Prescribing Greatness

Pharmacy directors and buyers know that much effort goes into making sure consumers’ prescriptions are filled with ease and accuracy. The process entails more than simply counting the number of pills, sliding them across a tray and into a bottle. Grocery shoppers might not know about the many processes that go into providing the correct items, ensuring that billing is correct and the proper following of many regulations, but pharmacy professionals work hard to make sure transactions are smooth and satisfactory so shoppers not only returns to that pharmacy, but also buy other healthcare items and groceries. 

This is all made easier by working with the right partners, vendors and suppliers. Pharmacy directors and buyers know that the relationships these related companies build with them are what make the difference in creating a thriving pharmacy department in a supermarket. The inaugural Grocery Headquarters’ Pharmacy Trailblazer Awards recognize some of the companies of real distinction in the field, businesses that were ahead of the pack in innovation, technology and service. 

 Camber Pharmaceuticals

camberpharma.com

Camber Pharmaceuticals is committed to bringing the highest quality generic drugs to the marketplace. 

Kon Ostaficiuk, president of the Piscataway, N.J.-based company, says one of the attributes that make Camber unique is that the company has complete control of its supply chain from API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) to finished dosage. “Our parent company, Hetero Drugs, based in Hyderabad, India, is one of the world’s leading API manufacturers so we are vertically integrated from R&D all the way through marketing and distribution.” 

Inventory is key in the generics industry, Ostaficiuk says, and Camber’s supply chain is very strong because the company manufactures its own API. That gives it a distinct advantage over other companies. 

Marketing is also important. “We like to keep our share-of-mind high among generics buyers and pharmacists, so we have a fairly extensive marketing program, which includes print and email campaigns, a strong online presence and strategic trade show participation,” says Ostaficiuk.  

What Ostaficiuk is most proud of is the culture Camber is building. “It’s the people and the commitment we have to the customer and to each other,” he says. “From pricing to logistics to customer service, we are truly focused on building a team that is dedicated and responsive. We’re a young organization, not only in corporate years, but many of our associates are in their twenties, and their passion for the business is obvious and contagious.”

Ostaficiuk adds that Camber is making a significant investment in new U.S. facilities, which include a new headquarters and state-of-the-art distribution facility in New Jersey and manufacturing facilities on Long Island, N.Y. The company has an aggressive launch schedule and plans to introduce approximately 30 products in the coming year. “We are committed to the continued growth of Camber as a world-class organization that will be a leader in the generics field for years to come.”

 EF Bavis and Associates 

bavis.com

EF Bavis and Associates manufactures drive-thru systems for the financial, quick service and pharmacy industries. For pharmacies, the company offers several options that feature a fully powered transaction drawer, a built-in full audio system, laminate countertop, bullet resistant glass and a custom color steel frame. 

Among the newest products from Maineville, Ohio-based Bavis is the audio system, Bavis Enhanced Audio  Module, or BEAM, built specifically for pharmacies. While poor audio quality was once a joke in the fast food industry, the company says, audio quality must be clear and crisp for consultation between pharmacist and patient. The device takes incoming audio and reduces or eliminates echo, which comes from the sounds of the car engine or other sounds in the environment. 

In a pharmacy drive-through in which there is a window, a drawer, and basic one-on-one audio communication consisting of microphones and speakers on either side of the window, BEAM can help enhance communication even if the pharmacy is located on a busy, noisy street. BEAM not only improves the customer experience but also makes the entire transaction less time consuming.

Bavis also recently debuted the solar power TransTrax, which the company says is the first solar powered drive-thru. According to company officials, citing figures from the online carbon footprint calculator from the utility Pacific Gas & Electric, a single typical pneumatic tube system that uses traditional fossil fuels release 2,848 pounds of CO2 annually into the environment, while a solar powered TransTrax emits zero pounds of CO2. The solar powered drive-thru helps business customers decrease their carbon footprint, and can also save them money and enhance their corporate image. The system involves solar panels on the building roof, a battery to store the power, and meters to tell the company how much battery power is left. Every component is recyclable, and there is also backup power. 

According to Bavis, by using the Solar TransTrax, an organization will realize a savings of approximately $6,000 over a 10-year period, compared to a typical carbon heavy tube system.

 Kirby Lester

kirbylester.com

Kirby Lester provides a full range of pharmacy automation. The tablet counters and robotic dispensing systems are designed to eliminate counting mistakes from the tray and spatula, prevent prescription filling errors due to wrong medication or wrong strength, and provide a record of each dispense. The goal, say officials for the Lake Forest, Ill.-based company, is to handle the bulk of a pharmacy’s orders to free up staff for customer-focused initiatives. Kirby Lester products can be found in more than 40,000 retail, hospital, specialty and mail order pharmacies in more than 40 countries. Kirby Lester is a division of Portland, Ore.-based Capsa Solutions. 

According to the company, 58 percent of award-winning community pharmacies use Kirby Lester automation. Recent analysis by Kirby Lester notes that of the U.S. community pharmacies that received a major national pharmacy award from 2013 to present, 15 of 26 rely on Kirby Lester prescription dispensing technology. The winning pharmacies included national chains, regional chains and independent pharmacies that won awards from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and others. They deploy a wide range of Kirby Lester automation to dispense prescriptions, from the company’s KL1 tablet counters to scan-verification devices and KL60/KL100 pharmacy robotic automation.

 QS/1

qs1.com

QS/1 provides pharmacy management software. Jeff Wilson, vice president of marketing for the Spartanburg, S.C.-based company, says QS/1 delivers comprehensive, integrated software and hardware products that are designed to pull an entire pharmacy together. “The whole pharmacy approach enables our products to work together seamlessly, share data and require less training, because all systems are similar,” he says. “And it only takes one call to get a question answered.”

Earlier this year, the company launched SharpRx, a system that adds touchscreen capability to the keyboard and mouse that pharmacy systems have traditionally relied upon. SharpRx simplifies everyday pharmacy tasks by eliminating steps and making information easily accessible.

Also new from QS/1 is DeliveryRx, a free mobile app that allows pharmacies to track deliveries while offline. The company is also planning to release its latest solution, QS/1 Document Management (QDM), to help pharmacies manage the overwhelming number of documents processed each day, says Wilson. QS/1 also adds innovative enhancements and regulatory updates to its products on a continuous basis.

“We’ve excelled by making pharmacy tasks faster, easier, more intuitive and more efficient, while requiring less training,” says Wilson. “We provide multiple tools to help pharmacists improve adherence and outcomes. Our sole objective is to streamline work in the pharmacy without sacrificing patient safety or quality outcomes.”

QS/1 is a division of the J M Smith Corp., a drug company founded by James M. Smith, Sr. QS/1 was launched in 1977 when his son, Jim Smith, and other programmers at J.M. Smith decided pharmacists needed a computer system to help manage their practice. QS/1’s first system was the QS/1 Pharmacy System, now known as NRx, and was designed for the independent pharmacy market. “Since QS/1 developed one of the first pharmacy systems on the market, we have been innovating,” says Wilson. “We were the first pharmacy software vendor to receive electronic prescriptions, achieve EPCS (Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances) certification, provide Medicare Part B Documentation tools within the system and provide its own claims switch.” 

 ScriptPro

scriptpro.com 

ScriptPro, based in Mission, Kan., provides technology and services for different types of pharmacies, including independent, institutional and chain. Founded in 1994, its first product was the SP 200 Robotic Prescription Dispensing System, which company officials say pioneered the use of robotics in community pharmacies. Today, ScriptPro offers more than 200 pharmacy automation and management system products to pharmacy operators in the U.S., Canada and other countries. 

 From conception to development and market, ScriptPro has spent the last 20 years bringing pharmacy system and software solutions to the industry. The company offers nine different robotic models to help both small and large pharmacies achieve efficiencies in dispensing costs, while increasing accuracy and decreasing wait times. ScriptPro’s suite of integrated software solutions is developed in nimble response to ongoing industry changes. The company’s motto is, “One connection … one call.”

 ScriptPro’s most recent developments have focused on ways to further improve pharmacist/patient interactions. Clinical services are rapidly moving into the spotlight within every pharmacy segment. The company has developed mobile apps as well as its APCS (Advanced Pharmacy Clinical Services). In 2017, ScriptPro will bring to market its new SRS Robot, a storage and retrieval system. The SRS will automate the management of a store’s will call area, add officials.

 
Uniweb

uniwebinc.com

Founded in 1970, Uniweb’s expertise is the design and manufacturing of high quality, powder-coated, steel fixtures and components. All products are Made in the USA, and include retail merchandising, pharmacy fixtures, institutional or behind the scene storage, high profile displays and OEM parts. The company partners with customers to assess all storage challenges as a team; allowing Uniweb to share best practices to achieve the model that meets all the customer’s requirements. For retail pharmacies that can mean complete modular rooms, clean-line wall storage panels, general merchandise fixtures, storage room options, locking cabinets and adjustable height workstations.  

Uniweb, based in Corona, Calif., delivers long-lasting fixtures that can easily be reconfigured and updated. The all-steel panels consist of continuous horizontal channels, vertically spaced every inch. This allows for greater utilization of the display surface and broader flexibility in merchandise placement. With space a premium at retail, Uniweb increases product facings by a minimum of 17 to 25 percent, company officials say, and in some cases up to 50 percent. Uniweb also provides an extensive variation of shelving and hook options, including being able to shelve and peg side-by-side. 

One of the biggest needs for pharmacy departments is consultation spaces and immunization rooms. Uniweb offers portable and flexible construction so store planners can install the room anywhere. The rooms have ADA compliant entries to accommodate all users of the space. The consult room can be placed near the checkout station for easy access for transactions, procedures or conversations between patients and pharmacy staff. The layouts can be adapted based on the pharmacy’s size and configuration specifications, which will fit into the store’s current floor plan. This includes an ADA accessible alcove to allow seating for the pharmacist, the patient and their caregiver or guardian.  

Other considerations for pharmacy include privacy glass doors and panels to produce a warm and inviting setting. Allowing for natural light keeps the room comfortable, and sound absorbing décor fabric panels help to maintain patient confidentially. Many display possibilities are available, including custom metal finishes, trim strips, décor panels, laminates, wood and wood veneers, decorative metals, glass, tile, awnings, special lighting, signage, and more. Uniweb works with the store’s staff and architects to tailor the room’s exterior and interior to meet the company’s specific aesthetic requirements, including surface options, materials, colors and finishes to coordinate with the current store’s interior. Together, they promote a complimentary and inviting climate for the customers and staff.