Anyone who manages an independent pharmacy knows how intractable the challenge of inventory management can be, whether perpetual or not. Cycle counting, managing C-II logs, order point adjustments, and tracking expired stock are among the labor intensive processes that can drastically impact the profitability of your business. How can a pharmacy with competing demands on technician and pharmacist labor keep perpetual inventory without a significant time investment?
You can hit a “profitability home run” by maintaining accurate perpetual inventory that can reduce the overall inventory carry, minimize stock-outs, and enhance the overall standard of patient care. The problem is one of automation—how can a pharmacy with competing demands on technician and pharmacist labor keep perpetual inventory without a significant time investment? How does a pharmacy balance profit vs. cashflow?
The current model for keeping perpetual inventory should be well-known to anyone who manages daily operations in an independent pharmacy:
Manual Perpetual Inventory Management Cycle
The end result of these processes is, hopefully, accurate perpetual inventory. But the major drawback is the amount of time investment required to have someone cycle count, manage par levels and reordering, check in totes against a manifest, and physically place bottles on shelves. And if someone calls in sick, or it's a busy Monday and there's no time, or a technician forgets to cycle count, it can quickly become extremely difficult to keep up with the management cycle. The result is often the "garbage in, garbage out" problem, which is the tendency of manual inventory systems to drift over time, leading to inaccurate data, which in turn causes stock-outs, incorrect order quantities, and ultimately poorer customer service this crushes cashflow and suppresses profit.
Automating the cycle eliminates the problems inherent in the manual process, and is now finally achievable with the introduction of the RxSafe 1800.
Automated Perpetual Inventory Management Cycle
With the RxSafe System, manual processes are replaced by automation, and stock bottles are actually stored in native packaging. This video explains the basic functionality of the system in more detail. Essentially, the RxSafe system is completely unique to the marketplace and shifts the focus of pharmacy automation from vial filling to inventory management, control, and efficiency. The time you save will allow you to pay closer attention to money-making opportunities, adherence programs, pharmacy services, and patient consulting, to name a few.
Add Datarithm to your RxSafe and realize the complete automated perpetual benefit from the cloud! Datarithm’s innovated features include: automated demand forecasting, order point updates, inventory returns and transfer recommendations, along with advance analytics in easy to understand reports. Datarithm’s customizable inventory solution adapts as your business changes ensuring you have what is needed, in the proper amounts, secured in your RxSafe!Check out our FREE webinar with RxSafe to learn more about what automation can do for your pharmacy's inventory. Being able to get a handle on this vital side of the pharmacy business will pay dividends down the road.
