Technology in Pharmacy Business with Scott Carpenter

Technology to Connect Manufacturer Products with Pharmacists

December 17, 2021

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This episode of the Pharmacy View Podcast features Nader Mitri, General Manager PharmaPrograms. Listen in as host Scott Carpenter, EVBC and Nader talk about the evolution of technology used in Pharmacies and what the future holds for PharmaPrograms helping patients receive more value from their Health journey.

Having spent 18 years in the Pharmacy industry, 10 years as a business owner of three Pharmacies, Nader is driven by passion when it comes to his work. When it felt like he was a little burnt out and needed to spend more time with his family, he sold his Pharmacies to start working with PharmaPrograms for a better work/life balance—no keeping him away from what he knows and likes!

Back when he ran his own Pharmacies, Nader was an early adaptor of tech and developed an understanding of how POS and dispense vendors could be effectively used. As a multisite-business owner, he saw much value in the use of technology in the industry and the same understanding has helped him design and deliver better programs to the Pharmacists that he now works with. Even though he knows that the tech has come a long way from what it used to be and that the way in which patients and Pharmacists engage with technology has evolved, Nader feels that there’s much that can be both managed and improved. For instance, Nader believes an easy solution to the problem of inventory management is the fuller use of the POS system in Pharmacies. If used properly, it can help put items in automatic re-order, stock up on the right stock in the right quantity, among others. This takes the stress away from retail managers who spend a lot of time and energy managing inventory manually.

Talking about PharmaPrograms, Nadir shares how the current programs are run across 5.400 community Pharmacies which participate in at least one of each of these programs. Adding on, he says since its initiation, they have paid over 37 million dollars to community Pharmacies in revenue for their support. The programs, which could either be primary product or health condition focused, he furthers, are privately funded by the manufacturers. There’s no cost that Pharmacies need to pay to enrol in the programs and their policy ensures that all kinds of Pharmacies from community to hospital Pharmacies, from PBS to Non-PBS to compounding Pharmacies have access to the programs.

Guided by their aim to provide bespoke solutions to support optimal medication usage, adherence and health outcomes, in the coming year, PharmaPrograms looks forward to launching new software integrations that allow for capitalization on potential opportunities for both the Pharmacists and the partners.

Topics Covered

Evolution of Tech in Pharmacies
Need to Invest in IT Infrastructure
Challenges with Patient Management
POS in Managing Stock Inventory
Manufacturers Supporting Community Pharmacies
PharmaPrograms’ Plan for the Future

Key Quotes (Time Stamps)

“I found that the more I showed them how to invest the time into properly managing their POS and their dispense system, it really helped them drive better business outcomes.” (6:36 – 6:45)

“You also need a proper IT infrastructure. I think that is one thing that pharmacies aren’t quite prepared to spend money on.” (7:10 – 7:17)

“Pharmacists need to start thinking about: what money do I need to spend on my IT infrastructure to get the best out of what I can do in my business.” (7:24 – 7:34)

“We are supporting pharmacies in delivering additional remuneration. Since PharmaPrograms started, we’ve paid over 37 million dollars to community pharmacies. This is a number we are really proud of.” (14:36 – 14:47)

“We have now got over 5.400 community pharmacies which participate in at least one of our programs.” (15:12 – 15:18)

“We’d love to get every single pharmacy in Australia on-board to all of our programs.” (15:42 – 15:46)

“We want to make sure that we are capitalizing, for pharmacists and our partners, on every potential opportunity. We want our pharmacists to be engaged as close to a 100% of the time to make sure that: a. all their patients are being serviced; and b. they are getting the most out of the potential revenue that they could be getting through PharmaPrograms.” (21:46 – 22:09)

“Every additional patient that the pharmacist sees almost often results in additional prescriptions, better compliance, better quality of medicines.” (22:11 – 22:20)

Social Media Clips (Time Stamps)