre- and post-edit warnings, DIR estimator utilities, and profit tools, alerts staff to potential losses and can help avoid your profits from walking out the door. Datascan’s pharmacy management system includes options to sweep new and refill prescriptions for potential errors, losses, and audits, while also including options to analyze claims post-adjudication and alert to DIR, GER and BER fees, negative reimbursements, underpayments, and even overpayments that could result in a PBM audit. While PBMs continue to look for ways to claw back money from your independent pharmacy, you don’t have to sit idle and allow them to dig into your profits any more than they already have. The technology and tools built into Datascan’s pharmacy software system can help put you ahead of the losses.

Better patient compliance starts with communication and education. Your pharmacy software includes features to help you communicate with your patients through email, text, and mobile app notifications – all to remind your patients when they have prescriptions due for refill and ready for pickup. Datascan’s pharmacy software system also includes automated alerts to remind patients they have prescriptions ready for pickup if they haven’t picked up after a certain number of days. Pharmacies can even set up automated adherence alerts for patients at risk of becoming non-compliant with their medications. Essentially, by using automated alerts, your pharmacy staff has more time to work with non-compliant patients on the importance of medication adherence, and can even spend more time educating them on their medication therapies. More education, better communication, and more pharmacist involvement ultimately results in better outcomes and overall health. Studies show patients are more likely to do the things that keep them healthy when they have access to pharmacies and pharmacists.

Technology does not have to be scary and implementing new ideas into your pharmacy’s workflow will only help you outperform the competition and compete with the big box players. The technology built into your pharmacy software system is designed with you in mind – our features and options are tailored towards the needs of our independent pharmacies. While technology is often thought of as expensive and complicated, many of Datascan’s Pharmacy Software features are simple to use and included for free. Our goal is to provide our pharmacies with easy-to-learn options that help build efficiency and boost profits. If you’re interested in learning how you can adapt new features into your pharmacy workflow, speak with a Datascan product specialist and start taking advantage of the amazing technology at your fingertips.