Page 31 - Retail Pharmacy Magazine October 2020

Dispensing software Having spoken with some of Australia’s dispense software vendors, it’s clear there’s a solid focus on ensuring every customer is supported on this e-health journey. All vendors are focused on providing software that will perform exactly as required by ongoing changes and legislation, while also building in flexibility, particularly as e-health will involve consumers finding different ways to interact with the pharmacies they use. Corum Healthcare Head of Pharmacy Solutions Nick Richardson says e-prescribing has already created some opportunities for patients to reconsider how they get their medicines. “Traditionally, you’ve had a piece of paper and you, or your authorised representative, have taken it to the pharmacy,” he said. “Now, you’ve got mobiles, and you’ve got emails, and people are saying, ‘I’ve got this SMS, so why don’t I just forward it to the pharmacy, let them dispense it, then deliver it to my door?’ In fact, that’s exactly what some are already doing. “We’re seeing the traditional model of having to go into the pharmacy with a piece of paper being turned on its head very quickly – and remember, the token is just the first step.” “We’re pleased to see there’s a large number of doctors embracing e-prescriptions and they’re even making contact with pharmacies, saying ‘We want to start using this – are you ready?’” When it comes to being ready, pharmacists need to take the time to understand the e-prescribing process, ensuring not only their systems but their staff are ready, because there’s little time to delay. The reality is patients can present with an e-prescription today. Australian pharmacy software vendor Minfos has been helping its pharmacies make the transition to e-prescribing for more than two months now. Marketing Communications Manager Nithiya Benjamin told Retail Pharmacy magazine the company released an update to its dispensing software in mid-June, ensuring pharmacies using its dispense software could dispense e-prescriptions in line with each state and territory’s rollout. “More than 85 per cent of Minfos pharmacies in these regions have updated their software,” she said. “While this is a fantastic outcome that shows BUSINESS THROUGH INNOVATION DISPENSING 29 the willingness of pharmacy to adapt to technological change, it’s too early to speculate about the time frame in which e-prescriptions will be commonly used across Australia. Of course, this depends on the patient. However, Minfos believes pharmacies face two key challenges in adopting digital technology: implementation costs and managing the process of change. “That’s why we chose to make the e-prescriptions update within the Minfos workflow a no-cost upgrade for our customers,” Ms Benjamin said. “Our e-prescription functionality is also developed based on the belief that pharmacies are more likely to adapt to change when the functionality is easy to use, familiar and follows a well-known dispense process. “Minfos is focused on preparing our customers, so they’re ready when the first patient with an e-prescription walks through the door. As part of that, we’re recommending customers look at our ‘How to manage e-prescriptions’ video to understand how simple the dispensing workflow is.” TO PAGE 30 andico.com.au/products/liebherr-biomedical Vaccine & Pharmacy Refrigerators Superior Performance – Vaccines and refrigerated medicines can be securely stored between +2oC and +8oC. Quality – Quality Care Pharmacy Program compliant and purpose-built to meet the stringent standards needed by your pharmacy. Reliability – Factory tested to IEC 60068-3-5 for optimal temperature stability and consistency. Safety – Integrated data memory logs min/max temperature, audible/visual alarms alert users of temperature breaches and locks to protect against unauthorised access. Energy Efficient – Energy consumption is low which means you enjoy significant running cost savings. Quality, Design and Innovation RETAIL PHARMACY • OCT 2020