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Datascan Featured Client: Contigo Compounding Pharmacy

Datascan Featured Client: Contigo Compounding Pharmacy

As Independently owned pharmacies continue to fight declining reimbursements and rising operation costs, more and more pharmacy owners are looking at alternate models such as long term care and compounding. Christopher Smith, owner of Contigo Compounding Pharmacy in Albuquerque, NM is no stranger to compounding and the need for specialized compounding pharmacies across the US. Contigo continues to find success in their model as they offer a unique service to their patients. Through Contigo’s partnership with Datascan, they are able to offer their patients an unparalleled level of quality care and service.

What are some of the ways you set your pharmacy apart from other independents and chains?

Contigo Pharmacy specializes in compounding services, with a focus on sterile, sterile hazardous, non-sterile, and non-sterile hazardous compounding. We are fully USP 797 and USP 800 compliant, which sets us apart from other pharmacies. Our use of Winpharm, our pharmacy management software, has streamlined our workflow and improved our efficiency. We offer medication therapy management services, medication synchronization, and adherence packaging to help our patients manage their medications effectively. Our pharmacy software and the technology it offers aids us in offering many of the conveniences and services.

What are some of the unique services you offer to your patients?

As a pharmacy focused on compounding, we include compounding services for long term care, med spas, hormone replacement therapy, veterinary and dental practices.We offer many sterile infusion products that are considered high-risk, such as chemotherapy, parenteral nutrition, and other intravenous medications. Our specialized expertise in sterile compounding means we saw a need for the right software to fit our model and ensure we are compliant with all the massive amount of regulations we must follow.

Aside from everyday functions in Winpharm, what other features are you using to help run your business day to day?

Aside from everyday functions such as entering prescriptions and viewing patient profiles, we use Winpharm to help better organize our workflow, build better efficiency, and improve medication adherence with our patients. Specifically, Winpharm has built customized compounding “queues” that help us manage formula creation, compounding, QA of compounds, and quarantining of compounds until test results are available. These custom features allow us to streamline our compounding process and improve the accuracy and safety of our compounded medications. We’re also able to integrate our digital scales which is a huge help when we’re compounding.

What advice would you give to someone searching for the right pharmacy software?

It’s important to invest in technology that can support your specialized needs. Look for a software solution that can be customized to meet your unique requirements. It makes a world of a difference when your pharmacy software encompasses dispensing, inventory, compounding and POS as one package. A powerful pharmacy system will free up your time to focus on building strong relationships with patients and healthcare providers, and providing exceptional customer service. I would highly recommend doing your research when it comes time to choose a software vendor. We had initially signed up with a very popular compounding system. We found it to be cumbersome and did not offer the level of customization we needed. Datascan has solved all of those day to day problems.

You’ve previously used another vendor prior to Datascan, what made you start looking for a new software vendor?

While our previous vendor’s software was good, the technical support was only available via email, and the response time was often slow. Additionally, the integration between dispensing, inventory, compounding, and POS software was poor, which made it difficult to manage our workflow effectively. In contrast, Winpharm has been a significant improvement in terms of technical support and software integration. We can get a support person on the phone almost immediately. We appreciate that Winpharm software is customizable to meet our unique needs as a compounding pharmacy. Plus, the cost of Winpharm is significantly less than our previous vendor’s software.

What made you choose Datascan?

We chose Datascan as our new software vendor after Sarah gave us a demo of their Winpharm software. We were impressed with its comprehensive functionality, which met all of our needs as a compounding pharmacy. We appreciated that the software was customizable to meet our unique requirements, and was fully integrated across the board. Overall, we felt that Winpharm was a much better fit for our business than our previous software vendor’s solution. Pharmacy compounding is not one size fits all, and using a software that assumes that proved to be difficult and frustrating. Through our partnership with Datascan we’ve been able to suggest beneficial features for compounders that actually get put into the system. We know 100% that we made the right choice with Datascan.

How was your conversion/transition from your previous vendor?

Because we had only been open and using another software for about 8 months we opted not to do a traditional conversion. Datascan was incredibly understanding and helpful throughout this process. Their trainers assisted in showing us how to input our formulas, patients, and any other data we needed. They were so patient throughout our training and made sure we had a complete understanding of not only the day to day functionality in the software, but also all of the compounding features as well. We were a bit nervous at first but the entire team at Datascan helped make this as seamless as possible. We have no regrets.
Since you’ve been with Datascan, can you tell us what you like about working with us?

We appreciate Winpharm’s ease of use, flexibility, and the ability to customize it to meet our specific needs. Their compounding module is very robust, offering more functionality than most systems out there. The technical support from Datascan has been excellent, with live people answering almost immediately and with the knowledge to assist us. We cannot think of a single thing we liked better about our prior vendor. From the system to the service Datascan has been a night and day different for us. Not to mention that the monthly fees are so much more affordable and we get so much more.

What would you suggest or say to other pharmacy owners who are not happy with their vendor, but nervous to make a change?

My suggestion would be to do their research and evaluate the options available. Consider software solutions that are flexible and can be customized to meet your unique needs. Customization is huge. There is no way that one size fits all and that we each have uniqueness. The last vendor we used basically told us “too bad” when we told them we needed a change or an upgrade. Look for a vendor that offers fast responses from a live support team that does not need to transfer you around. They should be responsive to your needs, Winpharm has done that for us. Ultimately, making the switch to a new vendor can be a daunting task, but it can also be an opportunity to improve your business and better serve your patients.

Datascan Featured Client: Idaho Drug

Datascan Featured Client: Idaho Drug

Datascan Featured Client: Idaho Drug

pharmacy software idaho drug

If you close your eyes and imagine an independent pharmacy, what do you see?  For some, it’s the mom and pop on the corner of town with friendly staff, unique items perfectly merchandized on beautiful mahogany shelves, and the best ice cream float you’ve ever had.  This is exactly what it means for Idaho Drug in Rigby, ID.  Although they’ve modernized patient care, they have never given up on old school service, providing patients with the latest and greatest conveniences and best quality care. 

Datascan:  Tell us a little about your pharmacy.  It’s history and how you got started.

Idaho Drug: The pharmacy was opened in 1947 and the building we are in was built in the early 1920s. We are located right on Main Street. Shane and I became partners in the pharmacy in 2007. After some planning and great help from our team we did a complete remodel of the building in 2015.  There was excitement from our customers when they learned that we were going to improve and keep our ice cream fountain.  We began to use Ice Cream from a local dairy that in keeping with the Idaho theme, uses, of all things, Potatoes in their ice cream.  We chose not to have an industrial feel to the pharmacy, so we used solid wood shelving instead of the old ugly metal stuff, to give the pharmacy a warm feel.

 

D: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an independent pharmacy over the years?  How are you using the technology in your software to help?

ID: The biggest challenge is trying to balance insurance / PBM reimbursements with costs of goods, as well as competition from nearby chain stores. Larger chain stores and grocery stores can use the pharmacy prescriptions as a “loss leader” of sorts, because they can encourage people to spend money in other parts of their store which is more profitable. Where we are a traditional pharmacy, so we depend on technology to assist in making sure transactions are profit making, but more importantly, technology helps me as a pharmacist to make sure I am providing the best health care possible, and individualize that care for each of our patients.  Our Datascan pharmacy management software gives us pre and post edit settings that help us analyze our claims in real time and stops us with a warning if we’re being reimbursed at a loss, and can even calculate expected post claim DIR fees to help aid in decision making.  These warnings are color coded and organized into a queue where we can manage them at any time.  This has helped us to make sure we’re not accidentally dispensing prescriptions at a great loss, which can be detrimental to our bottom line.  Using technology to give patients the best care possible allows us to differentiate ourselves from high volume big box stores.  Our patients love having access to their prescription profile through our Datascan mobile app, and we’ve found them to be much more compliant with their refills through this tool.  Partnering with a pharmacy software vendor that is efficient helps free up time for me as a pharmacist to spend time speaking with and helping our community.

idaho drug pharmacy software

 

D: What are some unique things you’re doing to set your pharmacy apart?

ID: We pride ourselves on being an old school pharmacy, from the actual look of the store to the customer service.  We strive to know our customers by name, know about them, and anticipate their needs.  We believe if we put the customer first everything else will follow. This old fashioned service requires modern technology in order to free up time to spend with our friends when they come into the store.  We were fortunate to find those same values in Datascan when we converted from our previous vendor.  It’s nice to work with a software vendor that knows us by name, picks up the phone immediately ready to help us, and actually listens to what we have to say.  While it’s important for us to incorporate technology and modernize the pharmacy, we never want to lose sight of our core values which always stems back to putting our patients first.

 

D: What made you decide to go into independent/community pharmacy?

ID: I have spent most of my career in independent pharmacy, the little time I have spent in chain stores and institutional pharmacy led me to a desire to serve the community.   I wanted to bring the health care component of institutional pharmacy to a retail setting, but free from the numbers driven attitude of chain stores.  I have seen how this parallels with Datascan, our pharmacy system provider.  The previous “chain like” pharmacy software vendor we worked with had the same numbers driven attitude.  Datascan cares about their customers, and gives individual attention we deserve.  I enjoy getting to know our customers and using that information to give them the best pharmacy health care, at the best possible price.

 

idaho drug and datascan

D: What are some of the ways you use Datascan’s pharmacy software to help in your pharmacy?

ID: Datascans software has led to a tremendous improvement in our customer care. Winpharm has tools that help make sure we are maximizing our prescription profits and quality of care for our patients. It is easy and quick to use, so employee training is a breeze!  The scheduler built into the pharmacy software enables us to use AI to automatically process auto refills, automatically send refill requests for maintenance medications to physicians, and even automatically run reports.  All of this frees up my time to spend with customers. Datascan has helped us become a better version of Idaho Drug.

 

D: What made you decide to partner with Datascan when looking for a new pharmacy software vendor?

ID:  As I researched pharmacy systems, I found Datascan to be what I was looking for, ease of use, easy to access patient information, affordability. After calling and speaking with Sarah I found a rapid and complete response.  I could tell from my initial contact with Sarah that the customer service was top notch. As the decision was made and the conversion was taking place I was wrong, the customer service was beyond top notch, it’s out of this world.

 

D: What’s your outlook on the future of independent pharmacy?

ID: My outlook of independent pharmacy is an optimistic one, but does require caring and hard working pharmacists, with tools like Datascan provides to be successful. I believe that patients want the personalized care that independents can provide and we need to show them our best selves each patient encounter.

Datascan Featured Client: The Prescription Shoppe

Datascan Featured Client: The Prescription Shoppe

Datascan Featured Client: The Prescription Shoppe

the prescription shoppe pharmaxy

Despite only being open for two years, The Prescription Shoppe in Williamsburg, VA has become a household name in their community.  Owners Henry and Jade Ranger are proof that the future for Independent Pharmacy is very bright.  Since opening its doors in 2019 The Prescription Shoppe pharmacy has built up an outstanding reputation within their community.  Much of their success is owed to their commitment to offering exceptional service, something Henry looked for when it came time to partnering with a pharmacy software vendor.  Having worked in corporate retail pharmacy for many years, Henry knew that to be successful he needed to do more for his community and patients.  When choosing the best pharmacy software vendor partner for The Prescription Shoppe, he knew just how important quality customer service would be to running his business successfully. 

Datascan: Tell us a little about your pharmacy, its history and how you got started.

TPS: We are a full-service independent, community pharmacy that is family owned and locally operated. The Prescription Shoppe officially opened its doors on March 6th, 2019. (Henry basically said that he’d had enough with corporate and wanted to get back to true patient care; back to just the basics) We decided to take a leap of faith and as it turns out, patient care is exactly what our community was longing for. We thrive on being involved and engaging with our community. In the short time period since we opened, our family has been completely embraced within the Greater Williamsburg area; we are thankful for the opportunity to serve our friends and neighbors.

 

Datascan: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an independent pharmacy over the years?

TPS: We think that most independent pharmacy owners will agree that the DIR fees which are imposed on us by PBMs are the biggest hurdle.  Fortunately through Datascan’s pharmacy software we’re able to better manage DIR fees through their DIR dashboard.  We can also turn on reimbursement warnings to help us analyze our claims in real-time at adjudication to hopefully correct some of these losses.  We’re able to easily manage these warnings through organized queues in our pharmacy software, cutting down on some of the fees and clawbacks. Hopefully, with the new legislation coming down the pipeline we will see significant improvements. Outside of those DIR fees, just maintaining a work/life balance as small business owners would be the next biggest challenge. Henry and I are constantly working whether we are physically present in our store or not. It’s pretty much non-stop around the clock for us. Trying to create more opportunities for downtime is something that we are currently focusing on to improve our overall well-being and quality of life.  We’re fortunate that our pharmacy system can be set up to email us reports that allow us to manage the store while we’re not physically there.

 

Datascan: How did you combat those challenges to set your pharmacy up for success?

TPS: We have tried to make our voices heard through our local government and by being members of organizations such as VPHA or APHA as it relates to DIR fees. Ultimately, as independent community pharmacy owners, we realize that without having a niche, there is no way that we would be able to survive just filling prescriptions alone. You have to know your patient population, we are blessed to live in a town that loves to support local. In addition to offering your essential over-the-counter items, we also have a selection of specialty skincare, wellness teas and CBD products for our patients.  Managing our OTC products and front-end has been so easy with Datascan’s pharmacy point of sale.  We’re able to easily create inventory categories, set reorder points, and even export/import our PO’s directly to our pharmacy wholesalers.  Inventory is such a huge overhead so it was important that we have a great intuitive POS to manage our products. Something else that The Prescription Shoppe focuses heavily on is vaccine administration.  Datascan has built some really great and helpful tools to accommodate this like their vaccine templates.  The templates have helped us to fill more vaccine prescriptions, ultimately making it easier for us to help more patients than we ever imagined possible.  Datascan’s pharmacy software also automatically reports our vaccines to the state registry, which saves us a lot of time! We have affectionately become known by our small town as “the one-stop shot Shoppe!” Of course, we cannot avoid the DIR fees with our Medicare part D plan patients, but there are several vaccinations that patients less than 65 years old are in need of. So vaccines like flu shots (which we do a lot of) we are solely making a profit on as well as being paid the administration fees.

pharmacy software prescription shoppe

Datascan: What are some unique things you’re doing to set yourselves apart?

TPS: Patients can literally go anywhere. The Prescription Shoppe pharmacy doesn’t have a drive-thru and we don’t stay open super late in the evenings. Plus, we are closed on Sundays and major holidays like most other independent pharmacies. Because we realize that we may not be the most convenient option, we strive to make sure that we are the BEST option. That means that our customer service is “second to none,” as Henry likes to say. Our staff goes above and beyond to make our customers feel like family; we really get to know our patients. When someone has a birth in the family, or a death, we acknowledge them. Taking the additional time to send greeting cards and add our personal touch has been very lucrative for our business. The folks in Williamsburg appreciate the hometown feel that they experience whenever they step foot into our store. Everything about our pharmacy is very warm and inviting; from the Tiffany blue décor to the scent of essential oils floating in the air. We emphasize attention to detail in all areas of our business, and so far so good.  One of the many reasons we chose to partner with Datascan for our pharmacy software is that we felt they offered the same level of service that we knew we could provide to our patients.  It was important to us that we worked with vendors who held the same values as we did, and that their focus was on us as people and not just another customer. With Datascan, we don’t sit on hold waiting for support.

 

Datascan: What made you decide to go into independent / community pharmacy?

TPS: Henry and I both have pretty big personalities. We love good people, good conversation and our community. Having the space to design what we feel patient care should be is something that we never had when working for the big chains. Everything with them is so rigid; the focus is always on the “margins.” While we realize that as business owners you obviously have to make decisions to ensure profitability, we do actually care about our patients as well. Every decision that we make is in the best interest of both our business and our patients, so we each benefit.  Choosing to work with Datascan as our pharmacy software vendor, we have seen that there are still vendors out there who focus on its customers, and not only their bottom line.  While we understand the importance of running a profitable business, we’d never do so at the expense of our patients or quality of care we offer.  Datascan has treated us the exact same way—we never feel like just another number or a “paycheck” for the company.  Our voices are heard and our opinions are respected.  We truly feel valued as a customer and hope that our patients feel the exact same way coming into The Prescription Shoppe for their pharmacy needs.

 

Datascan: What made you decide to partner with Datascan?

TPS: Honestly, all of the pharmacy software systems have bells and whistles. So while you probably can’t really go wrong either way, the difference between Datascan and the others that we considered is the customer service. As a new startup, there were plenty of things that we didn’t know or needed additional assistance with. Sarah Callioras, has been absolutely amazing. At The Prescription Shoppe, we believe very strongly in going the extra mile and above and beyond. Datascan proved to us through their actions that they feel exactly the same way. Their entire staff is awesome and Henry and I appreciate how supportive and helpful that they have all been along this journey with us. Aside from having truly amazing customer service, the technology they offer is innovative yet easy to use, affordable, and so far ahead of the competition.  Our patients love being able to use a mobile application or sign in on line to view their profiles and send refill requests.  It’s helped them to better manage their medications and ultimately has helped us to reduce DIR fees due to better compliance.  The scheduler in Datascan’s pharmacy software has made it easier for us to get more accomplished every single day!  We’re able to automate tasks like refill requests, reprocessing PA’s, and even completely running our auto refills RX’s.  The best part is that all of these features are included and we’re not paying extra for them! Many of the other pharmacy system vendors we looked into wanted to charge fees for all of the things Datascan offered us free.

datascan and prescription shoppe

Datascan: What are some of the ways you use Datascan’s software to help in your pharmacy? What features are particularly helpful in your store?

TPS: Prescription insurance look-up has been wonderful and makes our lives so much easier during the first of the year, when everyone has new or updated insurance plans; it also makes us look efficient when a new patient comes to pick up and their script is ready to go and has already been successfully submitted to their insurance (patients are usually pleasantly surprised). Text message reminders and capability to send out custom, mass text messages to our patients has been particularly helpful when we need to get urgent messages out to them. Also, the ability to bill vaccinations and have them automatically uploaded to the state immunization registry has been invaluable, especially in the era of covid vaccine reporting. In general, our staff has always felt that the system is very user friendly and comprehensive.

 

Datascan: What’s your outlook on the future of independent pharmacy?

TPS: We are optimistic that independent pharmacy is going to keep making a comeback. The big corporations have lost focus on what is truly important, patient care. Henry and I will not be the last pharmacists to decide that enough is enough and take a leap of faith. Even in the two short years since we have been in business, we have had other pharmacists reach out to inquire about beginning the process of opening their own pharmacies. We give them pointers, offer different resources and cheer them on along. The way we see it, the more new and emerging independent pharmacies the better! As pharmacists, we can take back our profession and put the care back into patient care if we continue to work together, and remember what’s truly important. New legislation will also be a turning point within our profession as a whole. Our hope is that younger pharmacists, like the fourth year pharmacy students that we precept will be inspired to branch out and start their own pharmacies so that independent pharmacies continue to have an impact on our communities and our patients overall.

Datascan Featured Client: Pharmacy Plus

Datascan Featured Client: Pharmacy Plus

Datascan Featured Client: Pharmacy Plus

pharmacy plus

When Pharmacy Plus opened up in Spring Valley, NY, there were no other community pharmacies in the area.  With a need for specialized services like delivery, surgical supplies, and a kosher market, Pharmacy Plus opened its doors in 2003.  Located directly next to a health center, they knew it would be a good location.  Location can make all the difference in the success of your independent pharmacy.  Pharmacy plus also learned early on that partnering with the right software vendor is another key component in building a successful independent pharmacy.  Datascan was not their first software vendor, but according to them, will be their last. 

Datascan: How did Pharmacy Plus get started?

Pharmacy Plus: As our neighborhood and community got bigger, we saw a need for a local pharmacy.  The health center next door also needed a pharmacy to handle their patients.  There were no other independent pharmacies in our area and we knew by offering what our patients and community demanded, like delivery and a full service pharmacy front-end, we’d be successful.  So, in 2003 we opened Pharmacy Plus and continue to get bigger and busier year after year.

 

D: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an independent?

PP: For us it’s been difficult to be the middle man between PBM’s/insurance plans and the customer.  Often our patient’s medications are not covered, have high copays or deductibles, and we’re stuck in the middle just trying to help.  We’ve made customer service our number one focus and spend a lot of time fighting with PBM’s for coverage, or working with the doctors’ offices to find less expensive alternatives.  We’re fortunate that in Datascan’s pharmacy software there are tools we can use to save time, like integrated Prior Approval’s through Cover My Meds, and two-way messaging with SureScripts to help us reach doctors faster.  We also find it helps that we can email or text patients right from our software to keep them in the loop with what’s happening with their medications.  Customizable reimbursement warnings in the Datascan pharmacy management system help us flag medications after billing insurance that could be covered at a loss, or have co-pays over a threshold that we can set ourselves.  The pharmacy software color codes the prescriptions, and stops a label from automatically generating.  The prescriptions are then organized in a queue that we can work from to help fix the problem for our patients.  Winpharm has helped us streamline our heavy prescription volume, organize prescriptions by statuses, and allows us to better manage our staff.

pharmacy plus 2021

D: How do you combat these challenges to set your pharmacy up for success? 

PP: Unlike many chain pharmacies, we pride ourselves on our customer service and ability to get our patients their medications.  We do whatever it takes.  We spend a lot of time working out less expensive alternatives and options for our patients.  We want to make sure that everyone can receive their medications regardless of their financial situation—so for us it’s all about communication and coordinating care between doctors and our pharmacy to find the best solution for our patients.  Often we will give medications to patients at our cost just to make sure they’re being cared for.  Using the technology Datascan has built into the pharmacy software, their pharmacy focused point of sale, and mobile applications, helps our busy pharmacy by organizing our day to day tasks and cutting out extra work so we can run more efficiently.

D: What are some of the ways you use Datascan’s software and technology to help in your pharmacy?

PP: We are so thankful that we found Datascan.  Having converted twice before from competing pharmacy management software vendors, we were ready to give up all hopes of finding the perfect system, until we found Datascan.  We’ve found that Datascan offers simple to use, yet robust feature packed solutions to help us better manage our patients and workflow every single day.  We love being able to customize our pharmacy workflow—it’s an easy to follow step by step chain from billing in the pharmacy software to checking patients out at the point of sale, all the way to delivery using their intuitive delivery application!  Everything is accurate and incredibly easy to use.  We do a tremendous amount of deliveries from the pharmacy, so having an integrated electronic delivery system has been a time saver for us.  Datascan’s electronic mobile delivery app allows us to create delivery bins and zones, enter patients into their zone, and help to quickly create a delivery manifest.  On top of that it integrates with Google Maps to create an optimized route for our drivers. Datascan was even willing to create a “price checker” we can leave out in our aisles so customers can scan items and check the price, just like in the big chains.

pharmacy plus pharmacy software

D: What is your outlook for the future of independent pharmacy?

PP: While there is no way of knowing what the future will bring, we are confident that choosing the best partners for our business means the difference between success, more profits and more automation, or being frustrated daily with problems.   In the past, the old pharmacy software vendors we worked with continuously disappointed us.  We were left constantly with issues, no immediate response times and little to no flexibility. That all changed once we started working with Datascan.  We know that if we continue to offer a level of customer service that no other pharmacy in our area is willing or able to do that our patients will remain loyal to us.  We’re lucky to have found that same level of service in our pharmacy software vendor and know that our continued partnership will carry us far into the future.

Datascan Featured Client: NuCare, Ocean Park & Fran Hill

Datascan Featured Client: NuCare, Ocean Park & Fran Hill

Datascan Featured Client: NuCare, Ocean Park & Fran Hill

nucare pharmacy 2021

Russell Shvartsshteyn, owner of multiple independent pharmacies, NuCare Pharmacy and Surgical, Ocean Park Drugs and Surgical, and Fran Hill Pharmacy and Surgical, is no stranger to the difficulties of running a successful independent pharmacy.  Partnering with an innovative pharmacy software vendor that offers a tremendous amount of technology has undoubtedly aided in their success over the years.  Through our partnership with NuCare, Ocean Park, and Fran Hill, they’ve been able to combat some of the biggest challenges facing independently owned pharmacies today.

Datascan: How did you get started?

RS: Shvartsshteyn and his wife started their first pharmacy about 20 years ago in Forest Hills, NY shortly after she finished pharmacy school.  With a background in physical therapy, Russell decided to start buying out existing pharmacies and transform them into a full surgical supply stores instead of just relying on prescription volume.  In addition to offering surgical supplies they also offered strip packaging, something that was not yet being offered in most retail pharmacies.

D: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced over the years?

RS: Some of the biggest problems we’ve had have been dealing with the PBM’s.  The rules are always changing and we’re always seeing new fees and more fees and clawbacks.  First it was DIR, then GIR fees, it never seems to end and we always seem to make less but work harder.  We’re lucky to be using Datascan’s pharmacy management system because of their transparency tools that help us analyze and manage our DIR fees.  Datascan has a DIR estimator that allows us to customize our specific fees for each PBM and see those estimated clawbacks on the adjudication screen.  This has been extremely helpful for us in seeing whether or not we can dispense a certain medication to a patient without losing a ton of money.  In addition to seeing the fees on the response, there are also a bunch of reports we can run that let us do further analytics at the end of the month.

D: Why did you choose to partner with Datascan for your pharmacy software vendor?

RS: One of the biggest reasons we chose to work with Datascan was their service and support.  Having been familiar with other pharmacy management software vendors in the past and seeing what the customer service was like, we knew we needed to choose a vendor that could work together with us.  We needed reliability more than anything and Datascan’s support staff is always immediately picking up the phone to help us when we need them.  Datascan’s system is also one of the easiest pharmacy software systems any of us have ever used.  It’s so easy to hire and train new staff and they become familiar with the software right away.  The cost is so affordable; it’s amazing what you get from Datascan compared to so many other vendors that are nearly double the price.  We never feel like we’re sacrificing on technology and we definitely don’t sacrifice when it comes time to the quality of service we get from Datascan.

D: What are some of the other features or options you use in your Datascan system?

RS: We do a lot of deliveries and the Datascan mobile delivery system works so well.  We’re able to create delivery zones for our drivers and the app ties into Google Maps to create a route for the drivers.  It makes it much easier and faster for us to schedule deliveries and collect signatures at the door.  We also have Parata Max robots, which dispenses about 50% of our prescriptions.  It saves time and money and it’s one of the many interfaces we’ve used with Datascan over the years.  We also use Datascan’s patient mobile app for our customers so they can view their patient profiles, track prescriptions, and send in requests right from their app.  We’ve found that it helps our patients stay on track with their refills and have seen much better compliance with those who use it.  Building star ratings and medication adherence with our patients definitely is a lot easier working with Datascan and their pharmacy software solutions.

D: What is your outlook on the future of independent pharmacy?

RS: We’re really hopeful for the future of our industry despite so many of the challenges we all face.  COVID was a difficult time, but it has really shown people what your local pharmacy can do.  We’ve been able to offer so many services to patients to help keep them healthy during the pandemic, special order products, deliver medications to patients, and even offer curbside pickup.  I think that we’ve definitely shown what Community Pharmacy is made of and see a very bright future ahead for all of us.  We are glad that Datascan is our vendor of choice, and we like they have been independently owned for over 40 years.  Working with large corporations as vendors has its challenges when your independently owned and not a chain pharmacy, so our relationship with Datascan is a nice departure from that.

Datascan Featured Client: Accudose

Datascan Featured Client: Accudose

Datascan Featured Client: Accudose

Successful independent pharmacy owners have come to understand that finding a niche will make or break their businesses.  Pharmacist Mark Franceschelli, owner of Accudose Pharmacy in Boardman, OH has found his.  As we continue to see pharmacists playing a much larger role in patient care, enhanced medication management has become the key to seeing better outcomes.  Despite the many challenges facing independent pharmacy owners, Accudose has made its mark and sees a bright future ahead with their unique pharmacy model.  Finding the right software partner to support your pharmacies unique needs has become equally as important—especially as your business evolves.

Datascan: Tell us about Accudose pharmacy—how did you get started?

Accudose:   Accudose Pharmacy started a little over four years ago as a long term care pharmacy with the idea of helping patients manage multiple medications and improve health outcomes.  Being in the long term care industry and owning a consultant pharmacist practice as well, I personally saw the challenges facing patients when leaving a hospital or nursing home as it relates to medications.  Many patients are overwhelmed with trying to return to everyday life and simply taking their medications safely is a challenge.  Almost 40% of hospital readmissions can be attributed to medications—underutilization, overutilization, drug-drug interactions, poor compliance, and adherence, etc.  With this in mind, my cousin and I developed our pharmacy around addressing these issues as well as helping assisted living facilities, group homes, and home health companies reduce medication errors, decrease nursing time, and improve care.  We decided that there was a unique opportunity to enter the space in which we planned to operate.  We opened our doors in January 2017, and although it hasn’t been easy, we are now servicing patients in 5 states and looking to expand into more states in the coming years.

D: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an independent pharmacy over the years?

A: One of the biggest challenges we’ve faced as an independent pharmacy is obviously reimbursement.  Prior to starting the pharmacy we were aware of the headwinds that impacted independents.  However, we didn’t have a full appreciation for it until we began living it every day.  With shrinking margins, we realized from the beginning that we needed to operate the business extremely lean and focus on efficiency and growth.  Additionally, the need to provide greater service and separate ourselves was important but with reduced reimbursements, we knew it would be challenging.  Therefore, focusing on unique areas that are underserviced has helped position us to expand our bottom line even in the current environment.

D: How did you combat those challenges and set your pharmacy up for success? What are some of the unique things you’re doing to set yourselves apart?

A: We are constantly focused on our growth and enhancing our partnerships throughout the communities we service.  These partnerships with different healthcare providers, agencies, and community organizations have helped us expand our reach and increase our patient base by over 80% over the past year.  Additionally, since we are designed to effectively manage patients with multiple medications, we service proportionately more patients who have complex drug regimens.  This in turn has helped increase our growth trajectory.

Some of the services we provide include multi-dose packaging for our patients, monthly compliance calls, free delivery, pharmacist follow up, and more, to help alleviate the problems patients and caregivers encounter.  Our customized program has truly impacted the lives of so many patients and is extremely gratifying to know we are making a difference as [healthcare] providers.

What really separates us from a lot of places is our team.  We have a wonderful and caring group that makes all of this possible. We can offer all of the latest and greatest programs if but if you don’t have a team that truly cares about the patients, none of it matters.  We focus on making ourselves better each day and always try to do what’s best for the patient.

D: What made you decide to go into community pharmacy?

A: After being a pharmacist for 20 years in many different capacities I have been fortunate enough to see what works and what doesn’t.  I realized I had the opportunity to try and create a pharmacy that was different from the norm and make it something unique.  There is a sense of pride that comes with being creative, and in the end, hopefully making something special.  There are always moments when you question yourself, but then you realize the amount of people who depend on you—both your patients and your team.

D: What are some of the ways you use Datascan’s pharmacy management software to help in your pharmacy?

A: As our fast growth put additional strain on our process, we soon realized that our previous software was not suited for our needs. What really stood out to be about Datascan was their willingness to customize the software to our needs.  We are a very unique pharmacy with our workflow and Datascan has been able to help us through our rapid growth.  In particular, we have a specialized way of handling our prescription processing each month based on multi-dose packaging and they have helped design a workflow that improves our efficiency.  Part of this workflow design was the customized integration with our TCGRx machine, which has helped our team better handle the nuances of filling prescriptions in multi-dose packaging and improve efficiency.  One of the best features is the prescription refill request process.  Tracking prescription refill requests in our previous pharmacy system was becoming untenable as we have hundreds of requests a day.  Datascan’s software automatically matches incoming prescriptions from physicians whether arriving via e-scribe or fax to the original refill request in the queue.  This eliminates the need to manually handle this process which was becoming confusing and time consuming for our team.  Additionally, the software provides for the ability to track these requests by date and add notes so the team can follow up with the physician and/patient.  On top of this, we have the option to schedule pending refill requests to automatically be resubmitted to the doctors.  This has saved our order entry technicians and call center technicians inordinate amounts of time.  There are also a multitude of other features that truly streamline our day to day operations such as integrated SMS and IVR messages that help to automate our workflow and build a better patient experience.  We view it as a partnership and realize both companies contribute to each other’s success.  As our needs change it’s nice to know that our software provider is willing to help us and collaborate on ways to adapt to those changes.

D: What is your outlook on the future of independent pharmacy?

A: I think independent pharmacies have a tremendous opportunity in the years ahead.  Independents provide such a unique and valuable service to their communities and it’s more evident now than ever before.  There are a number of studies showing the positive impact independent pharmacies have on a community—not only in a rural and underserved area, but in all community types throughout the country.  The care and improved outcomes they help provide is truly remarkable and the ability to innovate the industry sets them apart.  As rules and regulations continue to change, both federally and at the state levels, I think independent pharmacy will only continue to get stronger.

Diversity among pharmacy models is encouraging for the future of independent pharmacy.  Partnering with the right software vendor ensures you’re setting your pharmacy up for long-term success and growth.  Accudose Pharmacy’s focus on medication adherence and compliance requires an adaptable workflow and flexibility—a perfect match for Datascan