5 Technology Advancement in Pharmacy that is Empowering the Lives of Patients & Pharmacist

Let’s skip the intro and talk about some real things.

First, how technology is transforming the entire pharmacy ecosystem?

The life of a pharmacist is full of hardships! And it is a bitter truth that we all know.

From our perspective, tons of workload should be a synonym of the pharmacy.

Yes. A high work burden is something that every pharmacist faces during their working hours. But if you look closely into their workflows, we guarantee, you’ll be surprised!

They spend almost 70% of their time doing the same repetitive tasks.

For instance,

• Manual data entry for health records and medical billing

• Tons of paperwork

• Numerous calls for prescription refill

Means, the pharmacy business is full of chaos.

Here is where technology comes into the picture!

It is elevating the pharmacy business with its robust and result-driven solution and bringing peace of mind into the lives of pharmacists and other workers.

For instance,

• Automated data entry and medical billing process

• Eliminates the possibility of manual or medical errors

• Say no to paperwork

• More accuracy and transparency

• Speeds up the operational time the initially lowers the operating and resources costs

• Enhanced patient care experience and satisfaction

So, we are going to share some of the top technology advancements that are elevating the performance and outcome of the pharmacy ecosystem.

Top-notch technology advancements in the pharmacy business

The below-listed technologies are constructing strong roots for the pharmacy future.

1. Automated Dispensing Cabinets (ADC)

Source: Marianto Medical

It was first introduced in the large-scale hospital in the 1980s.

Automated Dispensing Cabinet is a medication distribution system that comes up with computer-operated storage, tracking, and dispensing of drugs at the point of care.

It is not only used in the pharmacy ecosystem but is also operated by large-scale healthcare entities or organizations.

Without ADC: 

• Time-consuming process

• Requires more resources

• High possibility of the errors

• Pharmacists don’t have time to keep an eye on other areas of the ecosystem

With ADC: 

• Eliminated the chances of errors

• Ensures high operational efficiency

• Saves time and cost

• Few numbers staff requires

• Allows pharmacists to spend time in other areas of the pharmacy business

2. Telepharmacy

Technology advancement that entirely transformed the way the healthcare ecosystem works.

Telepharmacy is the robust combination of pharmacy app development and telemedicine or telehealth.

It allows patients to connect with the virtual care provider over chat, voice, or video calls for both healthcare and medication-related concerns or queries.

On the other hand, users can order prescriptions at home.

Means, it comes up with the ultimate transparency and all-in-one healthcare solution in one place.

That’s the reason the telepharmacy market is skyrocketing right now.

As per the Verified Market Research, “The telepharmacy Market size was valued at USD 7.8 Billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 22.6 Billion by 2030”.

Without telepharmacy: 

• Patients need to travel to clinics for prescription notes or other health concerns

• No reminder of the prescription refill

• No real-time communication

• Lack of convenience

With telepharmacy: 

• Pharmacy store and clinic in patients’ pocket

• Saves time for patients, pharmacists, and healthcare professionals

• One of the best ways to make healthcare more affordable

• No hassle for the prescription refill

• An immaculate patient care experience and satisfaction

• The best approach to grab the attention of the customers

3. RPA (Robotic Process Automation)

Tedious and repetitive computer-based tasks are something that restricts online or traditional pharmacy stores to achieve their business objectives.

But RPA has the potential to address the concern without adding any complexity.

It automates computer-based repetitive tasks such as data entry, data extraction, marketing emails, notification, and the list goes on and on.

Here are the pharmacy areas in which RPA is used.

• Supply chain and inventory management

• Human resource management

• Patient data management

• Medical billing and invoicing

• Administrative tasks

• Compliance and regulatory

Without RPA: 

• High work burden

• The manual data entry process

• Burnout of the pharmacy staff

• High possibility of manual errors

• High operational and resources costs

With RPA: 

• Eliminates the manual process and medical errors

• Lowers the workload of the pharmacy staff

• Saves time and costs

• Ensures high operational efficiency

• Boosts the pharmacy business revenue

4. Automated customer relationship management

The entire pharmacy ecosystem is now online.

Means, it is not easy to maintain a strong relationship with the patients.

Thus, many traditional and online pharmacies use CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software in order to maintain an immaculate relationship with their customers.

However, it requires dedicated resources along with it is a time-consuming process.

But automated CRM technology holds all the answers.

It not only helps the pharmacies in maintaining relationships with their patients but it also involves the patients in their health needs.

Medication refill reminders, enhancing compliance, insurance management, and wellness newsletters are some common examples of CRM.

Without CRM: 

• Can’t make the data-driven decisions

• No clear sense of how the pharmacy business is performing

• No clue about the patients’ exact needs

• Less productivity

With CRM: 

• Opens a wide range of doors to provide better customer service

• Enhanced productivity

• Can help in understanding the patient’s needs

• Can make a growth-focused decision

• Increases the sales

• Helps in retaining more customers

• More accurate sales forecasting

5. MTM (Medication Therapy Management)

It is an online platform that helps the pharmacist to manage all patients’ prescription records.

MTM helps in detecting the medication issues such as – medication not being used properly, unnecessary medication, and duplicate prescriptions.

As a result, pharmacists can provide adequate consultation, education, and advice to both patients and care providers in order to use the ideal medication plan.

Without MTM: 

• Lower patient safety

• Chances of misuse of the medication

• Lower medication outcomes

With MTM: 

• Allows to reduce the risk possibilities to patients

• Ensures the ideal outcomes

• More reliable pharmacy services

Final verdict

Technology in pharmacy is unlocking endless possibilities for stakeholders.

It is not only beneficial for just a pharmacy but delivers clinical value and peace of mind to the patients in all senses.

But remember, implementing the right technology into the pharmacy ecosystem is essential.

And if you are a pharmacist looking for technological advancement, here is a tip for you.

• Know what exactly you want to solve

• Do comprehensive research on technology

• Create a list of tech solutions

• Identify which one suits you best

That’s all!