Connor Bowers, PharmD, RPh
CPESN Ohio Resident at Ohio Northern University and Jackson Pharmacy & Wellness Center
In a time where pharmacies are already short-staffed, being able to provide the upcoming coronavirus vaccine logistically may feel more like preparing for war than you like. Best to be prepared.
Enrolling patients into medication synchronization (med sync) proved to be a blessing when an unexpected positive COVID test placed our key technician on quarantine. In a store with only one pharmacist and technician, that was a nightmare we had done so well to avoid thus far in the pandemic. This was the worst-case scenario as we were entering December- the busiest time of year when patients have met their deductibles and suddenly want everything on their profile filled.
You truly may not realize the help and extent of work your technicians do until they are gone. However, having a third or more of your patients enrolled in med sync frees up a vast amount of time as it cuts down on patients entering your storefront or calling to request a refill for a different medication every week (and sometimes more often than that). I can vouch that as a new pharmacist and resident, this is truly what kept me sane during that quarantine period for our technician.
Following Flip the Pharmacy’s Change Packages with incremental workflow modifications has trained our staff to implement new processes and services with next-to-no hiccups. Point-of-care Rapid COVID testing is easy and safe for everyone involved as we have accessible “grab-bags” that include all the paperwork, PPE, and testing materials ready to go for our staff for when a patient requests a test. Creating a novel service that we perform daily was far easier than anyone expected thanks to our recent involvement with Flip the Pharmacy.
Flip the Pharmacy has rewired our staff to see solutions to workflow much easier than before. Enrolling patients into med sync is one of those solutions. We no longer worry about implementing new services because we’ve become used to change. The war is coming.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin