Pharmacy Software

Pharmacy software, also known as pharmacy management software, is a technology platform that manages the daily operations of a pharmacy. Pharmacy software enables you to fill prescriptions, manage inventory, store your data, bill third-party insurance for prescription claims, and maintain regulatory compliance. It keeps a detailed history of your patients’ medications. 

During the filling process, it checks drug interactions and performs allergy and dosage checks to alert the pharmacist to any potential issues with the medication being dispensed to the patient. Pharmacy software platforms can receive electronic prescriptions directly from physicians’ offices, communicate with patients via text/email for prescription updates, and help build medication adherence through several tools. Today’s pharmacy software can do so much more than these standard features, so it’s important to have an in-depth demonstration when shopping for the best pharmacy software for your independent pharmacy. 

When searching for the best pharmacist software / pharmacy software systems for retail / pharmacy prescription software, customer feedback and reviews are important. The ultimate question is, how can you trust the reviews you are reading? One thing anyone should know when searching for software reviews, is that the website www.pharmacysoftwarereviews.com is owned and operated by Pioneer RX, the very same company that consistently is ranked the highest across all metrics on the website.

To read genuine pharmacy software reviews from authentic customers, you can drop by websites such as Capterra.com, Softwareadvice.com, Crowdreviews.com, G2Crowd.com, Google, and Softwaresuggest.com.

Because Datascan is one of the few privately-owned companies that remain in our industry, and because we are not merged with other pharmacy software companies (purchased by massive private equity firms), we have been able to preserve the absolute best customer service within our industry, and the best POS system for pharmacies, hands down.
As you continually search for the top pharmacy software on the market, you will find that Datascan and Winpharm (our pharmacy management software) have consistently had the best and the most ratings across the majority of sites. Our customers love how hard we work for them, and we appreciate each and every one of them. That is why Datascan still has so many clients with us in excess of 30 years– longer than many companies have even been in our space!

The cost of a pharmacy management system varies from vendor to vendor. You can get started by paying as little as $2,500, but some vendors charge 10x that amount! Monthly fixed fees can vary from the $200 range to over $800. Datascan is proud to be among the best-priced pharmacy software vendors in the U.S.

There are different costs associated with pharmacy software, and you can expect them to include:

• Upfront setup
• Install
• Training

These costs can be included with the initial purchase of the software and potentially with the hardware if the pharmacy needs it.

• Monthly fixed fees

These fees cover support both during business hours and after. They can also include additional interfaces with robots, IVR systems, and possible database fees.

• Variable transactional fees

The variable fees are associated with your ‘switching’ and electronic prescribing transactions. Switching occurs when you send an insurance claim to the PBM or insurer. The ‘switch’ is what routes the claim. Software vendors are charged for this routing, and therefore pharmacies are as well. Electronic prescribing is when a physician sends a pharmacy the prescription electronically: an eRx. This is now mandated by many states, as the push to do away with paper prescription pads grows. Surescripts is the primary vendor that routes the eRxs, therefore these transactions are also referred to as Surescripts. Surescripts charges for these transactions, and so pharmacies have yet another cost. This can vary, depending on the pharmacy’s volume of Surescripts. The greater the volume, the more the cost.

No two pharmacy system vendors price their software the same way. Some include features like mobile applications, while others charge for them. Some claim to charge .01 cents for switching, but are not very transparent, and will charge an additional .086 cents for an “rX success fee” which quickly makes their switching cost more than other vendors. This can become especially expensive when they also charge this success fee on cash prescriptions, so keep an eye out! Some vendors include their POS (point of sale) in the quote along with the pharmacy management software, and others charge for it separately. Some software vendors require you to use their credit card processing vendor, which can escalate your monthly costs quite a bit.

So, it is important to do a very careful side-by-side comparison before making a decision. The best way to determine the total cost you can anticipate is to reach out to vendors and request a price quote. Speak with each vendor and ask them to break down their quote and help you compare vendor to vendor. Datascan always offers a side-by-side comparison to any vendor on the market to compare true overall costs.

A Pharmacy specific POS software is point-of-sale software designed specifically for pharmacy operations. Point of sale software is specific to your industry, so if you are operating a restaurant, you want POS software built for restaurants. The same goes for pharmacy software. The best POS system for pharmacies will be integrated directly with the pharmacy management software. When integrated, it should share prescription costs, show what other prescriptions are also being filled for the patient or show their prescriptions that are ready to be picked up, and share data between the two systems. Pharmacy point-of-sale software should allow you to create a custom rewards program for your patients, tie into SIGIS for acceptance of FSA/HSA cards at the register, and be able to track Pseudoephedrine purchases. Additionally, the POS system will have stop limits, accurate inventory tracking, be able to help track deliveries to your patients, and the ability to send and receive orders electronically to all wholesalers within the pharmacy industry. Datascan built the POS, fully integrated into the pharmacy retail software back in 2003 specifically for the industry, and made sure that it integrated with Winpharm, our proprietary pharmacy management software. It is a touch screen-optimized software for checking out your patients quickly, and it is constantly being updated to help our independent pharmacy clients run their businesses more efficiently.

Your independent pharmacy is unique and your pharmacy software should accommodate your needs. When choosing the best pharmacy software system, it’s important to find a vendor that provides you with the ultimate trifecta – price, product, and service. You should be sure your pharmacy system offers a list of available features and options, an affordable price tag, and an exceptional level of service. 

Make sure the software you buy today can offer adaptable technology for possible changes in your pharmacy business model tomorrow. Any successful entrepreneur will tell you that change is inevitable in business, and yours will always be evolving. You may not be interested in handling LTC or compounding business today, but what if that changes tomorrow? Can your software company offer you this technology, is it robust, and are they trying to charge you more for it? 

Do research online, find multiple independent sources for reviews, and see what the actual users are saying about the pharmacy systems vendor. 

Make sure to get a true side-by-side comparison of the two top vendors you are deciding between to understand every fee and charge involved. 

Each pharmacy software vendor offers different features, but the top pharmacy software systems will include a variety of options designed to streamline your workflow, boost productivity and medication adherence, and build profits. The best way to determine which software system is right for you and what features you need is to schedule an interactive software demo. Some of the features you can expect to see are:

Prescription Dispensing and Filling 

This is a basic functionality, but how quickly it flows is extremely important. This is the most-used feature in a pharmacy management system. With this feature, you can fill and refill prescriptions, accept electronic prescription messages, adjudicate claims, and generate prescription labels. It is important to be sure you like the workflow in the pharmacy software. 

Automation is key to running a leaner, more efficient community pharmacy. The more tasks you can automate within your pharmacy system, the less manual work there is for your employees. In fact, you should be able to accomplish more with less staff – if the software is properly designed. Automatic refill processing and automatic communication with patients about prescription status are important features. Your software system should also have the ability to auto-send new Rx requests to physicians for maintenance medications that have run out of refills. But, these are just some of the features you should be looking for. 

Inventory management is by far one of the most important features of a pharmacy management system. Inventory is the biggest overhead in your independent pharmacy so an easy-to-use, intuitive inventory system is a must. The best pharmacy software systems support EDI with wholesalers to streamline ordering and updating prices. They can also support managing multiple different inventories, such as breaking out 340B from your standard pharmacy inventory. 

Compounding

Compounding has become wildly popular among independent pharmacies. In the event you decide to offer this service to your patients, your pharmacy system will need to include an easy-to-use but robust compounding module. This includes scale integration, recipe formulations, lot and batch tracking, and barcode verification. 

Mobile Applications 

This is another important feature. Consumers receive and expect convenience at every turn these days. Just look at what Amazon and Netflix offer us on a daily basis! Your pharmacy needs to offer the same conveniences and ease of use to your patients. All chain pharmacies are offering the simplicity of mobile refills, as are many independents. A simple-to-use, feature-rich mobile application helps you stay connected to your patients and makes it easy for them to request prescription refills. 

Home Delivery Services 

This helps ensure your patients receive their prescriptions on time. The best pharmacy software offers integrated delivery applications that sync right to the pharmacy and point-of-sale software. Easily track drivers, accept electronic signatures and payments, and create organized routes for your drivers.