September 2020

Are you a #PDSRxHero? Independent pharmacies all over the country have been invited to join the PDS Legacy Challenge. To enter is simple, just post photos and videos on social media of your successes, wins, and all the great things your pharmacy is doing with #PDSRxHERO in the caption. “Successes” can include anything from participating in a community event to getting a patient adherent, basically any milestone your pharmacy team achieves.

Why should independent pharmacies enter the Legacy Challenge? There are many reasons!

Build your pharmacy’s legacy. Every success, even the ones you consider small or insignificant, all come together to highlight the significant contributions your pharmacy makes in your community.
Tell your story and build your brand online.
Weekly prizes! Winners always receive a $500 donation to the charity of their choice in their pharmacy’s name, plus a prize for their team such as conference tickets, team events, gift cards, and more.
The chance to win a customized and all expenses paid two-day Pharmacy Team Retreat!
Last but not least, every time you use #PDSRxHero, PDS will donate to the NCPA Legal Defense Fund (up to $10,000).

The Legacy Challenge is your chance to positively impact your pharmacy, your community, and your industry as a whole.

New weekly prize drawings are announced every Monday leading all the way up to the 2021 PDS Super-Conference in February, during which we’ll be announcing the winner of the grand prize. There is no limit to the number of entries each pharmacy can post. Every success shared using #PDSRxHERO counts as an entry into the weekly drawing and the grand prize drawing.

So, how do you become a #PDSRxHero winner?

The first three weekly drawing winners (Valley Pharmacy, Mickey Fine Pharmacy, and Rightway Pharmacy) are all unique, but what they have in common is hardworking teams who put in the effort to help build their businesses and their commitment to the wellbeing of their patients. Since kicking off this contest, we’ve seen amazing stories being shared on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn by pharmacies all across the country! Here are our top three so far…

Valley Pharmacy

Valley Pharmacy, our first winning independent pharmacy is located in Valley, Alabama. They were recognized for the work they’ve been doing through the COVID-19 pandemic. Not every business can say that they’ve kept their doors open for all of 2020, but Valley Pharmacy did just that. Plus, their team has remained healthy and virus-free. Their winning post recognized that this success is also in part due to their community, who have been wearing masks and opting for curbside pickup when possible. It’s very important to remember that we’re all in this together and Valley Pharmacy is happy to spread that message. Their donation went to their local church.

Mickey Fine Pharmacy

Over in Beverly Hills, California, Mickey Fine Pharmacy is making it easy for their community to get flu shots. Their winning post provided helpful information such as the location in which the vaccine is available when to stop by, and their phone number for those who have inquiries about the shot. Getting vaccinated is extremely important this year. Catching coronavirus and coming down with influenza at the same time could have devastating effects on a person. That’s why we think it’s amazing when pharmacies make the process of getting vaccinated as simple as possible. After winning, Mickey Fine sent their donation to the Women’s International Zionist Organization

Rightway Pharmacy

It’s another flu success story! Despite the fact that football season was just kicking off, Rightway Pharmacy, located in Sun City, Arizona, made sure to get a 101-year-old member of their community a flu shot. Going into work on a Sunday isn’t necessarily fun, but this pharmacy is all about compassion. The patient was able to be vaccinated in the comfort of her own home. Just one more step toward keeping Sun City safe and healthy! Their charitable donation went to Valley View Community Food Bank. With the $500, the food bank will be able to make 450 meals. Talk about making a difference!

We know there are hundreds of independent pharmacies doing incredible work in their communities that we haven’t heard from yet. There’s plenty of time to enter the Legacy Challenge, so join the fun! If these success stories have inspired you, just think about all the pharmacies and communities you could touch by sharing your own. Click below to learn more and get started sharing your story.

Empower Your Employees with Pharmacy Technology

Medicap Pharmacy®, in the Des Moines metro area, has been serving the community since 1980. In the process, it’s been tackling a challenge familiar to independent retail pharmacies: finding the right balance of personal service expected from a community pharmacy and the technology needed to empower employees with tools and time to make the greatest impact.

“We base our practice on developing relationships with the patients we serve,” says owner John Forbes, RPh. “We work with them on their medications, doing synchronization programs and offering medication therapy management services to help them better understand what they’re taking and to drive more positive outcomes.”

Medicap pharmacists and techs historically dispensed prescriptions in vials and blister cards, deliver patient education to help customers get the dosages and timing right, and deliver medication synchronization services to create an aligned refill schedule making it possible for patients with multiple prescriptions to reduce trips to the pharmacy for refills.

Automation Improves Adherence

Taking a proactive approach, John set out to improve adherence safety by researching multi-dose compliance packing options. He chose to add pouch packaging automation, which packages all a patient’s meds in easy-to-open pouches, each clearly marked with a list of the pills inside and the day, date, and time to take them. This makes it easier for patients to know what to take when so they’re less likely to make a mistake.

“We’ve gotten new patients from our automation,” John asserts. “The increased volume adds to the bottom line. In today’s pharmacy business, margins are tight, so making it up on more volume is important.”

“Patient safety is one of the primary reasons I moved to automation,” John explains. “People are more compliant with this kind of packaging. Compliance is at best 60 to 70 percent when they’re using bottles. When medications are in compliance packaging, it can increase up to 80 percent.”

Customers need to trust their pharmacists, and John says the automation gives patients confidence. “They have a more secure feeling they are taking prescriptions properly,” he says, “and they are less worried about taking their medications.” Plus, it’s more convenient to have all your medications packaged by dose and time of day. “People crave convenience,” he adds.

An Iowa state legislator since 2013, John serves on the Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee which oversees the state’s Medicaid program. This gives him insight into the cost benefits of medication compliance.

“Medication errors are a huge problem within our society, and if we don’t get it under control, our whole system will implode,” he explains. “The packager is designed to lower costs by getting better compliance. When you can get people on an adherence program like this you get better outcomes. People are healthier, which reduces overall healthcare costs.”

John estimates the difference in adherence between traditional packaging and compliance packaging could be as high as 20 percent. These savings can be due to reduced ER visits, hospital admissions, and nursing home transfers.

Hear from the PDS pharmacy experts and learn more about compliance packaging.

About the Author

Parata provides pharmacy technology solutions to reduce costs, improve health outcomes, and enhance the patient experience by offering the most comprehensive pharmacy automation portfolio with medication adherence packaging, high-speed robotic dispensing technologies, and pharmacy workflow solutions.

The Independent Pharmacy Legacy Challenge

Why should independent pharmacies enter the Legacy Challenge? There are many reasons!

The Legacy Challenge is your chance to positively impact your pharmacy, your community, and your industry as a whole.

So, how do you become a #PDSRxHero winner?

Technology Enables the Human Touch

Empower Your Employees with Pharmacy Technology

Automation Improves Adherence

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