Page 44 - HME Business, April 2017

“DME Pharmacies have struggled and will continue to struggle from
a tech standpoint when they try
to force a pharmacy process into
a DME software setting, or keep pharmacy and DME separate using two disjointed softwares.”
— Phil Deschaine, Universal Software Solutions
or health savings accounts, where money is funded pretax from paychecks to pay for healthcare. While most pharmacy POS systems can handle these, many of the standalone HME POS programs cannot.
3. A single integrated accounts receivable statement for pharmacy and HME/DME patient portions of insurance-covered items, items not covered by insurance or for which the pharmacy chooses to not accept assignment and items charged at POS should be achievable. Rather than the patient getting a pharmacy/POS statement and a second DME/HME statement, a truly integrated system should have the ability to send a single patient statement.
Deschaine says that DME pharmacy POS software should allow for integration with a national drug database like Medispan. With access to a national catalog, loading new drugs into the system will be consistent and quick.
“And for the customer experience, software should offer the flexibility to quickly fill a retail pharmacy order, while at the same time allowing for
compound drugs and equipment rental that enables a traditional DME to deliver cutting-edge home therapies, ultimately providing the ability to exceed the expectations of any pharmacy customer,” he says.
POS software should help reduce the amount of time a customer spends a the register signing required paperwork, says Williams.
“For example, if patients are getting a regular prescription, a Medi- care Part B HME/DME item and three over-the-counter items and paying by credit card, they should only have to sign once.” he says. “Not four times: once to show they picked up the prescription, a second time for counseling, a third time for the HME/DME items and a fourth time for the credit card. An integrated pharmacy, HME/DME and POS should require only a single signature that is added electronically to the prescription record, the HME/DME transaction and to the credit card.”
Hardware components that make up the POS technology infrastruc- ture include some type of cash register that works with your POS soft- ware, says Williams. This should include a computer, monitor (touch- screen if your POS software will support it) barcode reader, keyboard, receipt printer that can also fill out the check, and a credit card/signa- ture pad that has both a credit card swipe and a chip reader. Option- ally you might want to provide a ‘shopper display’ so customers can see the price of each items as it is scanned.
TYING IN THE SOFTWARE TO THE DME INFRASTRUCTURE
Williams says that many pharmacies are running three inventories:
1. The drugs and other items stored ‘behind the counter.’
2. The DME items on display, or in a back room, or warehouse space. 3. The OTC items sold in the retail area of the pharmacy. If your POS
is not integrated with your HME/DME system, it is impossible to do real inventory control with automated purchasing for your HME/DME items.
“There is a reason that almost all retail businesses use POS and barcode scanning: It is faster and more accurate during a POS trans- action,” he says. “When you invest in POS hardware designed for the software you are using, it can complete the front of the check with your business name and the dollar amounts and print the endorsement and deposit information on the back of the check. Sales at the POS auto- matically reduce inventory and capture the cost of goods for reporting purposes, which should allow for better management of the DME phar- macy by reducing the time it takes to do purchases, replenish inventory and print management reports.”
Williams says that If you use an electronic signature pad with the POS and the POS vendor’s approved credit card vendors, the register clerk can save time and have information automatically updated.
“A good point of sale should analyze the drugs and OTC items purchased and ‘suggest’ related items that could benefit the patient,” he says. “As an example, some drugs reduce calcium absorption so
a good POS would recommend high-dose calcium supplements. Or if the customer purchases Band-Aids, the system should prompt the clerk to ask the patient if they have antibiotic ointment for the cut or wound. If a patient is getting a hospital bed the system should recommend a trapeze bar, bed wedge and an over-the-bed table.”
Finally, your POS system should support store-created coupons, such as buy one get a second at half price or free, says Williams. Also, a good POS should handle sale start and end dates on items with the sale
“A good point of sale should analyze the drugs and OTC items purchased and ‘suggest’ related items that could benefit the patient.”
Rx12 April 2017 | DME Pharmacy
hme-business.com
— Jason Williams, QS/1