Page 35 - rp-may-2020

BUSINESS THROUGH INNOVATION POINT OF SALE
33
RET AIL PHARMA C Y • MA Y 2020
Pharmacies wanting to upgrade their
POS system should be aware of the
importance of not only integration and
scalability, but also useability.
Fred IT General Manager Pharmacy
Solutions Byron Mitchell says ease of
use and a consistent look and feel that
enables end users to gain familiarity
quickly are key considerations in
any system.
“These reduce the cost of staff
training, allow rapid adoption and
enable optimising of the system to
manage their business and transact
with customers,” he said.
“The latest systems have scalable
functionality that supports the
independent pharmacy requirements,
corporate brands, and wholesaler’s
specific initiatives that streamline
inventory, drive increased profit
and efficiencies.”
Integration is certainly an important
factor, with powerful new additions
to the pharmacy software genre
continually coming to the market.
One such addition is a free
stocktaking app that can be used with
iPhones, iPads and Android devices,
reducing the need for physical touch
during this time of social distancing.
The app, launched by Minfos, can
be used to conduct stocktakes,
queue labels and view a product’s
stocktake history.
It gives pharmacy staff the ability
to look up a product’s name, primary
barcode, retail price, last counted date
and the current stock-on-hand situation.
With both an iOS and Android version,
no additional hardware is required
other than a reliable connection to a
pharmacy’s wireless network.
“We recognise that systematic
stocktaking is essential to achieving
accurate inventory reporting,
which is also necessary for making
sound decisions around stock level
management,” EBOS General Manager
Pharmacy Technology Andrew Hall said.
“The Minfos app saves time and
minimises manual entry errors.
There’s no need to manage paper-
based stock counts, spreadsheets
or CSV file uploads. You simply scan
the barcode on your phone, enter the
current stock count and hit ‘update’.”
The Minfos app will also allow
authorised staff to check a product’s
retail price, review the last counted
date of a product and queue product
labels for printing directly from their
mobile phone.
With innovation moving to
implementation in hours, and designs
being deployed in record time, now
is the time for pharmacies to think
seriously about the future readiness
of their systems.
SYSTEM ENHANCEMENT
Southlands in the ACT, have changed
patient flow by setting up a triage
desk at the front door, including POS
equipment, screens and printers.
Customers are welcomed and their
needs discussed before they’re fully
inside the pharmacy. Those with
prescriptions are encouraged to leave
them at the triage desk, being sent a
text message when the prescription is
available for collection back at the desk.
OTC items are requested at the
front desk, selected from inside the
pharmacy by members of the pharmacy
team and brought to the desk for the
patient to pay.
To gain the maximum benefit
of these changes, it’s vital for all
surfaces to be regularly cleaned
and sanitised, and for staff to use
hand sanitiser between dealing with
every patient. The recommendation
of both the Pharmacy Guild and PSA
is to have two pharmacy teams on
a shift system, avoiding crossover
between the teams as long as social
distancing is required.
C
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“We have to work out what
the workflow should be and
consider how that makes
it easier for the patient.”