Despite the general public identifying Pharmacists as one of their most trusted healthcare providers, most people dislike having to go to the pharmacy because of the wait times they experience for prescription fulfilment. Clearly people appreciate the medication expertise and advice they can receive from their local pharmacist and enjoy the healthcare discussions that result when picking up their medications…but having to wait for long periods of time to get that face to face opportunity is frustrating.
For a pharmacy to generate more revenue, it needs to fill more prescriptions (which is antiquated way to be reimbursed, but that is for a future post) but the negative offset of higher volumes a busier dispensary, longer wait times for the clients and often missing or lost Rxs in the “Will Call” area.
This is often further compounded when the prescription they are picking up is a repeat fill for a medication they have been on for years and in the client’s opinion, one which doesn’t require a long wait for counselling.
A few simple changes can help reduce not only the wait times for your clients, but the frustration your pharmacy staff feel when things move from busy to hectic to chaos.
Immediate benefits, without adding any technology at all, can be found simply be adding a “Counselling” window, kiosk or room. Removing from the pick up line, the valued but time consuming medication counselling discussion, dramatically reduces wait times. No one wants to wait in line while a client receives counselling and advice from the pharmacist…plus, the client is uncomfortable knowing everyone behind them is waiting, so they might cut short the counselling. If a client wants to speak with a pharmacist, it should be in private area that doesn’t impact the other clients service needs and removes the “Bottle Neck” at the pick up window.
Following on from that step, simplifying the “Will Call” storage area provides immediate time savings as prescriptions are located faster. The Monaco Bag system, available from Manrex, is an alphabetized system of bags that allow the pharmacy staff to sort Rxs by name after they are filled. This allows the pharmacy tech to target the appropriate section of the hanging bags when retrieving the Rxs, reducing the time spent searching through completed Rxs. This is an inexpensive but impactful solution for stores from 50 to 250 Rxs a day.
Once your dispensary is filling 250 Rxs or more per day, the next logical upgrade is to move to a “Pick to Light” system, that highlights the exact patient’s prescriptions you are looking for. The “HangRx” system, available from Manrex, takes the simplicity of the Monaco alphabetized bags and puts a lighted handle on the bag, that lights up when the patient’s name is searched. Now, there is no sorting required at all, simply call up the patient’s name and immediately all the bags holding Rxs for that patient light up. The pharmacy tech simply collects them quickly and efficiently…
A further compliment to the “Pick Up” window area can be the addition of a “Notice Board” where the patient can see when the Rxs are ready for pick up. The “DisplayRx” system, available through Manrex, is a large screen located above the “Pick Up” window listing the prescriptions being prepared and which are ready for pick up. Clients (and staff) love this as it takes the guess work out of waiting…when their name appears on the board, their prescriptions are ready for pick up and it reduces the “Are my Rxs ready yet?” interruptions for your staff.
The emerging trend in Europe and the UK, takes “Will Call” to a different level, with Rx self retrieval lockers located in pharmacies. These lockers allow the client to receive a secure, one time use code, that lets them access their Rxs from the secured locker at their convenience without having to involve the pharmacy staff. Used 24/7 in Europe, clients love the convenience for picking their Rxs at their convenience with no line ups. Simultaneously, line ups at the pickup window are significantly reduced as only clients requiring counselling are lining up to speak with the pharmacist and with batch loading of finished Rxs using bar-coding into the lockers, dispensary efficiency is dramatically increased. ServiLocker, one of the first, market leading self retrieval cabinets is now available in Canada through Manrex.
If you have questions about how our Manrex portfolio of “Will Call” products can help streamline your dispensary, while improving customer service, call us at your earliest convenience. 1-800-665-7652 or from our website at www.manrex.com
-John Webster of Manrex Limited
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