There is continuously a need for upgrade of technology in pharmacy and this is to see that the valuable
time a Pharmacy Technician spends in pharmacy is not wasted on tasks which can be easily handled
by machines
Some of efforts the Chain drug stores are making is in filled bottles or blister packs of month
supply of medications which cut down the time in counting and pouring pills.
Some Pharmacies use auto counting machines and various types of robots to help
with this process of filling of prescriptions
we are also looking forward to see some vending machine type concept in prescription
pickup so patients can pickup their prescriptions 24/7 and have pharmacist 800 Number to
call for counsel at all times .
The advent of good versions of speech to text software can help a lot in data entry
ordering of drugs and Inventory management and these functions can significantly cut down
pharmacy technicians work load
There are so many methods now available and I would like my Pharmacy Technician friends
to come forward and discuss them here for benefit of all .
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Fast Moving Sections In Pharmacy
Fast Movers are the drugs which you fill several times in the day eg: medications
like synthroid ,metformin ,Atenolol etc commonly used medications. Many pharmacies
like to arrange these drugs in different section which is easily accessible by
Pharmacy Technician and makes the movement easier and call this sections as their fast moving section. Less steps to walk meaning faster filling.
Here is an opinion
The Pharmacy designs are to be made universal especially in chain stores .As
the turnover of employees is great also if you arrange a fast mover section
it might be different for each locations of a chain store as most stores would
sell at least a few products more than others . Also when there are many Technicians
and pharmacist going from one location to another these sections create difficulty
for these personnel to work efficiently as they have to look for products in 2
different sections .
In general the rule of thumb for any chain drug store is that there departments
when seen from inside should be exactly identical for personnel to function
efficiently
Here the efficient pharmacy takes the side of keeping all stores identical and
not creating a fast mover section
Different rules may apply to independent stores and Hospital pharmacies
this opinion is for chain drug stores having several locations nation wide
or spread across wide areas of states.
like synthroid ,metformin ,Atenolol etc commonly used medications. Many pharmacies
like to arrange these drugs in different section which is easily accessible by
Pharmacy Technician and makes the movement easier and call this sections as their fast moving section. Less steps to walk meaning faster filling.
Here is an opinion
The Pharmacy designs are to be made universal especially in chain stores .As
the turnover of employees is great also if you arrange a fast mover section
it might be different for each locations of a chain store as most stores would
sell at least a few products more than others . Also when there are many Technicians
and pharmacist going from one location to another these sections create difficulty
for these personnel to work efficiently as they have to look for products in 2
different sections .
In general the rule of thumb for any chain drug store is that there departments
when seen from inside should be exactly identical for personnel to function
efficiently
Here the efficient pharmacy takes the side of keeping all stores identical and
not creating a fast mover section
Different rules may apply to independent stores and Hospital pharmacies
this opinion is for chain drug stores having several locations nation wide
or spread across wide areas of states.
OTC's and RECALLS
Other areas of good work by Pharmacy Technicians would be in learning more about
the OTC (over the counter) products which are the part of pharmacy sales and management in several chain drug stores .
Learning more about the OTC products can secure the pharmacy technicians
position in the stores and along with the arrangement ,inventory management
and lay out of your OTC products, you are more knowledgeable about the usage of
these products which may be added advantage for the stores.
The more knowledge you gain about these products
1 First Aid
2 Diabetic supplies and usage of Glucometers
3 Diabetic foot creams and shakes
4 Vitamins and Supplements
5 Anti fungals and skin products
6 Durable medical Equipment Canes ,Crutches etc.
(along with the stores info which carry very specialized products)
7 General usage products like Humidifiers Vaporizers etc
and several categories which you see as you walk your OTC Aile's
your detailed interest in this products will give a focus to learn
more and take you into areas like location on shelf and sales
or seasonal movements of products from your shelves or movement of
vitamins or just helping customers finding products you might come
to know if something in demand all of a sudden was because of it
being featured on OPRAH etc
Helping people with their Glucometers can open whole new avenue for you
to get into more learning about diabetic care and open new revenue and
job opportunities .
RECALLS In recent time recalls have become a daily process.
Your ability to process the recalls quickly ,handling documenting and packaging to
send back the recalled products and making sure to get proper credits
for that becomes an asset for your pharmacy and ensures your job security
Not all technicians are very well versed with this aspect of business
which is an essential part and if you get a grip over it you secure your position.
Note
Technicians handling recalls please put your comments here about the process
which may be useful to your fellow Technicians.
the OTC (over the counter) products which are the part of pharmacy sales and management in several chain drug stores .
Learning more about the OTC products can secure the pharmacy technicians
position in the stores and along with the arrangement ,inventory management
and lay out of your OTC products, you are more knowledgeable about the usage of
these products which may be added advantage for the stores.
The more knowledge you gain about these products
1 First Aid
2 Diabetic supplies and usage of Glucometers
3 Diabetic foot creams and shakes
4 Vitamins and Supplements
5 Anti fungals and skin products
6 Durable medical Equipment Canes ,Crutches etc.
(along with the stores info which carry very specialized products)
7 General usage products like Humidifiers Vaporizers etc
and several categories which you see as you walk your OTC Aile's
your detailed interest in this products will give a focus to learn
more and take you into areas like location on shelf and sales
or seasonal movements of products from your shelves or movement of
vitamins or just helping customers finding products you might come
to know if something in demand all of a sudden was because of it
being featured on OPRAH etc
Helping people with their Glucometers can open whole new avenue for you
to get into more learning about diabetic care and open new revenue and
job opportunities .
RECALLS In recent time recalls have become a daily process.
Your ability to process the recalls quickly ,handling documenting and packaging to
send back the recalled products and making sure to get proper credits
for that becomes an asset for your pharmacy and ensures your job security
Not all technicians are very well versed with this aspect of business
which is an essential part and if you get a grip over it you secure your position.
Note
Technicians handling recalls please put your comments here about the process
which may be useful to your fellow Technicians.
Future needs in skill upgrades
In recent months some of the companies (mail orders) might be making a move to
send the data entry function part of pharmacy technician job to overseas companies
This might overall reduce the cost of prescription drugs in the US but all
of these things come at a cost there will be some jobs involved which could
be eliminated or the growth of the jobs in this segment may be curtailed
for a short time
This might be the time for Pharmacy Technicians reading this to upgrade their
skills meaning improving their knowledge in speciality areas like hospital
pharmacy or specializing in compounding or inventory management or becoming
ready to train the new techs in other countries by means of tools available on
the web or through tools like YouTube videos just be ready for the change to
accept it in a better way and all changes instead of creating a threat
should actually raise your income to a new level
more on this in future posts
overall the changes if they occur and are towards outsourcing it is good
sign a challenge and good source of income generation if you take the lead
and get on to some of the ideas presented in previous few lines
send the data entry function part of pharmacy technician job to overseas companies
This might overall reduce the cost of prescription drugs in the US but all
of these things come at a cost there will be some jobs involved which could
be eliminated or the growth of the jobs in this segment may be curtailed
for a short time
This might be the time for Pharmacy Technicians reading this to upgrade their
skills meaning improving their knowledge in speciality areas like hospital
pharmacy or specializing in compounding or inventory management or becoming
ready to train the new techs in other countries by means of tools available on
the web or through tools like YouTube videos just be ready for the change to
accept it in a better way and all changes instead of creating a threat
should actually raise your income to a new level
more on this in future posts
overall the changes if they occur and are towards outsourcing it is good
sign a challenge and good source of income generation if you take the lead
and get on to some of the ideas presented in previous few lines
Accuracy in filling
Accuracy in filling in the pharmacy is very important .
licensing process of Technician in most states is
supposed to bring quality in training and performance and above all the
responsibility in handling a prescription.
The new Technologies adopted by most pharmacy chain stores to eliminate
any common errors is a very important step in reducing errors but
the Technicians input into the sytems and taking care of not overriding
the systems manually and using all clues given by computers to find error and
to correct them becomes critical
Also as it is said the computer systems work only as smart as the operator
of systems. Here there will be more updates posted to see what areas are
critical and how Technicians can work with systems to enhance the quality
of their work and contribute in productivity by providing error free
filling and there by providing higher level of care .
licensing process of Technician in most states is
supposed to bring quality in training and performance and above all the
responsibility in handling a prescription.
The new Technologies adopted by most pharmacy chain stores to eliminate
any common errors is a very important step in reducing errors but
the Technicians input into the sytems and taking care of not overriding
the systems manually and using all clues given by computers to find error and
to correct them becomes critical
Also as it is said the computer systems work only as smart as the operator
of systems. Here there will be more updates posted to see what areas are
critical and how Technicians can work with systems to enhance the quality
of their work and contribute in productivity by providing error free
filling and there by providing higher level of care .
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Customer Service Aspect
Providing excellent customer service is another part of pharmacy operation
the technicians are the key to the smooth flow of work in the pharmacy and
this involves providing the customers the needed service in timely manner
Q When a customer (patient)comes to the pharmacy why do they come there?
A It is needed to answer this to clear a whole lot of questions that may arise
if each and every person working in the pharmacy cannot appropriately answer
this question
The customer comes to the Pharmacy for following reasons
1 To get a prescription filled (New or a refill)
2 Ask questions regarding OTC medications
3 To get opinion on health condition or to talk about their symptoms and to get
pharmacist opinion to determine if they have to see the
doctor soon or they need to go to the Emergency room
4 Just need to talk to someone in pharmacy to feel better that they told someone
something they wanted to talk about
In all of these conditions the Pharmacy technician can help them to either process
their new or refill prescription or refer them to Pharmacist to answer their
questions give OTC suggestions.
the technicians are the key to the smooth flow of work in the pharmacy and
this involves providing the customers the needed service in timely manner
Q When a customer (patient)comes to the pharmacy why do they come there?
A It is needed to answer this to clear a whole lot of questions that may arise
if each and every person working in the pharmacy cannot appropriately answer
this question
The customer comes to the Pharmacy for following reasons
1 To get a prescription filled (New or a refill)
2 Ask questions regarding OTC medications
3 To get opinion on health condition or to talk about their symptoms and to get
pharmacist opinion to determine if they have to see the
doctor soon or they need to go to the Emergency room
4 Just need to talk to someone in pharmacy to feel better that they told someone
something they wanted to talk about
In all of these conditions the Pharmacy technician can help them to either process
their new or refill prescription or refer them to Pharmacist to answer their
questions give OTC suggestions.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Filling Prescription
Q What does filling prescription mean?
A 1 Filling meaning prescription is read and technician goes to the
shelves and actually takes the bottle from shelf opens and fills
the medication in either vials or if liquid in bottles
2 Labeling the bottles and putting auxiliary labels as needed
3 keeping all the prescription belonging to one customer together
and depending upon the pharmacy may keep all prescriptions in
one order together eg family prescriptions kept in one basket or
one bag or organized on a table together in sequence
4 set up prescriptions for final check by a pharmacist in order
and proper attention so many patients prescription are not at one place
if baskets are used the prescriptions to go in appropriate baskets
and original containers from which the drug is filled may go with the
filled containers ( child resistant or easy open caps may be used according
to patient request
These are basic steps additional steps may be used according to your pharmacy
A 1 Filling meaning prescription is read and technician goes to the
shelves and actually takes the bottle from shelf opens and fills
the medication in either vials or if liquid in bottles
2 Labeling the bottles and putting auxiliary labels as needed
3 keeping all the prescription belonging to one customer together
and depending upon the pharmacy may keep all prescriptions in
one order together eg family prescriptions kept in one basket or
one bag or organized on a table together in sequence
4 set up prescriptions for final check by a pharmacist in order
and proper attention so many patients prescription are not at one place
if baskets are used the prescriptions to go in appropriate baskets
and original containers from which the drug is filled may go with the
filled containers ( child resistant or easy open caps may be used according
to patient request
These are basic steps additional steps may be used according to your pharmacy
Prescription Entry Process
Q What is data entry or prescription entry or input prescription ?
A Once the technician takes the prescription the next process is data entry
It is way it sounds just enter the hand written ,printed or fax prescription
into computer system to get it into computer format
1 Technician should make sure to open the correct file and type in or scan
in the prescription according to the computer system requirements
2 once the correct patient the date of birth matches type or scan prescription
Here getting it on the correct patient profile is the most important part
3 Type the prescription according to P D3 Q R meaning finding correct patient
P and then typing in correct DRUG DOSE and DOCTOR and DIRECTIONS and then to the correct quantity and correct number of refills
several other key factors to remember here are
1) To get the correct date written on the prescription
2) Depending on the state law enter name of doctor and Nurse or PAC who
wrote prescription if needed include both and included both of their
numbers DEA and licenses or in some state numbers like DPS or if
needed NPI or UPIN or State License number for Prescribers.
3) add any notes if needed eg OTC products or anything specific you would
like to communicate at the pickup
4) Resolve any insurance issues depending upon the computer programme some computer
systems may require pharmacist check before prescriptions can be billed to
insurance
These are some basic steps and may vary according to the computer programme
the pharmacy is using and the policies of the pharmacy
A Once the technician takes the prescription the next process is data entry
It is way it sounds just enter the hand written ,printed or fax prescription
into computer system to get it into computer format
1 Technician should make sure to open the correct file and type in or scan
in the prescription according to the computer system requirements
2 once the correct patient the date of birth matches type or scan prescription
Here getting it on the correct patient profile is the most important part
3 Type the prescription according to P D3 Q R meaning finding correct patient
P and then typing in correct DRUG DOSE and DOCTOR and DIRECTIONS and then to the correct quantity and correct number of refills
several other key factors to remember here are
1) To get the correct date written on the prescription
2) Depending on the state law enter name of doctor and Nurse or PAC who
wrote prescription if needed include both and included both of their
numbers DEA and licenses or in some state numbers like DPS or if
needed NPI or UPIN or State License number for Prescribers.
3) add any notes if needed eg OTC products or anything specific you would
like to communicate at the pickup
4) Resolve any insurance issues depending upon the computer programme some computer
systems may require pharmacist check before prescriptions can be billed to
insurance
These are some basic steps and may vary according to the computer programme
the pharmacy is using and the policies of the pharmacy
Drop Off Process
Q What do you mean by drop off success ?
A when a patient/customer drops off a prescription at the pharmacy
a technician physically accepts the prescription to process it
they need specific information
1 To read the patients name on the prescription
2 write the date of birth of the patient who the prescriptions belongs to
(asking questions like have you been here before or what is your date of
birth does not help)
The technicians have to be specific to ask for the date of birth of
the person whos prescription is to be filled
3 Address of the patient
4 Information about the allergies
5 If the patient has any insurance get the card and enter it into the
computer system or write on the prescription
6 Read the hardcopy and make sure it is readable and dose not any easily
identifiable questions
(questions like no name of doctor ,missing strength ,missing dosage from
or DEA or related information about the doctor
7 Check availibilty of the drug
The technician than should check if drug is something normally carried
at the pharmacy if a new drug or the drug the technician may think is
not availabe should be verified in the computer if inventory is uptodate and
if not then go to the shelf and verify drug availablity in the pharmacy inform
patient accordingly and suggest alternative
pharmacy to get the drug if needed urgent or offer to order
8 verify for pickup time or inform about the pick up time and enter that
information accurately in the computer so that rx is sequenced properly
This are very basic steps and other steps may vary according to the pharmacy and
and according to the customer group
A when a patient/customer drops off a prescription at the pharmacy
a technician physically accepts the prescription to process it
they need specific information
1 To read the patients name on the prescription
2 write the date of birth of the patient who the prescriptions belongs to
(asking questions like have you been here before or what is your date of
birth does not help)
The technicians have to be specific to ask for the date of birth of
the person whos prescription is to be filled
3 Address of the patient
4 Information about the allergies
5 If the patient has any insurance get the card and enter it into the
computer system or write on the prescription
6 Read the hardcopy and make sure it is readable and dose not any easily
identifiable questions
(questions like no name of doctor ,missing strength ,missing dosage from
or DEA or related information about the doctor
7 Check availibilty of the drug
The technician than should check if drug is something normally carried
at the pharmacy if a new drug or the drug the technician may think is
not availabe should be verified in the computer if inventory is uptodate and
if not then go to the shelf and verify drug availablity in the pharmacy inform
patient accordingly and suggest alternative
pharmacy to get the drug if needed urgent or offer to order
8 verify for pickup time or inform about the pick up time and enter that
information accurately in the computer so that rx is sequenced properly
This are very basic steps and other steps may vary according to the pharmacy and
and according to the customer group
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