At iA, we believe that pharmacy automation should not only enhance patient care but also streamline operations to improve all team operations. Often overlooked, employee Rx programs are one way to leverage central fill for internal pharmacy benefit programs.
By integrating central fill into your employee prescription fulfillment process, there could be many benefits, including reduced operational burdens, improved turnaround times and an overall better experience for employees. This model has been effective for retail chains and health systems looking to reduce on-site workloads and improve prescription accuracy and could be an ideal option for other organizations.
When applied appropriately to an employee Rx program, central fill may help establish a consistent, scalable and cost-effective way to provide prescriptions for a workforce. Here’s a deep dive into these potential advantages.
Improved Pharmacy Operations
One of the key benefits of central fill is the ability to streamline dispensing workflows by giving pharmacists time to focus on patient care and valuable operations tasks instead of spending hours dispensing prescriptions at the pharmacy counter. For employee prescriptions, central fill can batch, process and prepackage orders so they’re ready for quick pick up or delivery whenever and wherever they’re needed. As a result, wait times and employee satisfaction can be significantly improved.
Increased Cost Savings and Efficiency
Running prescriptions through a central fill facility may reduce fulfillment costs in maximizing the number of prescriptions processed and minimizing waste. Automated technology like central fill has the ability to process thousands of prescriptions per day, significantly lowering the labor required which can increase efficiency. This automation may translate to long-term real savings for the employee benefits program.
A Healthier, Happier Workforce
Employees value working for organizations that offer well-rounded benefits programs, especially related to their health and medical offerings. Most importantly, central fill gives employees access to consistent medications whether they’re needed every day or in times of sickness. Central fill can also offer convenient pickup options, possibly even delivery options, which could result in improved medication adherence, better health outcomes and a stronger, more connected workforce. A healthier, happier workforce leads to improved results for the organization as a whole.
At iA, we are always looking to improve pharmacy operations with automation, including central fill. We believe central fill will be at the face of the future of pharmacy and a viable option for organizations’ employee Rx programs moving forward.