Having to undertake a pharmacy shelving facelift may seem financially daunting on the surface. However, even a small budget can suffice if you plan ahead. You can even do the facelift in stages if necessary.
First things first: Make sure you are compliant with new HIPAA regulations
The first thing to consider as you undertake a pharmacy shelving facelift is that you must be compliant with the new HIPAA regulations that took effect on September 23, 2013. Specifically, you must take measures to protect patient's personal health information, or PHI. Physical safeguards will include implementing secure workstations and usage policies for all devices (including portable devices like laptops) used to access personal information. In addition to restricting access by requiring authentication measures and secure login procedures, you can also secure devices not in use by locking them away in secure pharmacy shelving and fixtures, as applicable.
Budget for "now" and "later"
Once you're certain you are compliant with the new HIPAA regulations, break down your pharmacy shelving facelift project into "now" and "later." You can do the work in stages to stay within budget. Make immediate changes, for example, by replacing older pharmacy shelving and fixtures with new, repainting walls, and updating flooring.
Swap more expensive materials for less expensive ones
It's often true that you can choose pharmacy shelving and fixtures that are less expensive without compromising on quality. In addition, you can make inexpensive decor choices such as painting walls instead of papering them, and opting for lower-cost carpeting, tile, or imitation wood floors instead of their more expensive counterparts.
Manage major construction in stages
If you need to have more done to your store than just HIPAA-related changes or some new pharmacy shelving, you can break down major construction into stages that can be done over time and pay as you go.
Hire an experienced contractor
Hire an experienced contractor that can help you figure out what should be done and when. Set a timeframe and budget for each phase – again based upon the advice of your contractor – and stick to them. An experienced contractor will also be able to oversee construction so that you can focus on business even as construction continues. You'll still need to be the final decision-maker, of course, but an experienced contractor can help you with everything from obtaining necessary permits to being able to predict and therefore avoid problems before they happen, thus avoiding unnecessary delays or extra unforeseen expense.
Finally, an experienced contractor can also help you manage project schedules so that you can probably stay open even as construction commences. A good contractor will be able to work with you to complete most work outside of business hours, such as after hours or on the weekends; this allows your customers – and you – to commence with business as usual, both for their convenience and your profitability.
A pharmacy shelving facelift can be completely affordable as long as you plan it right. Take care of absolute necessities (like upgrading to accommodate new HIPAA regulations) right away, but do schedule other changes in stages, then do them as you can afford them. Hire an experienced contractor to help you figure out what should be done and when; he or she will also be able to help you do things like obtain the necessary permits ahead of time and can predict problems before they occur so that construction proceeds as smoothly as possible. With an experienced contractor at the helm, you can save time, money and headaches during construction, so that the project is completed as quickly as possible.
