7 Features of a Top-Notch Prescription Filling Software
Long-term care (LTC) pharmacy software has the ability to completely transform the prescription filling process, creating efficiencies, minimizing errors, and improving service as a whole. More and more, pharmacies are turning to newly emerging technologies to optimize the way they do business.
With that said, your pharmacy management system (PMS) needs the right features to support your LTC prescription filling workflow from start to finish. That’s why asking the right questions is essential when choosing an LTC pharmacy software vendor.
Learn which must-have features to look for in prescription filling software.
Prescription Filling Software: Must-Have Features for LTC Pharmacies
When you’re evaluating software for your prescription filling workflows, here’s what to keep an eye out for to make the best possible selection for your pharmacy:
1. Workflow Automation
LTC-designed prescription filling software has the power to automate key tasks from manual workflows, empowering pharmacy staff to work more efficiently and better serve their customers. Prescription workflow automation helps to streamline LTC pharmacy operations, enabling scalability without the need to add staff or increasing the amount of time spent completing manual tasks that are inefficient and prone to error.
This way, your pharmacy staff can free up valuable time to focus on the most important part of the job: ensuring the right prescription goes to the right patient, at the right facility, in the right dose, and at the right time.
2. Seamless Integrations
Interfacing is necessary for receiving and deploying information to all of your LTC pharmacy’s existing solutions, such as electronic medical records (EMRs), electronic medication administration records (EMARs), remote dispensing solutions, packaging solutions, first dose units, delivery systems, and facility management systems.
Strong integration between your prescription filling software and other systems, like EHRs and EMARs, will empower you to provide the best medication management services for LTC facilities. That's why FrameworkLTC, SoftWriters' flagship product and the industry leading platform, can be integrated with more than 100 industry-specific interfaces, and is seamlessly connected to SoftWriters' complete suite of innovative software products designed to meet the needs of LTC pharmacy operations.
3. Forms and Labeling
Your LTC pharmacy needs forms and labels that are suited to your specific prescription filling workflow. Look for a software vendor who can help you produce single and multi-part laser medical records and forms, as well as thermal and laser prescription labels for blisters cards, IV labels, unit dose boxes, OPUS cassettes, multi-dose cards, prepackaging, and shipping totes.
In addition to forms and labels, some vendors produce laser paper for blank face MARs, invoices, and detailed statements. We also offer hardware to complement your prescription filling software, such as label printers, barcode scanners, and printer cleaning kits. With form and labeling support, you can streamline your pharmacy’s operations while also minimizing the risk of mislabeled medications or misplaced prescription labels.
4. Compliance Support
You need prescription filling software that’s up to date on ever-evolving compliance regulations, with internal checks and balances in place to ensure you’re effectively meeting any insurance and regulatory requirements for each of the states you service. A prescription filling solution that offers robust compliance support will allow your LTC pharmacy to operate with confidence and peace of mind that you’re meeting all your regulatory requirements, without requiring any heavy lifting on your part.
Ideally, the system you select for your pharmacy’s prescription filling process should be able to create prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) reports and help you meet your USP 800 and compounding compliance requirements.
5. Adherence Packaging
Medication adherence is a top priority for LTC pharmacies and facilities today—especially with such significant consequences of nonadherence. Your prescription filling software needs the ability to integrate with technology that automates custom packaging for each patient and facility you serve. For example, some facilities request custom packaging like blister packs or strip packs to increase medication adherence.
Offering this level of customization for your customers will not only help to boost patient adherence but also help you gain a competitive edge to win more facility business and grow your LTC pharmacy over time.
6. Sophisticated Billing
Prescription billing for long-term care is a complex process that’s very different from retail pharmacies. That’s why you need software with the ability to support and simplify several different types of prescription billing that are inherently sophisticated and unique to long-term care, such as:
Medicare Part A Billing
Nursing Home Billing
Split Third-Party Billing
Per Diem/Daily Billing
Short Cycle Billing
Cycle/Batch Billing
Post-Consumption Billing
Investing in prescription filling software that offers sophisticated billing features will allow your pharmacy to begin prepping the billing cycle in advance thanks to the separation of billing and filling functionalities, which is simply not the case in retail pharmacy.
7. Real-Time Data
Nearly every business decision we make today is driven by data. That’s why in order to minimize dispensing errors and maximize operational efficiency in your prescription filling process, you need a solution equipped with comprehensive, real-time data that can be exported for reports and displayed on custom dashboards.
Access to real-time data provides greater visibility into each stage of the prescription workflow, including where all medications are within the pharmacy. Plus, you can improve your inventory management so you always have what you need on hand.
Creating a Top-Notch Prescription Filling Process with FrameworkLTC
LTC pharmacies need access to a fully integrated, customizable solution that’s purpose-built with long-term nuances in mind. With the right technology, you can create a top-notch prescription filling process that’s automated, accurate, and efficient.
Curious about prescription filling software and how it can help you transform your LTC pharmacy business? Schedule your demo of FrameworkLTC to access each of these must-have software features and more.