With the deadline extended until July 1 for compliance with the IRS's IIAS requirement, in order to process FSA/HRA debit cards, Emporos, HCC, and Retail Management Solutions (RMS) have added new POS systems to the product line to help smaller pharmacies retain this business.

From Emporos, it's their new MerchantSoft Lite POS system that has all the components to assist with the certification process and includes software that's compliant with the payment application data security standard. According to Greg Phillips, president of the company, the system has a simple preconfigured software setup and an economical hardware approach that makes the system very affordable. Phillips is a member of the Special Interest Group for IIAS Standards (SIGIS) and was involved in helping ensure that compliance with the new IRS rules could be done quickly and economically.

HCC is offering four FSA options. According to Clarence Lea, VP of marketing for HCC, these include the RX-1 POS, the Alpha-POS, the FSA Saver option and the FSA Touch Saver option. The RX-1 POS is a new Windows-based POS system featuring touch-screen menus and scanning technology. The Alpha-POS is a traditional POS system. Both systems integrate with the HCC pharmacy systems.

Two new lower-cost solutions from HCC, for any pharmacy system used, are the FSA Saver option and FSA Touch Saver option. Each includes the RX-1 POS Lite software packaged with a CPU, flat-panel monitor, cash drawer, barcode scanner, POS keyboard, card swipe, thermal printer, and computer-based training to allow for self-installation. The FSA Touch Saver includes a touch-screen monitor with built-in card swipe.

"HCC completed the SIGIS development and testing in early 2008 to meet the new IRS requirements." Lea explains. "Market demand led us to provide a pathway for this technology to work as a viable, low-cost POS solution for any pharmacy to meet these requirements."

At RMS, the company's first Ultra-Lite POS system with FSA/HRA eligibility verification was installed in January. The Ultra-Lite is a fully functional IIAS-compliant POS register that provides real-time processing of FSA/HRA debit-card transactions.

"Ultra-Lite fills the technology gap for single-location pharmacies with one affordable package that provides everything needed to comply with the 2009 requirements," says Brad Jones, president and CEO of RMS. He says that the system installs quickly and is easy to learn.

Jones explains that in addition to IIAS compliance, the system is PABP compliant for Internet-based credit- and debit-card processing, offers pharmacy management system integration, a primary wholesaler product load file, automated FSA eligible-item monthly updates, and cash management and end-of-day sales reports.

The Ultra-Lite system is offered in two configurations that can be upgraded to larger RMS systems.