|
In this interview with ComputerTalk's senior editor, Will Lockwood, Parata's executive VP of sales and marketing, Tom Rhoads, pictured at left, discusses the results and lessons of two recent surveys on dispensing automation that covered independent, chain, and institutional pharmacies. Read on for his take on the trends revealed, pharmacists' attitude toward their industry and their future, and the tools that can help make sure that investment in automation pays dividends.
CT: Tom, let's start off with where pharmacists see themselves
right now. What view of the current pharmacy environment emerged from
these surveys?
Tom Rhoads: We heard a lot about issues such as PBMs, AMP, and
increasing competition among chains and independents. We also heard
about declining reimbursements, staff shortages, and limited space in
pharmacies. The survey respondents said that in order to survive, they
need to keep their cost per prescription flat and double their volume.
Despite these challenges, though, we found that about 73% of the
independent and institutional pharmacists surveyed are optimistic about
their outlook and anticipate growth.
CT:
So what's the plan?
Rhoads: It's an environment that is going to reward looking at
all the options to meet these expectations for growth. One of the
approaches that stood out is a sharper consumer focus. Pharmacies
recognize the need to attract more consumers and build loyalty in their
existing base. Accomplishing these things requires offering more
personalized service to highly informed consumers ⎯ using mini-clinics,
for example. But safety and accuracy can't take a back seat to
convenience and access.
CT: What's technology's role in this consumer-centric growth model?
Rhoads: The consumer is most familiar with the front-end
technologies that make their experience faster and more convenient: IVR
and signature capture, for example. What they don't see and appreciate
is the back end, which is where automation has traditionally played its
biggest role. Automation has been key to increasing productivity, as
has been proven already in many other industries, and can for pharmacy
as well. Our research convinces us that, as automation providers, we
haven't done a good-enough job yet of convincing pharmacists how
streamlining that back end with technology is essential to freeing up
resources to create that high-touch consumer experience.
CT: How do pharmacists view dispensing automation right now?
Rhoads: Safety is the number-one demand that pharmacists have
for automation. This is different from three years ago. Early adopters
looked for speed so they could drive growth of their customer base.
While we've seen that growth is still a key objective, recent customers
are more focused than ever on
the safety assurance that automation offers, while allowing for
moderate growth. The next most important desire is to free up staff
time to improve service and patient care. Even so, about 80% of the
pharmacists in our surveys say they are still reluctant to consider
dispensing automation. Common reasons are that they view it as too
expensive, the pharmacy has some form of automation already, or they
don't believe they have enough volume. Our position is that more
pharmacies are ready for automation than realize it, particularly if
they want to increase their focus on the consumer.
CT: What's the value that pharmacists are typically not perceiving when they offer these reasons, then?
Rhoads: We get back to pharmacists' interest in increasing
consumer focus for growth, while at the same time worrying about
increasing volume to combat shrinking margins on prescriptions. The
good news is that the filling process is a repetitive, predictable task
that is ideally suited for automation. So to increase and sustain
higher volumes, you need a consistent back end. But with limited
resources, you need something to deliver this ⎯
and automation fits the bill.
CT: Automation isn't necessarily only for the back end these days, though, right?
Rhoads: Yes, that's right. That's why Parata recently acquired
the assets of Distributed Delivery Networks [ddn] and its automated
prescription machine [APM] kiosk technology. The Parata APM is another
great way for automation to provide consumers with the in-store
experience they're looking for. APMs create greater consumer access to
refill prescriptions, and also serve as a highly effective point of
contact for the consumer, allowing for automated will-call, which
improves consumers' experience whether they come to the kiosk or to the
counter for their prescriptions. Yet, it doesn't require significant
changes in the pharmacy's back end. The time is here for APMs in
pharmacy, and consumers will be ready for them. Consider that kiosks
and other forms of self-service checkout are increasingly common. Just
walk through any airport and you'll see kiosks providing travelers with
secure, convenient access to everything from boarding passes to travel
accessories. We see kiosks in more and more retail settings too,
offering DVD rentals, photo processing, gift registries, and more. It's
technology that consumers increasingly expect to provide convenience
and flexibility, and in this case it has the back end benefit of
automating the will-call process. APMs are going to be a great way for
pharmacies to improve customers' satisfaction and keep them coming
back.
CT: So you're saying that automation can be a great way for
pharmacists to gain the filling efficiency and volume they need to
really sharpen their relationship with their customers. What else is
going to help convince the skeptical pharmacists out there?
Rhoads: Very interestingly, we've found that our new product
installations have a ripple effect on pharmacies close by. What that
tells us is that if pharmacists can see the technology at work in a
real pharmacy, it helps them overcome a lot of other hurdles to
adoption ⎯ quickly. And as more and more automation comes into the
market, it's going to be increasingly easy for pharmacists to see the
value firsthand.
CT: Was there anything else from the studies that you found particularly interesting?
Rhoads: The research findings are really timely for Parata for a
couple of reasons. We began exploring a year ago the topics we've been
talking about. We started off by seeking to understand how we could
best facilitate pharmacists' exploration and research into automation.
What we discovered is that while we were focused on providing good
reasons for investing in automation, it is also extremely important to
emphasize the benefits that will come after the automation is in place
- such as better service, more time, and new opportunities. We also
discovered that there is great demand for information and tools that
allow pharmacists to evaluate their installations and to execute a
business plan based on new opportunities that arise from adding
automation. In response to this need, we've developed a new tool set
that we're calling Real Results. Say a pharmacist has implemented
automation and spent the money; how is he going to know he's getting
the results he should be? We're providing metrics to measure progress
with new automation and tools to help improve results if things are
lagging. ComputerTalk readers can take a test drive at www.parata.com/realresults . It's part of our effort to offer very tailored support for achieving growth and adding new markets through automation.
CT: To wrap up ⎯
what's the overall message, in your view?
Rhoads: I think the message we'd like pharmacists to take away
is that, in order to deliver the value you know your customers expect
from your pharmacy team, it's essential to look at how your team can
work smarter ⎯
because you sure don't need to work any harder. Make a commitment to
yourself to become educated about what automation can do - see it in
action at a colleague's pharmacy. And once you decide to automate, ask
for and take advantage of the tools available to make sure you get the
value from your investment.
CT: This has been very informative. Thanks for taking time to talk with us, Tom.
|
One of the features of the 2010 McKesson Trade Show in Las Vegas was a
continuing education presentation give by industrial engineer Robin Gensler,
and sponsored by Parata Systems. Gensler came to talk with independent
pharmacists about how they can best analyze their operations, and develop
methods for making educated decisions about workflows, staffing, and
technology. Gensler made several interesting observations about what you can
learn using the right methods. For example, Gensler mentioned studies that
showed that the ...
The recent article &...
My name is
Bryan Samuels and I am the technology director for a company called
Modern Health. We are a privately held, specialty pharmacy company
located in Southern California. Our company owns and operates six
different specialty pharmacies each catering to its own specific
demographic and/or disease state. Collectively, we dispense over 1.5 million prescriptions a
year.
A recent conversation with Bob Moser, R.Ph., supervisor
of pharmacy clinical systems for Winston Salem Healthcare Pharmacy,
brought up the topic of checklists and their potential to improve
pharmacy operations. The topic came to Moser's attention from several
sources, including reading airline captain Chesley Sullenberger's book
"Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters." In this interview, ComputerTalk
senior editor Will Lockwood talks with Moser to find out more about ...
Pharmacist and owner Jimmy Yuen recently installed dispensing automation at his Advance Medical Pharmacy in Walnut Creek, Calif. In this audio slide show, he talks about the decision process that led him to select Kirby Lester’s new KL60 and his decision to to invite his independent colleagues for a first-hand look at this technology.
In this interview, pharmacist Jay Lalkiya talks about how he's using
a tool called myPharmacyTrainer to educate his staff at Apalachin
Pharmacy about how to improve store operations and how best to interact
with customers. This tool offers 22 modules that recreate scenarios
commonly encountered by pharmacy staff and employs an interactive,
audio/visual educational approach.
In this podcast, McKesson Pharmacy Systems President Stanton McComb
covers a range of topics surrounding pharmacy, technology, and the
current drive for healthcare reform. He offers his take on what new
roles pharmacy may play as a result, the growing role of clinical care
in pharmacy, and what’s on the horizon for technology for the pharmacy
and for the patient. Also part of the discussion: What MTM means for
retail pharmacy right now and what it ...
For the last twelve months, many independent pharmacies have
struggled over the decision of whether to register their pharmacy under the 90% Rule, or invest in an IIAS certified point-of-sale. For one reason or another, many pharmacies opted for the 90%
Rule. It seemed like a logical
choice. No expensive
point-of-sale, no major changes, just a little complicated paperwork and it is
back to business as usual. For some,
this has worked out. For others,
FSA card declines have ...
Pharmacies already have OTC items in their stores, and with a little
planning and proper placement, those standard items can turn into added sales
at the POS.
This letter from Integra CEO Kevin Welch is in response
to the article written by Kapali Eswaran in the September/October 2009 issue of ComputerTalk
regarding "What to Look for in a Paperless System."
The mobile technology initiative in 
Long-time independent pharmacist Bob Graul has made some big changes and taken a new direction recently. In this interview with ComputerTalk senior editor Will Lockwood, Graul talks about the process of selling his pharmacies and how this motivated him to get involved in his current project: 
You're probably aware that as of January 1, 2009 there will be new rules for pharmacies processing payments for items eligible for FSA/HRA spending. If you have a point-of-sale (POS) system, you'll need to make sure it is IIAS compliant and that your system has been certified. If you don't have POS, then you may be looking for another solution. In this interview, Retail Management Solutions President Brad Jones and KeyCentrix ...
Managing a pharmacy's front-end can be a time-consuming and complex task. But there are ways to make life easier. In this interview with ComputerTalk's Maggie Lockwood, ECRS President Peter Catoe talks about how the company's Supplier Gateway can connect its Catapult point-of-sale (POS) system with supplier ordering systems to reduce the time spent on ordering, pricing, and other activities.
In this interview with ComputerTalk's Will Lockwood, DAA VP for business development Abrar Kazmi talks about the company's new OnClickTech Support offering, which offers remote PC support. This is a joint venture with Team 9 Global Serivces, and is something a little different for ...
McKesson Pharmacy Systems' (MPS) president Stanton McComb took time during the most recent McKesson Trade Show in Las Vegas to answer a series of questions from ComputerTalk's Will Lockwood about what the centrally-hosted EnterpriseRx pharmacy management product, already deployed in the chain setting, offers for independent pharmacy.
Pharmacist Doug Kaleugher opened Med-Fast Pharmacy 1990. Since then the business has expanded to 22 pharmacies in western Pennsylvania, with a mix of standard prescription services, retail, long-term care, and compounding. In this interview with ComputerTalk's Will Lockwood, Kaleugher talks about the big role dispensing automation has played Med-Fast's growth. He also offers strategies for introducing automation into your pharmacy and his take on the benefits of some of the newest dispensing technology out there.
Dave Burke R.Ph, M.B.A., pictured at left in blue, owner of Dave’s Pharmacy in Marysville, Ohio, took some time out at the recent Cardinal RBC to talk with ComputerTalk's Will Lockwood about his decision to a install a workflow management system and the benefits he has seen. Dave’s Pharmacy fills an average of 400 prescriptions per day, with peaks on some ...
Jonathan Rider, owner of Rider Pharmacy in Fairmont, W.Va., is a firm believer in perpetual inventory. He took a few minutes at the Cardinal RBC in Orlando, Fla., to talk to ComputerTalk’s Will Lockwood about Cardinal Inventory Management (CIM), how he uses Kirby Lester counting technology to speed through the daily counts that are the basis for this inventory tracking method, and the financial and operational improvements he’s seen.
Joe Ross, director of business services at McKesson Pharmacy Systems, talks in this interview with ComputerTalk senior editor Will Lockwood about existing and anticipated regulations that are changing what drug sales pharmacists are required to log. State and Federal regulations that require tracking the sale of non-prescription methamphetamine precursors have contributed to a demonstrable reduction in the illegal use of these drugs. More regulation may be in store, since the FDA is currently considering a behind-the-counter class of ...
Here is an overview of the big questions about e-prescribing that
pharmacists were asking Speed Script’s Heath Reynolds during the 109th
NCPA meeting in October. Reynolds, director of business development,
talks here of the nuts and bolts of taking e-prescribing from theory to
practice.
ComputerTalk senior editor Will Lockwood caught up recently with Marc Cohen, senior director of marketing for RelayHealth, to talk about what's happening in the world of claims processing and switching services.
It turns out that there are some interesting new additions being made that build on the transactional expertise and connectivity that are the core elements of these services.
McKesson Pharmacy Systems (MPS) President Stanton McComb sat down with ComputerTalk
senior editor Will Lockwood at the McKesson Pharmacy Strategies
Conference and Trade Show in Boston in July to talk about recent
changes at MPS resulting from the Per-Se Technologies acquisition, the
newest technology that MPS is offering, and the changes he sees ahead
for retail pharmacy practice.
Parata brought its RDS robotics directly to ComputerTalk recently, courtesy of its new mobile unit. The concept was developed over the past year as a way to reach out to busy community pharmacists.
