“The system can fill prescriptions and refills as quickly as anything else, but having the ability to generate reports in an instant and change demographics is unreal.”
Making the switch to a new pharmacy system is a big step for a pharmacy, and to do this during the COVID-19 pandemic had additional considerations. One health center aspired to improve its reporting and discovered that a new workflow module offered functionality and more services to customers.
Health Care Partners of South Carolina, a federally qualified health center with locations in Conway and Marion S.C., found its pharmacy reporting was slow and clunky, with limited options. This consumed valuable time for the busy pharmacy staff.
There was frustration across the organization, including administration and accounting, says Director of Pharmacy Joseph Odom, R.Ph. It was difficult to share vital business information. In looking at new systems, the administration found that Computer-Rx’s variety of reports met all their needs. Filters gave the staff the ability to view data at any level. Accounting and administrative teams could easily review important business and operational details.
“The system can fill prescriptions and refills as quickly as anything else, but having the ability to generate reports in an instant and change demographics is unreal,” says Odom.
Favorite Features
• Customized workflow
• Windows-based
• User-friendly
• Easy-to-learn
• Expert product support
Once the main challenges of reporting were resolved, the pharmacy quickly found several other benefits of Computer-Rx, such as custom workflows that allowed Health Care Partners to add an additional walk-up window with a workstation during COVID-19. This helped protect patients and staff, while improving operations and alleviating bottlenecks during curbside pickup.
“We found we could add a walk-up window, and now we have no congestion out front at all,” says Odom. “Our process is now super quick, and there’s no physical contact between the patient and the pharmacy staff.”
While improved reporting was the impetus for switching systems, there were a number of features that provide operational benefits, including custom prescription labels. The pharmacy now plans to implement a medication therapy management (MTM) program and other clinical services.
“We know that if patients are prodded a little bit more, they’ll get their refills on time, which helps with compliance and outcomes,” says Odom. “Medication synchronization is not a hard process with Computer-Rx. I don’t have to recreate the wheel to do it, it’s in there already. The system is so user-friendly.” CT