Some pharmacists may be hesitant to embrace the changes involved with adopting a centralized fulfillment model; one of the primary concerns we often hear pharmacists express when discussing central fill is concern over the delivery of patient care. As the shortage of primary care providers continues to grow, an opportunity has arisen for pharmacists to step up and help fill the gap in treating patients. At the same time, the pharmacy industry continues to face its own staffing challenges, including a shortage of pharmacy techs and high rates of turnover (currently around a 21% turnover rate). Enrollment in pharmacy programs continues to decline, putting even more pressure on the industry as demand for services continues to climb.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 60% of adults in the United States have at least one chronic disease and 40% have two or more. As these numbers continue to grow, patients are turning to pharmacists at their local pharmacies for medical advice and counseling. Unfortunately, most pharmacists report that they are only able to spend 10 minutes or less with each patient, as they balance staffing challenges, managing inventory, monitoring compliance, and completing administrative tasks.
Central fulfillment solutions can provide an innovative way to help improve workflow, reducing the burden on pharmacists. Despite the potential of pharmacy automation, the concerns pharmacists have about possible negative impacts are valid and should be addressed.
The impact on patient care
Pharmacists often worry that utilizing a centralized fulfillment solution could lead to fewer patient interactions and lower patient satisfaction. However, the reality is quite the opposite.
Pharmacists juggle ever increasing demands including providing over the counter (OTC) counseling, medication therapy management, immunizations and testing services, all in addition to the never-ending demands of filling prescriptions.
A central fill solution may help provide more time for patient care by:
- Streamlining prescription filling
- Automating high-volume dispensing
- Reducing administrative tasks involved with inventory management
- Reducing workload and stress on pharmacy staff
- Ensuring prescriptions are ready when expected
- Reducing the chance of manual mistakes associated with human error
Pharmacists hold advanced degrees and receive continuing education to prepare them to practice at the top of their license, ready and able to positively impact the care of their patients at a time when access to primary care is under duress. The fact is that central fill can have a positive impact on the patients in a community as more of the pharmacists’ time is freed up to spend with patients, improving their satisfaction and overall health.
Want to learn more about the value of centralized fulfillment? Download the full white paper here.