Over the years the level of pharmacy technology and associated automation has advanced considerably – as an example, it is now common to see automated dispensing machines and other cutting-edge systems in use at your corner retail pharmacy.
Despite these recent advancements, one area that has received little attention over the years is the process whereby pharmaceuticals and related products are delivered to the healthcare provider or customer. For those pharmacies that provide delivery, the costs associated with this process can account for 4 to 8% of their gross revenue – a significant amount by any measure.
The lack of delivery management automation represents a significant deficiency in the business processes of many pharmacies. This can sometimes result in a cascading series of problems which can take considerable time and resources to remedy.
The good news is that various solutions to this problem exist and have been in use for years both inside and outside this industry. The end result usually involves the deployment of a wireless handheld solution interfaced to the pharmacy management system which is used to track and manage the entire delivery process.
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