From The Issue: May/June 2021

Cover Story

PSAOs: Giving Independents a Fighting Chance

Featured PSAOs

The Power of Community: Teaming Up for Quality Performance

Supporting the Quality and Independence of Community Pharmacies in an Evolving Market

Featured Content

PharmSaver REMS-Monitoring-and-Pharmacy-Wholesalers

Challenges for Pharmacies with REMS

As REMS (risk evaluation and mitigation strategy) programs grow to include more pharmaceutical product manufactures, wholesalers, and distributors, pharmacies face increased compliance challenges. Learn what to be aware of when ordering drugs in this category.

TRHC_Precision_Pharmacotherapy_Research_Development_Institute_logo2020-300x291

Personalized Medicine: A Step Closer with Risk Scores

Adverse drug events (ADEs) have been the fourth leading cause of death over the past decade in the United States. A new study reveals the positive impact the MedWise Risk Score can have on predicting who is at risk.

Check Out Our Pharmacy Technology Buyers Guide

Click the button to jump to the Buyers Guide with vendor listings and quick reference tables to compare vendors and easily find out which offer the features and services you are looking for.

The 2021 Buyers Guide

More From The Issue

ONC Sunsets Interoperability Roadmap

Both the 21st Century Cures Act final rule and the new Federal Health IT Strategic Plan will advance interoperability, enhance health IT certification, and reduce the burden and costs in the healthcare system. System providers should access and read the ONC Final Rule on the Cures Act to see what provisions might impact your company and its offerings.

The Pandemic: An Opportunity for Pharmacy?

Pharmacists have been among the heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic — first, in coming to work even as everyone else was forced to stay home, so that no one had to go without medications. Pharmacy was designated an essential business. Pharmacists are vaccinating millions of Americans. The question now becomes: Can pharmacists leverage this positive experience to expand, and more importantly, get paid for their clinical services?

Systems Security

Are you devoting the necessary attention to ensure your pharmacy management system — the foundation of operations — is secure? Here's a list of security measures that can be deployed at the pharmacy to keep technology systems and data secure.

Technology Dependency

Not enough recognition is given to the pharmacy technology infrastructure in place. There is a value that should be placed on this in the reimbursements pharmacies receive. But this has not been the case.

So, Now What?

While community pharmacy received deserved accolades for its role in COVID-19 mitigation and vaccination rollouts, there remain obstacles to overcome around practice parameters, reimbursement rates, and other critical issues. Getting involved with state and national associations is an important first step.

More From Pharmacy Experts

Lessons Learned: Opportunities in COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment

Michael Ganio, Pharm.D., M.S., BCPS, FASHP and senior director, pharmacy practice and quality at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, talked about the progress in vaccine administration, the development of better communication between health departments and patients, and how all the bumps in the road of this vaccine rollout will make the process easier in the future.

Resilience and Innovation: RedSail Technologies’ Next-Gen Vision

Kraig McEwen, CEO of RedSail Technologies, LLC, spoke with ComputerTalk’s Maggie Lockwood about the company’s vision for the independent pharmacy market as its portfolio increases to include three major software players. With a long background in healthcare technology, McEwen sheds light on the importance of scale for independent pharmacy, as well as innovative technology platforms that respond to the healthcare trends toward value-based care.

The ROI of your Pharmacy Management Software During COVID-19

Stuck with clunky software, outdated technology, and limited integration? Is your pharmacy management system is simply holding you back at a time when your patients need you most? Learn how your pharmacy management solution should keep up during COVID-19 and that there is an ROI to switching to a better solution.

Pharmacies Have the Vaccines, But Do They Have the Time?

With a newfound focus and pressure on pharmacies and pharmacists as frontline healthcare providers, the industry needs to ensure these pharmacies are equipped to handle such demand. How can pharmacists streamline operations, reallocate their staff, and put a focus on immunization efforts? Pharmacy automation.

KL1Plus Automation Advances Community Hospital Pharmacy Programs

A major contributor to the success of Memorial Hospital’s outpatient pharmacy expansion is also the smallest and simplest: a Kirby Lester KL1Plus verification-plus-counting device for prescription verification and counting.

COVID-19 Vaccine 1st and 2nd Dose Scheduling

The Drive for Global Vaccination: Pharmacy’s Role in Ending the COVID-19 Pandemic

TRHC's Farah Madhat and Robert Alesiani on the tools community pharmacies are deploying to support the unprecedented efforts to roll out COVID-19 vaccines. From patient scheduling and intake to second-dose management, reporting, and community education, learn about how pharmacists are making it all work.

Micro Merchant Systems PrimeRx Pharmacy Software

Biden Administration Urged to Enlisted Retired Pharmacists for COVID-19 Vaccinations

Pharmacies' COVID-19 vaccination efforts would get a significant boost by enlisting the services of retired pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. A group of ten pharmacy associations wrote to HHS in early February, seeking permission for pharmacists and technicians who left the workforce within the past five years to be allowed to administer COVID-19 vaccines.

PSAOs: Giving Independents a Fighting Chance

Why PSAOs are a real factor in keeping pharmacies competitive.

Pharmacy services administrative organizations (PSAOs) have grown over the years to provide their members with a wide array of critical services and tools. They are doing much more these days, in an effort to combat low and negative reimbursements.

We hear from two PSAO members and dig deeper with an industry expert into some of the current headwinds in the market, such as PBM efforts to undermine these organizations in an attempt to maintain what many consider to be an unfair advantage as middlemen between plan sponsors and pharmacies.

Plus learn more about what’s offered by the PSAOs out there, with detailed listings from five major pharmacy services administrative organizations.

So, Now What?

by Bruce Kneeland

Personalized Medicine: A Step Closer with Risk Scores

by Calvin Knowlton, B.Sc.Pharm., M.Div., Ph.D., Tabula Rasa HealthCare

Challenges for Pharmacies with REMS

by Mike Sosnowik, R.Ph., President, PharmSaver

Resilience and Innovation: RedSail Technologies’ Next-Gen Vision

Kraig McEwen, CEO of RedSail Technologies, LLC, spoke with ComputerTalk’s Maggie Lockwood about the company’s vision for the independent pharmacy.

Publisher’s Window | Technology Dependency

CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE like running your pharmacy without the technology you are using? Technology dependency is very evident across all walks of life, and pharmacies have made a big investment in technology over years. Which leads me to the point that not enough recognition is given to the pharmacy technology infrastructure in place. There is a value that should be placed on this in the reimbursements pharmacies receive.

Technology Corner | Systems Security

Are you devoting the necessary attention to ensure your pharmacy management system — the foundation of operations — is secure? Privacy and security are the two key terms in this space. Privacy is the state of maintaining control over information and its use. Security is the ability to protect information from unauthorized access. These concepts are closely related, but we will focus on security.

Viewpoints | The Pandemic: An Opportunity for Pharmacy?

Now that multiple COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized for use, pharmacists are vaccinating millions of Americans, demonstrating pharmacy’s ability to positively impact the health of the nation. The question now becomes: Can pharmacists leverage this positive experience to expand, and more importantly, get paid for their clinical services?

Catalyst Corner | ONC Sunsets Interoperability Roadmap

The National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) recently announced the sunsetting the Interoperability Roadmap. Going forward, both the 21st Century Cures Act final rule and the new Federal Health IT Strategic Plan will advance interoperability, enhance health IT certification, and reduce the burden and costs in the healthcare system.