You have a lot on your plate as an independent pharmacist, and it can sometimes feel like there is not much you can do to make your own life easier. However, by gradually implementing these eight simple things, not only will your life become more manageable, but your employees and customers will be positively impacted as well!
- Organize against loss
Purchase appropriate shelving and fixtures to keep inventory and displayed merchandise organized. In the stockroom, keeping inventory organized reduces misplacement and breakage and improves workflow. On the sales floor, organized merchandise is easier for your customers to see and buy – and harder for customers to steal, since it's easy to see when something has been removed. If it's been taken for purchase, sales receipts will instantly show this. If it's been stolen, you'll see the absence right away so that you can take action. Customers are less likely to steal when they know a theft will be discovered quickly. - Lock up controlled substances
Controlled substances must be locked up unless they're actually being dispensed. Although that may impede pharmacy workflow to some extent, it prevents theft and helps protect everyone's safety. Thieves who see an easy target may return to steal drugs, armed and dangerous. - Guarantee customer/patient privacy
Updated HIPAA regulations mean that you must stringently protect your patients' privacy at all times. Structure space and establish pharmacy workflow with built-in protections. Centralize workstations so that they can be carefully monitored continuously and install lockable fixtures, cabinets, and other components to store portable devices.
Pharmacy shelving, fixtures, and cabinets that store portable devices like laptops or tablets used to access patients' health information (PHI) must be secured when not in use. This is to prevent unauthorized access. Install locking cabinets behind the pharmacy counter to both secure portable devices and facilitate efficient pharmacy workflow by placing them in easy reach of authorized personnel. - Make tech stations and workspaces private
Separate your workspace from your customer area by setting up a privacy wall. This will help you concentrate more easily since customers won't be able to see you to interrupt you. Just as importantly, it will help you comply with HIPPA regulations, as customers won't be able to overhear you and your employees discussing sensitive information. - Make the most of technology
Robotics help technicians fill prescriptions quickly and accurately, and interactive voice response technology means you spend less time talking on the phone. - Establish traffic patterns and workspaces
Tight workspaces can mean inefficient bottlenecks in high traffic areas, which could slow down productivity. Establish protocols for travel between drug storage areas and the fill counter, and reduce "travel time" between the two areas by reducing the distance between them. - Organize for efficiency
Just as with your stock room, workspaces, too, should be organized so that inventory is stored efficiently and employees don't have to spend time searching for what they need. Make countertops and storage units the right height for the most efficient use. - Revise as needed
The protocols and systems you establish to make life easier will likely change over time. Revisit regularly to evaluate and establish new protocols as industry regulations, employee preferences, technologies, and workspace configurations change.
To make your life easier, establish systems and protocols that will help you manage key areas of control in privacy, loss prevention, and optimized workflow. Revisit and revise as needed to keep things that way.
