Non-Traditional Pharmacy Business Lines or Operations
Are you a retail or outpatient pharmacy or network of pharmacies who is looking to expand into new business lines outside of traditional prescription and over-the-counter dispensing? Are you growing and looking to bring in new pharmacy-oriented business that you have never done before? Has your patient population evolved into needing additional services that you have outsourced previously but are hoping to bring in-house? Is your network of pharmacies in need of some centralized services to improve efficiencies and reduce waste? Are your margins dwindling due to cuts in PBM reimbursements and steering patients toward PBM-owned mail order, retail, and specialty pharmacies and you’re looking for a way to retain these patients?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, keep reading. We may be able to assist you.
Below is a list of non-traditional pharmacy services with which we can provide you end-to-end support solutions
Pharmacy Compounding
A compounding pharmacy prepares custom formulations of medications that are not commercially available to meet unique patient needs. In the community or outpatient pharmacy setting, these are generally prepared for oral or topical administration.
- Complete space evaluation
- Assess USP 795 and USP 800 compliance readiness
- Validate recipes and formulas with Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA)
- Develop/update SOP templates – stock or custom
- Create staff training and competency program
- Develop marketing and advertising materials for community providers and patients
Specialty Pharmacy
A specialty pharmacy specializes in coordinating many aspects of patient care and disease management by delivering medications with special handling, storage, and distribution requirements to patients who often have complex chronic or rare conditions and require frequent visits and follow-up with their clinicians. Drugs falling into the “specialty” category are often defined as both high cost and high touch.
- Complete financial opportunity analysis
- Conduct equipment, software, operations, staffing needs assessment
- Determine preferred accreditation(s) URAC, ACHC, or CPPA and perform gap analysis
Central Fill Pharmacy
A central fill pharmacy is a centralized, high-volume pharmacy that is usually not open to the public but whose sole purpose is to fill and refill prescriptions on behalf of other pharmacy locations within a company by leveraging automation technology.
- Devise facility, staffing, and prescription drug delivery plan
- Assess automation technology solutions options
- Determine preferred fee and licensing model and scalability
Centralized Prior Authorization Services
Pharmacy billing specialists serve as primary gatekeepers to manage prior authorizations centrally as agents of the care team since they have expertise in the PBM and formulary management space. This improves transitions of care outcomes, reduces provider burden and patient care delays, and increases pharmacy revenues
- Conduct equipment, software, operations, staffing needs assessment
- Assess use of PA software tools and operationalize
Pharmacy Call Center
A call center staffed with pharmacy-trained professionals that manages drug information questions, refill requests, general pharmacy inquiries from patients and care providers. The call center shunts calls away from pharmacy staff who are providing direct patient care to reduce distractions and minimize medication errors.
- Provide feasibility, design, workflow, and implementation support
- Coordinate customer service training/retraining for pharmacy personnel
- Offer talent acquisition assistance and/or short-term operational reinforcement as needed
Telepharmacy
A telepharmacy is generally defined as a setting in which pharmaceutical services are delivered to patients remotely through the use of telecommunication technology. Telepharmacy services are usually found in rural and medically underserved areas.
- Align company’s patient care needs for telepharmacy with state law allowances and best practices
- Assess reimbursement models
- Validate security of information technology and equipment
Immunizations
Pharmacy personnel administer vaccines to patients in order to protect them from certain diseases.
- Program set up
- Creation of SOPs – template or custom
- Establish pharmacy personnel training program and workflow
- Develop communication plan
- Provide/review checklists and vaccine protocols