1 December 2020
By implementing technology and innovation, people have tried to solve problems, and the problem of waiting in line to refill one’s perspective might be solved by an app called RefillRx Connect. A recent implementation of RefillRx Connect at Weatherwax Family Pharmacies demonstrates how technology can be integrated into traditional pharmacy operations and services, making getting services more straightforward for customers.
Adinarayana Andy, who spearheaded the digital project implementation, has bridged the gap between technology and traditional pharmacy services. The concern was integrating technology into the services and incorporating it smoothly and effectively into the system to benefit the patients.
Implementing the project resulted in benefits like a revenue boost. With automation, such as automatic refill reminders and online prescription management, they saw 15% more repeat customers with predictable revenue and efficiency improvements. Andy also mentions that with an automated refill system, wait times in stores were reduced by a large percentage, resulting in more productive employees and happier customers, saving money. Implementing a digital prescription refill process cut paper consumption by approximately 40%, and with manual error reduction, the administrative costs were also reduced.
The initiative consisted of numerous components, including HIPAA-complaint hosting, mobile responsive and website responsive components, and applications for both Apple iOS and Google Play stores. Andy oversaw the integration with RefillRx Connect, which automatically synced data and refill reminders. Talking of features, he created an analytics-driven module for customer refill behaviour and engagement statistics to improve targeted marketing and he also worked on improving the app’s interface to make the customer experience more engaging.
Nevertheless, the outcomes had their share of concerns. A primary hurdle that the team grappled with was integrating aged pharmacy setups not initially planned for online refills. “Customized links had to be built with Rx30 integration systems,” points out Andy. Their developed solution successfully connected online refill requests with in-store systems, creating a unified workflow to reduce efficiency and prescription errors.
His team also had to take care of compliance and security. Accessing health data meant strictly following the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and data protection regulations. Keeping security in mind, they had encryption and data access controls, trusted by customers, and could comply with every regulatory requirement.
Another obstacle was persuading customers. This issue was tackled via specialized training courses and in-app manuals, leading to an increase of 30% in user acceptance during the first six months of implementation.
From his experience, when asked about the trends of technology in pharmacy, Andy recognizes the potential for additional advancements in pharmacy technology. “We are seeing opportunities to incorporate telehealth features and apply individualized health tracking,” he notes. He also suggests ways pharmacies could implement technology to make customer experience more manageable.
“Independent pharmacies may leverage modern analytics for consumer engagement, enabling them to maintain competitiveness versus larger chains,” he says. He recommends prioritizing flawless mobile experiences and ongoing user input to enhance app functionality and user experience and adopting artificial intelligence (AI) for predicted refills to make the system function smoothly.
The success of this digital project demonstrates that independent pharmacies can effectively leverage technology to enhance their services and play a more active role in the healthcare sector. By keeping the personal touch of the pharmacies and focusing on integrating technology to use resources to make customer experiences easier, projects like these can influence other independent pharmacies to think creatively about serving the customers.