Eight Ways to Keep Your Pharmacy Productive

Seasoned Pharmacists and Pharmacy Techs know it can be difficult to keep every customer happy and satisfied 100% of the time.  Still, there are helpful pharmacy hacks that can improve the efficiency and productivity of your practice, and as a result, customer satisfaction.

Which could your pharmacy most benefit from?

1. Map out workstations and have techs assigned to specific duties, such as:
   • Assisting walk-in patients immediately
   • Handling prior authorizations and managing refill request forms sent to the physician
   • Monitoring inventory through your pharmacy software, and setting things like minimums/maximums
   • Pulling drugs and packaging
2. Assign color-coded workflow baskets for different scenarios, such as RED=Narcotic Medication, GREEN=Patient Waiting, BLUE=Refrigerated Drug, YELLOW=Drug On Order, etc.
3. Keep color-coded file folders for hardcopies of prescriptions in numerical order, such as RED=Narcotic Medication Schedules III-V, IVORY=Non-Controlled Rx’s, BLUE=CII Medication
4. Create a positive workflow through the pharmacy dependent on prescription processes, from data entry to prescription packaging to prescription verification to point-of-sale. This will prevent the prescription from bouncing all over the room from station to station, leaving room for errors to occur. Manage the workflow similar to traffic on the roads.
5. Create protocols for rush hours, assigning duties according to level-of-importance. Most pharmacies have an idea of when to expect rush hours, so it’s good to assign lunch hours (late and early) and other duties around this timeline.
6. Study SIGs, conversions and generics. Know them like the back of your hand. This prevents errors caught by the pharmacist, who’s often outnumbered by technicians. Make their lives easier by being reliable at what you do.
7. Keep your pharmacy and workspace clean and organized. Much of time wasted is spent on searching for misplaced items and/or paperwork.
8. Create team meetings once a week and keep them brief. Use this time wisely to discuss seasonal trends (flu, allergies, etc.), game plans to handle volume, address common errors taking place, recent industry trends or any other pertinent information vital to operating smoothly. COMMUNICATION IS KEY!

Ultimately, your customer satisfaction levels are a direct result of your pharmacy’s ability to remain productive and organized. By making a few simple changes in your processes you’ll be headed to the top of your customer service game!

Want more helpful compounding hacks, up-to-date industry changes and killer deals on pharmacy supplies? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn- let’s be social!