Datascan Featured Client: TigeRX

Conversion Success Story: A switch over to Datascan, for the better!

To make it as an independent pharmacy nowadays is tough. It’s not just about filling prescriptions, but about offering your customers next level service. In order to remain competitive, profitable, and successful, pharmacy owners must not only establish themselves as a staple within their communities, but also align themselves with the best possible partners.

Running a successful independent pharmacy is no easy feat, and for Ben Price, owner of TigeRX Pharmacy in Honaker, Virginia, he encompasses what it means to be an independent pharmacist. As a second generation pharmacist, Ben took over TigeRX in 2010, which originally started in 2001 and was named after their local high school mascot, the Honaker Tigers. TigeRX Pharmacy set out with a mission to offer better quality patient care. Partnering with Datascan has opened the door to new opportunities and the ability to achieve their goal of providing Honaker with easy access to pharmacists and quality care.

(D): What are some of the ways you’re setting your pharmacy apart from other independents and also the chains?

(BP): We pride ourselves on service and taking care of our aging community while providing easy access for caregivers of younger generations to use technology to make the process easier. Moving over to Datascan from our prior vendor has allowed us to offer things like text messaging and a mobile app which makes it even easier for patients and their caregivers to connect with us and stay on top of meds.

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

(BP) We offer free delivery, free medication packaging, free adherence monitoring, and geriatric consults with a board certified geriatric pharmacist. We also offer all point of care testing to include strep, flu, covid, UTI, yeast infection, etc. We also have collaborative practice agreements in place to start therapy immediately with no doctor visit required. We’ve been able to leverage the technology and features in Datascan’s software to streamline our deliveries through their electronic system. It’s also incredibly convenient that our software integrates with our compliance packaging machine. The software has freed up a lot of our staff’s time so that our pharmacists actually have the time to counsel and work with patients.

(D) Aside from everyday functions like entering prescriptions, viewing profiles, etc. what features are you using to help organize your workflow and build efficiency?

(BP) One of the most useful options for us is having the ability to customize our PMS (pharmacy management system) to identify patients who miss refill opportunities on medications that affect our adherence metrics and to make sure that we are taking advantage of 90 day fills when we can. Between the dashboards and reporting capabilities in Winpharm we’ve been able to hone in on patients with compliance issues such as late fills or missed refills, and get them on auto refill programs and delivery. This has ultimately improved compliance and adherence which ultimately increases our profits.

(D) What advice would you give to someone looking to open a community pharmacy?

(BP) Make sure you’re ready to get involved with your community and live, work, and be involved with your patients. Really making your pharmacy a part of the neighborhood and being involved in the lives of your patients truly helps build loyalty and customer retention.

(D) You’ve previously used another software vendor prior to Datascan. What made you start looking around for a new vendor partner?

(BP) Constant fee increases from our prior vendor and their updates rolling out without proper vetting ultimately pushed us to start shopping. We were sick of paying more for less. We converted from PrimeCareNRX from QS1 and considered 12 other vendors before happily choosing Datascan.

(D) What made you choose Datascan?

(BP) Pricing is what made me start looking, but the reviews from other pharmacists is what sold me. By and large community pharmacy functions the same. If someone tells me what works for them we’re going to listen. Datascan operates like we do and focuses on service, something many other vendors seem to have lost sight of these days.

(D) How was your conversion from your previous vendor?

(BP) Logan and Mike were the best. The previous vendor didn’t make things easy for anyone but the two on-site techs from Datascan were perfect in their approach to our training and got us off the ground running smoothly.

(D) Since you’ve been with Datascan, can you tell us what you like about working with us?

(BP) My time from realizing something is not right to having the issue resolved is usually less than 5 minutes. I don’t wait on hold and they don’t have to figure out what happened. I’ve had a critical issue happen once and I left a message late after hours, fully expecting them to resolve this the next day, but a technician must have got my message and SOLVED the problem overnight. I came in the next morning with no problems. Come to find out this was the night before this technician was getting married. You can’t find that type of customer support anywhere because it’s simply not for sale. Nobody would have expected them or anyone to have that type of dedication or response. This technician knew I was going to have a bad start to my morning which would have impacted our patient care had he not intervened. This company has become friends and family and they truly care about their customers.

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

(BP) Changing is not a comfortable process because it slows us down. Pharmacists are resourceful people but also self reliant. Changing software vendors requires us to relinquish a certain amount of control and rely on others. Usually it never works out, but with Datascan, it does!