When searching for the best pharmacy point of sale software there are a few key features that are an absolute must have for every independent pharmacy.  Operating a small pharmacy or clinic today can be challenging, but the right technology synchronized together can make the world of a difference.  Ultimately, the ability to get a POS system for your pharmacy from the same vendor that supplies your pharmacy management software should ensure that both software packages are deeply integrated into each other.  It is also a benefit when any questions or issues arise that you can deal with one company that is responsible for both pharmacy software systems.  Make sure when you are shopping for your new pharmacy, or to replace your existing pharmacy system, that the features listed below are available from the vendor you choose to do business with.

1:  Full Integration with Pharmacy Software:

If your pharmacy software vendor is your POS provider, they will likely have a more robust integration between the two systems.  Essentially, the two software products need to speak to one another.  The POS system can grab the co-pays due from the pharmacy software to make certain of accuracy when checking customers out.  If a patient decides they do not want an RX and you need to return it, the pharmacy software needs to queue that prescription up to reverse it if it was sent to insurance.  Many pharmacies want to make sure prescriptions are verified before they are checked out and sold to a patient, and in Datascans pharmacy POS you can require verification be done before it can be sold at the cash register.  What if a patient is there to pickup a prescription, and there are still others in the store, possibly in other bags, or childrens medications waiting for pickup?  The POS can read from the pharmacy software and display a list of other RX’s in need of pickup.  Many states require that controlled substances are reported to the PMP once they have been delivered or picked up, so the pharmacy computer system can receive confirmation of date sold from the POS, and then report those scripts to the PMP with the proper data.  Both systems can also share data to help build out a series of reports to help owners better understand their business from sales and inventory perspectives.  The best retail pharmacy software will allow you to customize a rewards program in the pharmacy POS that will also allow you to grab data from the pharmacy management system, and give rewards for prescription sales as well as OTC.  These are just some of the important capabilities you should expect from your pharmacy POS and its integration with the pharmacy systems.

2:  Rewards and Coupon Programs:

Rewards programs have been around for decades.  The big chains offer them, it gives patients incentive to come back to the same store, make purchases, and get discounts in return for loyalty (which is why these are typically called ‘loyalty programs’).  Your pharmacy pos system must have a customizable rewards program.  One that you can choose milestones that offer different rewards, as well as the ability to choose how much each spending dollar means to you.  Datascan works with like to give more value to OTC dollars, while giving a bit less towards RX copay dollars.  They still count, just not as much, but add up over time to discounts and reewards that keeps their patients coming back.  Rewards can trigger anything from a coupon to be used at a later date, to an instant discount you display on the receipt and share with the customer at checkout.

3:  Detailed Reporting:

In order to build efficiencies into any business, you need data.  Knowing your areas of weakness (or areas that need improvement), knowing employee performance, profitability not just across the board but in specific areas of your independent pharmacy –these are all imperative to overall success.  The best pharmacy POS systems on the market, when properly ‘married to’ the best pharmacy systems on the market will allow you to dive into a wide range of reporting that are fully customizable.  Breaking down your OTC into categories and subcategories, looking over patient purchasing and identifying those that may be in the negative after RX losses to PBM’s coupled with little to no OTC sales will give you a detailed picture into areas of waste or weakness that you can turn around into more profits.  Remember that tying in data for a full picture from both the pharmacy point of sale and the pharmacy computer system is key to getting the big picture, not a partial one.

4:  Pharmacy specific features: 

There are many point of sale products on the market being used in independent pharmacies today that were not built FOR pharmacy, and may lack specific functionality to the industry.  Datascan made sure their pharmacy POS system was built from the ground up, to cover any and all unique requirements our industry has.

• SIGIS and FSA capabilities: You may have patients that participate in health insurance plans that offer FSA/HSA spending cards.  In order for you to be able to accept these cards in the point of sale system, you will need to be registered with SIGIS, and be setup properly from your vendor within the software.  Without it, you are simply walking customers out your door and into your competitor down the block.
• Pseudoephedrine reporting / tracking: There are laws that require you track, and in some cases report pseudoephedrine purchases.  These are tracked at checkout in the pharmacy point of sale system, and then tie into reporting from NPLEX within Datascans system.  If a customer attempts to purchase more than the law allows, the system will stop you.  When you sell items that contain pseudoephedrine in them, the software prompts and requires you to scan the ID/drivers license.
• Integration with Deliveries: The best pharmacy pos systems on the market will also integrate with a delivery system, preferably from the same vendor. (again, they will have control of all potential issues start to finish).  Many independent community pharmacies are opting to offer delivery to local patients to set themselves apart from the chains.  We offer our own robust delivery system on both android and apple IOS, as well as support integration with a number of delivery systems / couriers around the country.  This allows you to manage, with ease, start to finish all deliveries, manage drivers, ensure copays or monies due are brought back to the pharmacy and placed in the register and so much more.

5:  Inventory Management:

Inventory is one of, if not the largest expense a community pharmacy has to invest in continually.  Ideally, you want inventory turning over, and not sitting stale on the shelves.  The ability to track historic sales and make decisions on replenishment based on that history is important to lower spending and keep those dollars in your accounts, not on your shelves.  Simplifying cost updates, inventory ordering and inventory level updates is all done via EDI, and electronic interchange with whole sale vendors.  You need the ability to either manual reorder (when needed), and set automatic reorder points so when you sell down to a certain number in inventory, it puts it on the next PO.  The system should shop for you across vendors for the same products, saving you money, and paying for itself!

If you take the time to choose the right pharmacy software vendor, that offers an integrated pharmacy point of sale system, and all of the features above (and more of course), you are on the right track. Now you just need to take advantage of the technology and features built into the software systems to get the most out of them.  The best pharmacy software companies on the market will offer their own pharmacy driven pos system that ties directly into their pharmacy management software, delivery applications, amongst many other technologies offered industry wide.  Used correctly, these products will more than pay for themselves and help you to build a more profitable pharmacy.

As more patients nationwide suffer from conditions like cancer and cardiac disorders and also look to manage care at home, the need for at-home “DME”, or Durable Medical Equipment, continues to rise. According to a study by Grand View Research, the market for Durable Medical Equipment was worth nearly $42 billion in 2016 and is expected to continue to grow. Independent pharmacies have a tremendous opportunity to create an additional profit center by offering Durable Medical Products to customers within their pharmacies. At Datascan, we constantly urge independent pharmacy owners to seek out non-PBM-centric revenue sources and build other streams of revenue into their business. Whether you’re considering Part B contracts or looking to merely sell DME without contracting, there is an undeniable demand for these types of products.

Many patients who are managing chronic conditions or rehabilitating after a surgery or injury need more than just prescriptions. The likelihood is if your patient is already filling prescriptions with your pharmacy, they’ll look to you for their non-prescription needs as well. Pharmacy patients rehabbing at home require much of the same equipment a typical facility uses. Products to assist those with limited mobility like walkers, canes, and wheelchairs are useful both in the home and while getting around outside. Patients may require toileting DME products like commodes or bed pans if they’re bed-bound, in addition to personal care products. Let’s also not forget about our senior patients who may suffer from limited mobility and can benefit from a variety of Durable Medical Equipment products as well. Providing DME products in your independent pharmacy also allows your pharmacists and staff to be much more involved and proactive in overall patient health and well-being.  As we all know by now, PBMs are forever ranking performance and looking for new ways to dig into your pharmacy’s profits. If we can better manage our patients’ overall health, we’ll essentially see better outcomes and eventually fewer claw backs.

For many pharmacies, the headaches of billing Durable Medical Equipment is not worth the time; and so they are opting to offer DME as a service for self-pay customers. Contracting with insurance companies to be able to accept and bill DME products is a lengthy process that does not always result in optimal reimbursements. Often times, DME claims are captured and later evaluated for actual pharmacy reimbursement. Many pharmacy owners find themselves underpaid or unpaid for items they thought were reimbursable. Because of these challenges, many pharmacies have opted not to offer Durable Medical Equipment at all. A large percentage of patients are paying out of pocket for items or handling insurance reimbursement themselves. Providing patients with DME products can still be a very profitable opportunity for community pharmacies.

Managing inventory is an important aspect of successfully selling Durable Medical Equipment in your pharmacy. Using the reporting and inventory tools within your Datascan Pharmacy Software and POS will help. Since many local, independent pharmacies struggle with space, stocking large-sized DME items is sometimes not practical. Datascan Point of Sale allows pharmacies to set inventory thresholds and even order directly through EDI with their wholesalers right out of the POS system. While stocking smaller items like canes, camwalkers, and incontinence DME products may be more practical, there still needs to be proper inventory management. Tracking purchase history and trends through the POS reporting can be incredibly helpful in determining proper inventory points for these types of items. In addition to inventory reports, Datascan’s Point of Sale also tracks patients and customers so you can keep record of which customers purchased certain products. Customer-specific data is useful when it comes time to special ordering items and supplies.

Certain DME products such as hospital-style medical beds or wheelchairs can be offered for rent to patients, and Datascan’s Point of Sale system has a built-in module to help you manage those rentals. Whether it’s daily, weekly, monthly, or any other time period, the system can help set up those rentals and the billing associated with them, as well as help you easily track who has all of these items.

Venturing out and making changes to your pharmacy business can be overwhelming — we get it! The days of prescription profits being enough to sustain a successful independent pharmacy have fallen by the wayside and we need to rely more and more on non-PBM-centric profit centers. Offering Durable Medical Equipment has proven successful for many independent pharmacies as the demand for home health equipment is on the rise. This is an ever-increasing market and with the help of the right Pharmacy Management Software, one that independent pharmacy owners can find huge profits in.

Pharmacy inventories have evolved to include more than just prescription drugs, and a pharmacy inventory management system is critical to capitalizing on these growth opportunities.

How Does Pharmacy Inventory Software Work?

Datascan’s pharmacy inventory management system was developed and designed to track inventory levels, sales, orders, and deliveries.

This area of the software streamlines your pharmacy’s workflow and inventory control, reducing instances of overstocking and product outages. Identifying stock and monitoring expiration dates also helps to alleviate losses.

The Multiple Advantages of a Pharmacy Inventory Management System

Our pharmacy software for independent pharmacies has features for built-in inventory management and ordering. It will help optimize your business efficiency and exponentially improve your pharmacy’s bottom line. It allows the staff to focus on their areas of expertise, and spend more time cultivating customer relationships.

A pharmacy inventory management system allows you to manage your stock, watch over your pricing, and shop across your suppliers. The forecasting feature gives you the data to help anticipate future patient demand.

Pharmacy Inventory Software Capabilities

Our Pharmacy management software comes with convenient and helpful capabilities.

• Datascan’s inventory management technology allows pharmacies to maintain perpetual inventory on not just one, but up to 4 separate inventory categories. Additionally, pharmacies can separate and manage any two unique inventories easily and efficiently. For example, our pharmacy inventory management system has the option to manage regular and 340b inventory. 
• Our EDI (electronic data interchange) system simplifies the separation and management of two inventory categories. The built in EDI, inside of the pharmacy software, does this by automatically generating and exporting purchase orders to multiple wholesale vendors. This will automatically compile your pharmacy’s invoices and update inventory and drug costs for each individual category. 
• Our pharmacy inventory management system streamlines supply-side processes. Having more efficient purchasing and payment mechanisms allows pharmacies to keep up with growing demand while maintaining strong business relationships. 
• When using our pharmacy inventory management system, you have multiple reporting options that are customizable to your pharmacy. Additionally, our inventory system comes with compounding software for ingredient inventory tracking to help create a more structured workflow.

Smarter Pharmacy Systems Can Lead to Happier Customers

Ultimately, our pharmacy inventory software helps to organize your business so pharmacies can focus on keeping their customers happy.

With the ever-increasing importance of pharmacies in today’s day and age, it’s vital to maintain strong business relationships while staying helpful and organized. Datascan’s pharmacy inventory management system helps you meet those standards and accomplish your independent pharmacy goals.

Try a Demo of Datascan Pharmacy Software

There are many benefits that come with having a streamlined system for your Pharmacy inventory management. Don’t miss out on the impressive capabilities and worthwhile advantages that come with our pharmacy inventory management system. Chat with our expert team today to learn how our technology can revolutionize the operation of your independent pharmacy!

There are lots of hidden costs in the pharmacy industry, and if you’ve ever worked at a pharmacy, you’re probably familiar with the term Direct and Indirect Remuneration or “DIR Fees,” and how there is no way to avoid these growing fees from  pharmacy benefit managers.

But what are these fees anyway? The idea of having to pay fees of any kind is unnerving, so we’ve set out to give you a better understanding of what they are and the reason for their existence, because no one likes to pay fees, especially if they don’t fully understand them.

So, What are They and Why do They Exist?

To begin with, calling a spade a spade, they are simply another bogus way for PBM’s to screw over independent pharmacies. 

Technically, Direct and Indirect Remuneration or “DIR” fees are the fees that pharmacies are paying back to Medicare Part D plans/PBMs (Pharmacy Benefit Managers), originally as a way to offset member costs. 

According to NCPA, plans/PBMs have used the term “DIR Fee” to describe a “true-up” between a target reimbursement rate in a participating pharmacy agreement and the aggregated effective rate actually realized by a pharmacy. It comes as no surprise that many pharmacy owners are confused by this, seeing as there is a total lack of transparency among the PBMs collecting these astronomical fees. 

DIR Fees are assessed by a myriad of performance-based metrics that make little to no sense to pharmacy owners, making it difficult to predict your bottom-line claw-back amount.

A Software Solution for Independent Pharmacies

Datascan Pharmacy Software recognizes the struggles you’re facing as an independent pharmacy and has built in many features that help clients manage, assess, and fight back against these fees and avoid problems with pharmacy benefit managers. 

Our DIR pharmacy estimator tool allows you to configure each plan in your system with specific low and high end percentage fees for brands and generics across 30 and 90 day supply, and even lets you enter specific fee amounts. 

The estimated DIR fees appear on the claim at adjudication to better analyze each prescription and determine if you will expect a net loss on the prescription. In fact, we have a post-edit hard stop you can turn on for any RX that expects a loss after the DIR. 

It color codes the script and stops the label from automatically printing, giving you the opportunity to assess the situation and make decisions. 

There are also reports that pharmacies can run to collect DIR fee data and better plan for the clawbacks from the PBMs. 

To help combat the star ratings metric, which supposedly causes harm to your reimbursement rates and affects DIR fees, building medication adherence is a must. We have multiple automated functions, utilities, warnings on maintenance medications with no refills, and an adherence dashboard. 

All of this, coupled with multiple automatic ways to communicate with your patients and Datascan Pharmacy Software’s mobile application, greatly simplifies getting your patients their medications on time. To avoid problems with pharmacy benefit managers, all you need to do is harness and implement the technology already within the Datascan Pharmacy Software platform—and you’re already paying for it! 

This, together with fighting PBMs through tough legislation and rallying together with your fellow independent pharmacies, will help guarantee the future of our industry.

Why Datascan Pharmacy Software?

Although single-handedly, no independent pharmacy can do anything to stop or reduce DIR Fees, we can prepare for them, measure them, report on them, and avoid losing money on them, thanks to Datascan Pharmacy Software’s intelligent technology designed specifically to mitigate the risk of these fees.

If you’re considering a new pharmacy software for your independent pharmacy, demand that managing, predicting, and accounting for these fees is a part of the program and comes at no additional cost to you. Thankfully, Datascan Pharmacy Software has you covered. Call us now to schedule a consultation.