Checklist: 7 Benefits to Look for In Your Pharmacy Control Software

Increasingly, pharmacies are acting as providers of care, having evolved in recent years to meet heightened pressures from a pandemic, new digital customer base and growing patient population. As a result, pharmacy automation is growing rapidly and becoming more crucial than ever.

Pharmacies of all sizes are finding that centralizing operations makes them more efficient, productive and competitive in adapting to these evolving patient needs. Automation is reaching more pharmacies than ever before, including smaller local or regional pharmacies, as automation services become more accessible. Results have improved, too, as technological advancements propel better pharmacy control software and give pharmacies more insights into their options, better reporting and tools to improve operational efficiencies, among other benefits.

Whether you’re new to automation or have been using the same software for years, it might be time to evaluate your needs and available options. What should you look for in pharmacy control software as you make decisions that will significantly impact the future of your pharmacy? Start with these seven benefits.

Pharmacies continue to face an array of challenges — from an ongoing pandemic to supply chain disruptions and greater patient and customer demands. But they also have a huge opportunity. Find out what opportunities await pharmacies with automation.

Benefit 1: It solves pain points — doesn’t create them

Pharmacy control software should solve proverbial headaches — not cause them. More specifically, if it’s nonintuitive, difficult to navigate or creates challenges when managing orders — three common pain points pharmacies experience — it’s probably not improving your pharmacy’s efficiency. Today’s market-leading software is intuitive, attractive and user-friendly.

Key features to look for

User-friendly experience, streamlined navigation, minimal training and an intuitive feel

Benefit 2: It helps achieve your goals

It sounds obvious, but it’s crucial to know exactly how your software will enable you to meet your goals, and it should tell you exactly how it’s going to do that. Leading software can be configured and customized to meet your needs.

Key features to look for

Software that increases throughput and lowers cost-to-fill

Benefit 3: It’s proven to actively boost performance

You’re looking for measurable results. Pharmacies should expect to see throughput and efficiency improve and cost-to-fill go down. Software today can prove performance against pharmacies like yours that are using similar programs and demonstrate whether they can exceed other software on these all-important metrics. Shop around and make sure you’re comparing software objectively. It's a big investment to initiate or change software, but if you make the right investment, you may realize your investment in less than two years in higher capacity systems.^[1]CoverMyMeds comparison of pharmacy control software capabilities, data on file

Key features to look for

Intelligent order planning and release algorithms that optimize throughput, consistent daily throughput, efficient dispenser utilization, dynamic canister assignment, reduced replenishment interaction and increased system availability

Benefit 4: You can see whether it’s working — and change something if it’s not

Visibility into your operations is one of the most important aspects of a software-user’s experience. Software that offers organized systemwide transparency will allow you to track and troubleshoot your operations.

Key features to look for

Order prioritization, order data visibility and machine monitoring

Benefit 5: It’s easy for you to make decisions

In addition to viewing and understanding your automated pharmacy and its performance, you need to be able to quickly step in, create resolutions and make changes to pharmacy operations as needed. The best pharmacy control software will provide the insights and information you need to make real-time decisions that affect your performance and improve customer experience.

Key features to look for

Real-time dashboards that provide actionable insights and robust reporting functionality

Benefit 6: It offers comprehensive support and training

For this important investment to launch smoothly with minimal disruption to your pharmacy, you’ll need experienced and readily available support, maintenance training and assistance and much more. No matter how easy the software is for you to use, it’s crucial to have dedicated people manage your account, find opportunities to enhance your services and intervene to help as needed.

Key features to look for

Account managers, readily available help desk, remote support, software training and updating and maintenance assistance

Benefit 7: It’s intelligent — really intelligent

The technology available today is incredible, and it’s only going to keep advancing. As automation capabilities blossom, certain software will stand out while others will inevitably lag.

You’ll want to choose software with a deep automation toolset. It should not only have what you need today but also be committed to self-improvement and furthering the industry’s capabilities. The software on which your automation runs is the heart of your entire centralization effort. It should be constantly self-monitoring and -optimizing once running to make sure you never fall behind, glitch or go stagnant.

Key features to look for

Automation efficiencies that make sure you’re optimally using automation to maximize throughput, self-calibrating dispensing equipment that records fill data for optimal settings, subsystem intelligence that constantly measures capacity to send orders at the ideal time and maximize station utilization and on-the-fly imaging that allows you to turn more carriers

Find out today how pharmacy automation software could make the difference for your pharmacy.