As we are experiencing a new range of technological breakthroughs in the 21st century, it is clear that both individuals and businesses need to embrace creativity, experimentation, and willingness to change. Rapid progress is expected in every field in the future days to come. Already, various business sectors such as Finance, Banking, Logistics, Education and Healthcare have plunged into the process of automating several functions through the use of specific software solutions.
Adoption of the latest technologies is helping all type of businesses to achieve efficiency and higher growth; the Pharmaceutical industry is in no exemption. Some of the best Pharmacy Software Solutions are bringing substantial positive changes in the way pharmacy businesses are managed today.
Earlier in the past, pharmacists used to perform manual data processing. It was quite a time consuming, inefficient, inaccurate and hectic process. The best option to manage data efficiently and other related day-to-day Pharmacy business functions, is to use a pharmacy software solution.
What is a Pharmacy Software System?
Pharmacy software is an automated system that automates all the processes and daily activities of a pharmacy store. Pharmacy Management Software solutions are now available as web-based, app-based, cloud-based, and desktop based.
Some of the top Pharmacy software comes with functional features like barcode scanning, pharmacy billing system, data automation system, inventory management, customer and dealer information management, accounting and e-prescription.
Pharmacy Management Software solutions are a complete solution that is capable of handling complex and extensive audits from various customers, suppliers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders simply and effectively.
Moreover, it can manage all functions in real-time. Not only this, it keeps an informative track of dispensing data as well as health. However, maintaining and tracking drug inventory, managing the complete workflow and creating a large number of reports are other functions of pharmacy software.
Furthermore, pharmacy management software that comes with all the necessary tools and automation minimizes the time per prescription entry, order processing, and management. For instance, the e-prescription tool is a feature that comes with any top pharmacy software solution, and it helps in creating reliable prescriptions.
Another feature is batching support. It dispenses the drugs based on the manufacturing date or expiry date. It ultimately enhances the efficiency and performance of the drug store as one can easily keep track of the medicines.
Alert system enabled in a pharmacy software solution notifies pharmacists and the store staff about the despatch of the drugs, inventory that is running low, and about the new orders and requirements.
A perfect Pharmacy management Software Solution should have the capability of integrating with a number of pharmacy tools which are used by various pharmacists. Several free pharmacy software and open source pharmacy software offer such facilities to the users.
Features of a Pharmacy Software Solution
Some of the top pharmacy software solutions come packed with powerful features. Before investing in one, check if they possess the following key features.
Precisely, a pharmacy software solution should have features that can cater to the functions of sales, customer service, stock, warehouse, billing and account management.
1. Good Technical Support - Since you are going to purchase pharmacy management software, you are actually establishing a lifelong relationship with the vendor. It is quite necessary for them to offer excellent customer support with well-trained and skilled employees who are responsive and quite transparent with their instructions. Majority of the pharmacy software comes with 24/7 & 365 days support system.
2. Stability - The primary concern behind obtaining a pharmacy billing software solution is to save time and make the workflow simpler. Hence, a pharmacy software solution that you invest should be stable and reliable. Moreover, it should have the ability to bear large data load. It should not hang or crash at the time of performing operations. Gather and understand user reviews and try to read information about the software along with its user guidelines.
3. Scheduler - An ideal pharmacy software system should have a well defined and clear workflow. Whenever a prescription order comes, the pharmacy software should be able to tell about the date of prescription, the number of prescriptions, dispatch details, prescription details and so on.
4. Key fields - Pharmacy software solutions should be compatible and supportive of key fields. These key fields can be the inventor’s name, category, code, generics, unit buying and unit selling price among others. It makes the complex process of entering a new inventory easier.
5. Batching support - A good pharmacy software solution should have the capability of making batches by their manufacturing date and dispatch it accordingly.
- FIFO- First in First Out. It indicates that the drug that came early will be dispatched first.
- LIFO- Last in First Out. If you want that latest medicine should be dispatched first, then this option is of great use.
- Expiry. You can set your software in such a way so that it dispatches first the drug that expires first.
- Manual. Using this option, one can manually select the drugs.
6. Alert System - A perfect pharmacy software solution should be able to send notifications and alerts to the pharmacist in case inventory runs down. The pharmacy management system ideally comes with an inventory threshold, and whenever the stock of drugs goes down of this threshold, it should alert the pharmacist.
7. Traceability
8. Backup and Restore module
9. Report generation
10. Prescription management
11. Compliance management
12. Intuitive & Friendly
In short, right from receiving an order till generating a bill, a pharmacy software solution should help you manage all the activities mentioned above in just a few clicks.
Advantages of using Pharmacy management Software Solution
Using pharmacy software solutions has enabled the pharmacies to make their financial and clinical performance better.
Advantages of using a pharmacy management software solution:
Efficient Customer Service
Using a good pharmacy software system increases the efficacy of transaction as well as customer service. It helps in easier dispensing of drugs. Moreover, it minimizes sale conflicts.
Time Management
Usage of a good pharmacy software solution facilitates proficient time management. The reason lies in the fact that it takes a lot of time to perform accounting, inventory management, and sales recording manually.
However, by investing in a powerful Pharmacy Management Software solution, this precious time can be saved and can be utilized in offering various discount programs and loyalty programs that can help in increasing sales and profits.
Storage of Information
A pharmacy management system stores all information about the suppliers and manufacturers. This data is critical for the pharmacist as it keeps them updated about the supplier and manufacturer of the medicines that the pharmacist is dealing currently.
Latest Drug Information
Pharmacy software solutions automatically update all the newly introduced drugs in the market. It gives information about effectiveness, price and manufacturer information on freshly introduced medicines in the market.
Reminder
The best thing about a pharmacy software solution is that it sends reminders in the form of text messages and emails whenever an inventory is running out of stock or crosses the expiry dates. Apart from this, it can also send reminders whenever drugs are ready for despatch using pharmacy dispensing systems.
E-Prescribing
A pharmacy software solution has the feature of e-prescribing. It minimises human errors. So, we can say e-prescribing results in offering more efficient services to the patients.
Pharmacy Point of Sale System
The POS facility offered by the pharmacy software solution offers real-time sales report.
Reporting
A pharmacy software solution provides you neat and clean reports on revenues generated every month. Also, users can generate customized reports on the sale of each unit of medicines, the drugs disposed of, and the damages incurred.
Better customer health leads to better business health
Pharmacists and staff members spend time in checking the customer insurance, managing finances, counting the drugs, organizing and putting them in bottles.
Complete and accurate drug interaction
The pharmacy software solution has an integrated feature that detects interactions between various drugs. It is quite helpful as it can predict whether a specific drug is compatible with another drug or not.
Hence, it is quite helpful for pharmacists as they can see whether two drugs can be taken together in one dosage or not. If two drugs are not compatible with each other, a pharmacist will be able to guide the patient accordingly.
Manages Inventory
A pharmacy software solution offers robust inventory management. It keeps a record of the drugs that are running low and can help in re-ordering those drugs. It can also help the users to identify the ones that are in high demand and the ones that have sufficient stock.
Running a pharmacy business is a massive task as a single mistake can lead to fatal consequences. It can have a significant impact on pharmacy revenue and the credibility of the operators. Reports indicate that on an average, around four prescriptions per every 250 prescriptions fail to match the guidelines.
Also, there can be other issues related to customer service, workflow, accounting, safety, and efficiency.
If you want to avoid these kinds of inaccuracies, then it becomes a necessity to have a pharmacy software solution. A good pharmacy software solution can increase efficiency, add transparency and bring an overall increase in the ROI.
Why should one invest in a Pharmacy Software Solution?
1. A Pharmacy software solution helps inefficient supply chain management. The primary job of a pharmacy is to deal with prescriptions, adding subscriptions, fulfilling them, maintaining them, communicating information, checking inventory levels, etc.
The pharmacy software integrates well with an efficient supply chain management mechanism that has the prime objective of making the workflow efficient. A streamlined workflow ensures the management of prescriptions on-time.
Pharmacy management can be a cumbersome task for humans as it needs precision and agility.
If the workload exceeds, human workers may exhaust or function inefficiently. On the other hand, a pharmacy software solution does not have such issues. Moreover, it is quite capable and scalable as per the needs of the business.
For instance, a pharmacy software solution can perform predictable and repetitive tasks with full accuracy.
2. Better customer service and healthy relationship. Customer service stands critical for any business. If you are not able to resolve the queries of your customers to give them complete satisfaction, then your business cannot grow.
Pharmacy software is designed in such a way so that it addresses customer problems in the most effective way. For instance, announcing appointment date and time to the customers at scheduled intervals is quite essential.
It is possible that a customer forgets appointment date or about the prescriptions. In that case, pharmacy software keeps a record and sends alerts to the customer. And it generates trust in the customer’s mind.
In maintaining a healthy relationship with customers, pharmacy automation software and employees are both responsible. The reason is that software performs tasks of managing subscriptions, fulfilling orders, and handling customer data. On the other hand, employees should focus on interacting with customers.
Suppose a customer/patient is willing to know about dosage. The pharmacy software can show printed instructions, but as a pharmacist, you can give more elaborated instructions. Moreover, you can clear doubts instantly.
And surveys say that customer experience is more important than the price of the product or service. The combination of pharmacy software and human works perfectly as the software can take care of all the repetitive and predictable operations while humans can give more personal time to your customers, vendors, and doctors.
3. Smooth Workflow. The prime objective of the pharmacy software solution is to offer workflow efficiency. And it is achieved by automating exhaustive tasks and by eliminating errors in every process.
Also, the integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence can offer high productivity, efficiency at a minimal cost.
There are specific pharmaceutical jargons that can be quite confusing, even for the pharmacy experts. To err is human nature. But with the help of pharmacy software solution, it becomes simpler to maintain records and issue subscriptions.
A pharmacy software solution can accelerate the day-to-day pharmacy business processes. It enables you to serve more customers. For instance, medicine names are quite complex to remember. Once you incorporate these medicine names in the software, you can easily find out these names as and when required.
A good pharmacy software system connects pharmacists, patients, and doctors all in one platform. Automation minimizes human intervention as various processes like booking appointment, drug and prescriptions management, and inventory processes when automated results in an efficient workflow.
So, with the help of pharmacy software solution, a user has more control over pharmacy functioning. One can look at various software development companies for creating fully customized pharmacy software that aligns with their requirements.
How to choose a Pharmacy Software Solution?
Today, the facility to customize a solution takes the upper hand. An open source pharmacy software solution will allow users to customize tools as per their requirements, modify the software to enhance its offerings and still pay a very minimal cost. A free pharmacy software solution will help users to enjoy certain essential features for an unlimited time. Pharmacists who can manage with the features provided in the free version benefit the most. Few of the pharmacy software solutions offer a trial period where users can test the software, and if it suits them, they can buy the features later. Commercial pharmacy software has its own benefit as the software is packed with features and is not limited to users.
EnterpriseRx, BestRx, PharmacyRx, PrimeCare, GuardianRx are some of the best Pharmacy Software Solutions available today in the market.
Wrapping up
Pharmacy management software system is gaining traction across the globe. Several software providers today focus actively on the development of efficient pharmacy software solutions. Management of the pharmacy business is very critical. Hence, it becomes a necessity to have a pharmacy software solution as it makes the whole process to function in a smart, efficient, reliable, accurate and effective manner. Free and open source pharmacy software can be a good choice. However, it is suggested to have a detailed discussion with the vendor before purchasing a fully customized system for your pharmacy. If you have already used any pharmacy software, then do share your opinion with us.
