Choosing the right pharmacy software can make or break your business.
While many systems offer the basic features and functionalities, some do much more.
The best systems give you advanced features that can improve your workflow, increase your efficiency, and improve your patient satisfaction.
Not all pharmacy software systems are created equal, though, so it’s important to know what to look for when evaluating your options.
Whether you're thinking of switching systems or maximizing the use of your current one, having the right features in place can elevate your pharmacy’s performance.
Here are 6 game-changing pharmacy software features to keep in mind when choosing or upgrading your pharmacy software and, more importantly, how you can implement them in your pharmacy.
1. Automated Refill Reminders
Say goodbye to calling, texting, or emailing patients to come pick up their prescriptions.
Automated refill reminders, which are built into the best software systems, can help you keep patients on track of their medications.
From the software, you can notify patients when it’s time to pick up a refill — and you can even automate the reminders so you don’t have to send them manually.
Not only does this feature reduce missed refills and improve medication adherence for patients, but it also saves valuable time and energy for you.
How to Use It in Your Pharmacy:
Set up automated refill reminders via text, email, or app notifications.
Make sure to customize the timing (e.g., sending reminders 5 days before a refill is due) and messaging.
As a bonus, integrate your refill reminders with loyalty programs to incentivize timely pickups.
2. Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Tools
Your pharmacy probably offers MTM to help patients manage their medications, but did you know your pharmacy software can give you the tools to expedite the process?
MTM tools, which are built in the best software, can help you tackle medication reviews, flag potential drug interactions, and offer patient-specific recommendations.
Not only do MTM tools improve patient outcomes, but they also help you optimize your workflow and ensure proper documentation, billing, and reporting for MTM services.
How to Use It in Your Pharmacy:
Schedule regular MTM reviews for patients with chronic conditions or on complex medication regimens.
Use the built-in tools to document interventions, track medication changes, and generate reports.
It can also help you bill for MTM services if they’re reimbursable in your state.
3. Inventory Forecasting
Inventory management is a routine task for any pharmacy, but it’s often tedious.
This isn’t to mention the fact that running out of a key medication or overstocking low-demand items can lead to inefficiencies, patient dissatisfaction, and financial loss.
Many pharmacists do inventory manually, but the pharmacy software systems have forecasting features that make the process easier and more efficient.
Inventory forecasting can analyze historical sales data, seasonal trends, and medication usage patterns to help predict which drugs you’ll need in the coming weeks or months.
By using these features, you can optimize stock levels, reduce waste, and ensure that the most important medications are always available for your patients.
How to Use It in Your Pharmacy:
Review the inventory forecasting dashboard regularly to identify high-demand medications and reduce overstock or stockouts.
With this information, you can adjust your ordering schedule based on trends — especially during busier times of year, like cold and flu season.
You can also integrate your inventory with purchasing platforms to streamline the process.
4. Patient Portal Access
In the digital age, patients expect to have quick and easy access to health information — even at the pharmacy.
Luckily, a good pharmacy software system can help you do it.
Patient portals, which can be built into your software, allow your patients to view their prescription history, refill medications, check order statuses, and even communicate with the pharmacy directly — all without ever leaving home.
Patient portals not only increase patient engagement, but they also reduce administrative workload for your staff by moving routine inquiries to an online platform.
How to Use It in Your Pharmacy
Encourage patients to sign up for your portal by promoting it in-store and on your social media channels.
You can provide a step-by-step guide on how to navigate the portal, highlighting features like medication reminders and refill requests, to improve patient engagement.
5. Telehealth Integrations
After COVID-19, telehealth has become all the rage — and for many patients, it’s now a basic standard of care.
Fortunately, the top pharmacy software systems offer seamless connections with telehealth services, enabling pharmacists to provide consultations, medication reviews, and follow-up care remotely.
This capability not only expands your service offerings but also enhances patient access to care, particularly for those who may face barriers to visiting the pharmacy in person.
To learn more about telehealth, read our blog, What is Telepharmacy?: Challenges, Opportunities, and Outlook.
How to Use It in Your Pharmacy
Leverage telehealth to offer remote consultations, medication reviews, and follow-up care for patients who can’t easily visit the pharmacy (like rural or homebound patients).
Telehealth platforms like Infinipharm and Medtel Communications integrate with many pharmacy software vendors.
6. Adherence Scoring
Good adherence is a sign of success in any pharmacy. To help you up your adherence numbers, the best software systems now offer adherence scoring tools.
These tools analyze a patient’s medication refill history and usage patterns to generate adherence scores, allowing pharmacists to identify patients who may be struggling to follow their prescribed regimens.
With this information, you can better engage patients, provide tailored interventions, and improve health outcomes.
How to Use It in Your Pharmacy
Regularly check adherence scores and identify patients who may need additional counseling.
You can offer personalized interventions, like med sync recommendations or follow-up calls, to help improve adherence.
Tracking these scores can also help you report outcomes to payers if needed.
Conclusion
Your pharmacy software system should equip you to do just about anything.
From helpful health insights that give you more data about your patients to real operational tools that improve your efficiency, your pharmacy software should be able to handle it all.
Ask your pharmacy software vendor about any of these features — and if you find that they’re lacking, it may be time to switch to a new software.
Remember: the best pharmacy software systems invest in innovation, regularly creating, maintaining, and updating features to make your life easier.
Visit our Compare Software page to get real reviews from pharmacists like you and find the software to set your pharmacy up for success.
