Pharmacy Software Solutions Since 1981 A Family Owned Business

Pharmacy Software Solutions Since 1981
A Family Owned Business
Who is Datascan?
Datascan has been family owned, and has served the pharmacy industry dating back to
1981. We started off with a focus on independent retail pharmacies, and over the years
we have expanded into Hospitals, Doctors Dispensaries, and Closed door pharmacies.
Datascan is consistently ranked among the best software systems on the market, and our
feedback from clients is impeccable.
Ahead of the curve in technology: We were among the first companies in the pharmacy
industry to develop a true Windows based Pharmacy Management software, and one of
the first in the industry to build from the ground up, a Point of Sale software package that
was designed specifically for pharmacy. Today, we are moving into the future by helping
our clients build star ratings and adherence through automation built into our technology.
Datascan has continually set itself apart from the competition by offering a truly unique
level of service and customization to our software. Our technical support team is among
the best in the industry, taking the time to help you and your staff run your business,
service your clients efficiently, and get claims paid. We have staff that has worked in
pharmacies, as well as staff that has been in this industry as long as 20 plus years! They
really know information technology AND pharmacy! One of the most unique
components to our company is the fact that we not only encourage our clients for ideas
and feedback for our software, but the majority of our client ideas are written into our
software at NO charge. Datascan supports all of the technologies related to pharmacy in
today’s market, and will continue to innovate to support tomorrow’s needs.
Our programs are owned and developed by us, in house. This means we have full control
over development, ideas, and what happens to the software at all times. We even develop
all of our mobile applications in house.
In this industry we offer the most unique package for our clients:
We offer our clients the ultimate “trifecta”: Pricing, Technology, and Service --- the three
most important factors when choosing a software vendor. Take a moment to read over
the information and articles included in this packet to really introduce you to our
company, our technology, and our family. Read on to see what really sets us apart from
the competition, and see what we can do for you.
Whether you’re looking to open a new store, or have an existing one and have considered
a change in vendors, we should have a conversation before you make any final decisions.
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our software company, and what really
makes us the best choice for pharmacy software solutions. We look forward to any
opportunity to work with you in the future.
Kevin A. Minassian
President
Why Choose Datascan vs the competition?
 Pharmacy Software Specialists for over 35 years!
 Privately Held / Family Owned: One of the few companies left in this industry that is not owned by a
large corporation or wholesaler
 YOU’RE PHARMACY VS. CVS, WALGREENS, & OTHER CHAINS:
> Ask yourself why do you think customers will come to you vs chain stores? That unique level of
service –the things you can do for them that the big corporations simply cannot. Just as Datascan can
service you!
> Who owns the software company you’re looking at? A wholesaler? A PBM? Or worse?
> How many clients does the software vendor support? Is it a few hundred, or thousands?
> Will you disappear in the shuffle and become a number with your software vendor? Or will you and
the staff know one another, and work together with one common goal: To make your pharmacy or
dispensary as successful as it can be.
 Build Star Ratings & Build Profits: For years we have been focused on patient adherence, building
profits, and giving you tools to simply do more, without needing more staff. Today, while many
competitors are boasting about the tools and reports they provide you, we can show you how our system
takes this to a whole other level through automation and beyond.
 $ Very Competitive Pricing $: Datascan continues to offer one of the most competitive packages on
the market – hands down. Whether we are quoting a new startup pharmacy, a conversion from another
system, or monthly fees, we are among the most competitively priced companies in our industry. Bring
us the others quotes—let us do a side by side comparison!
 We are the REAL innovators of the pharmacy software industry!
Datascan was one of the first companies in this industry to computerize independent pharmacies dating
back to 1981! We have it all--- you will be hard pressed to find a feature or technology we do not
already have. From automation, to mobile applications and beyond.
 PBM’s have their hands in your pockets, Datascan does not! We understand that at every corner
insurance companies and their PBM’s are cutting your reimbursements. We are not here to charge you
for every new feature or technology we add, AND we work to find creative ways to build profitability
back into your business.
You can move into the future ALL WITHOUT BEING GOUGED BY YOUR SOFTWARE VENDOR!
 Un-matched customer support with the fastest response time industry-wide!
 More than 50% of our clients ideas are written into the software at NO charge
 Updates & New Features Daily: Our products are being worked on and updated daily! We place a
great deal of our resources into innovation and technology. Our goal is to stay cutting edge and give our
clients the technology they need to take their businesses into the future.
Pharmacy Software Solutions Since 1981
REAL INNOVATION;
BUILDING EFFICIENCY, ADHERENCE,
PROFITS & STAR RATINGS:
Just a few examples of the profit building features and technology we offer:
 Winpharm Automated Scheduler: No more having to remember to complete important tasks—the
software can do it for you! From running Auto Refills, to reaching out to clients about refills due,
automatically sending out notifications about RX’s not picked up, to auto downloading your wholesaler
cost updates and even printing your daily log--- all this and more can be setup to auto run using our
customizable scheduler! Let the system work for you.
 Email, Text & Smartphone Reminder System: You have the ability to communicate through
multiple options, and different messages. From notifying refills due or ready to be filled, to reminders
about RX not picked up, and of course, RX ready for pickup ---and the list continues to grow.
 Mobile Refill Application: Available FREE to you and your customers on both the Android and Apple
market; your patients can chose to either queue up a quick refill with just the RX #, or get a secure log-in
and view their profile! The application allows patients to setup refill reminders, scan a barcode off a
bottle, and can accept push notifications from your store. Push notifications include: RX ready for
pickup, Refills available/due, and RX not picked up reminders.
 Automatic Refills Processing: Make the software work for you! You can setup auto refills in the
scheduler and have it automatically refill your auto-refill patients at anytime of the day or night! Then,
you have a results screen you can work from and filter based on paid claims, rejections, and any claims
we stopped from transmitting due to a clinical warning. You can also opt to add in any RX’s On Hold
from a prior date as well!
 Maintenance Medication Utility: We have taken identifying patients with maintenance medications
and no refills left beyond the traditional reporting and have built a utility that can automatically reach
out to these patients Doctors with a new RX request! We can also filter in and include maintenance
meds that have expired. Talk about building star ratings! The chains are doing this everyday, and you
should be too!
 MTM built in: We interface with both Mirixa and Outcomes so your MTM (Medication Therapy
Management) opportunities show up right in our software! You no longer need to log in to websites to
see if there are any that need your attention.
 Patient Medication Synchronization: The ability to help synchronize a patients medications so that
they are all filled the same time of the month helps to build medication adherence, star ratings, and of
course, profits. Built into the Winpharm system, not a 3rd party add on feature, we can help identify
patients with maintenance meds that would be ideal for the program, and make suggestions and assist in
the sync between other medications.
 Internet Refills: For those patients that do not have a smart phone to download the mobile refill
application, you can offer them the web based version as an alternative! They can also do a quick refill,
view a profile, and receive push notifications from your location as well.
 Video Tutorials; Additional Training & Program Updates: We have rolled out video tutorials so our
clients can login to a client area on our website and keep up to date with tutorials on all of the new
features and products we continually release. Whether you need to train a new employee quickly, want
to refresh yourself on a specific area of the software, OR you want to keep up with the latest and greatest
features we continue to add to our system, these tutorials are a few clicks away.
 Customizable Software for your needs: You can log into “My Store Options” and customize many
areas of the software to work the way you want it to. As you hover over, or right click the mouse on
each option listed, we give you a description of what the option does. You can toggle these on/off and
customize the way the software works for your needs and likes.
 To-Do Queue organized task list: Throughout the day in any pharmacy there are many tasks that
require follow up. We have organized these into a queue that you can easily work from. Tasks such as
following up on RX requests sent to the doctors, PA requests sent, rejections that have not been fixed,
RX’s on hold ready to be filled and more are all organized into the queue for you to work from.
 Pre & Post Edits Built In: As always, we have many pre and post edits built into the software to watch
out for you from both an audit perspective AND a reimbursement perspective. We do a DAW lookout
on brand drugs, reminder for date written, watch out for refills early, and more on the pre edit side. Post
edit, we sweep the claim to watch out for payments at or below cost, payments at or above your cash
price (if someone accidentally lowered your U&C), reimbursements with co-pays above a threshold you
set and more. Post edits can be toggled on or off in your store options.
 Central Filling Queue: Today we get RX’s and refills from so many different sources. E-Prescribing,
web refills, mobile refills, IVR’s, just to name a few. Our system not only brings all of these RX’s
together in one central and organized queue to fill from, but it helps organize them as well! RX’s from
different sources, but for the same patients are bulked together so you can fill them at the same time. It
places all RX’s in a suggested fill order, with patients waiting up top, and then the oldest to the newest
RX queued up below. You can even use this as part of your check-in for written scripts and have
someone in the front end scanning and setting these RX’s into the queue for fill.
 Prior Authorization Automation: Synchronizing with your free Cover My Meds account that we auto
sign you up for, our system can send all necessary data for the PA to the Cover My meds system, auto
populate the exact PA form required for that drug and payer, and send right to the Dr for approval –
speeding this process up 10 fold!
 Refills Due / RX Not Picked up Utilities: We took these beyond reports, and tied utility to them. You
can even set these to run in your automatic scheduler, and the system can identify your patients with
refills ready to be filled, or prescriptions still sitting in your location waiting for pickup, and
communicate this automatically to your patients via email, text, and even smartphone notifications. If
you have an IVR, it can sync up with this utility for outbound dialing to do the same!
 Electronic Delivery Signature Capture system for any Android based phone or tablet, with integrated
credit card payment acceptance feature, priority route building, and the ability to notify you when a
delivery is complete!
 Foreign Language Sig’s & Monographs: We offer the ability to translate & convert free form type
written and latin SIG codes from English into 25 different foreign languages! This is also available for
drug monographs.
 Central Reporting/Billing System: If you own multiple locations, this program may be the answer to
all of your reporting needs and more. From one central program, you can now run and customize all
kinds of reports. You can choose to run by location, multiple locations, and even run comparative
reports between locations! The data that is loaded into the program comes from your locations nightly
and from both the front end POS and the back end Pharmacy software. You can also centrally manage
and run billing for house/charge accounts across all locations, and even build/lock in a standard drug file
that would be managed from this system as well.
 Discount Cash Generic Drug Program: Now you can compete with the chains by creating and
customizing your own discount generic program.
 Updated & Enhanced Review RX screen for a true daily log picture with the color coding system on
all RX’s processed for the day including Cash RX’s. The color coding system allows you to quickly
identify the status of any RX by simply looking at the color. You also have the ability to filter the view
and results shown to you on multiple levels.
 Multiple Locations from the same Server: We support multiple locations with one main database for
central data storage, central client info and reporting.
 National Doctor NPI/DEA lookup with click to add feature makes looking up and adding Doctors easy
and fast!
 Quick & easy Navigation --Right click menu’s: You can choose the RX you want to work on from a
patient profile or the daily log screen, right click with the mouse, and choose one of the many popular
options to get the RX where you need it to be, whether you need to transmit it, edit, place on hold, or
one of many other options.
 Compound Drugs Revamped: Totally revamped compound screen with extreme ease of use to build,
modify, copy, and save your compounds. You can choose to print a compound summary sheet for
clients as well, and add notes to the compound or ingredients.
 Coupon Management: With the coupon function you will never have to manually COB a coupon
again, or wonder which “plan” is for what coupon when billing. You can add the coupon to the RX, and
choose whether or not it is for one time use or for the system to auto COB bill the coupon on future
refills.
 Full Document Management: Within the patient maintenance screens you now have the ability to scan
in and maintain other documents and link them to this patient. Insurance cards, drivers licenses, or any
other forms medical or otherwise are now be fully manageable and easy to call up.
 Electronic RX Inventory Updates, Ordering and Shopping: You can do your ordering right from
your pharmacy software, and it can help shop for you and show you when your primary vendor is not
the lowest priced on a particular drug. You can auto receive orders which will automatically update
your inventory levels as well.
 Newly redesigned Touch Screen for our Point of Sale product gives the user a friendly, easy to use
interface with any touch screen on the market.
 POS Customizable Sales and Coupons: You can custom create coupon and sales within the POS to
target customers in many ways. Coupons can be printed with receipts and even be set to target
customers that have purchased the item in the past, or run general coupons. You can build custom sales
for a date range either by Item, Category, or Subcategory. When you build the sale, you can create a flat
percentage off, a ‘buy one get one “x” percent off OR buy one get one free’ etc. You can build the sale
in advance, and set the date range in which you want it to run.
 POS OTC Purchase Orders with Shopping Built in: Not only can you create conventional purchase
orders for inventory replenishment either manually or automatically using re-order points, but this can
all be handled electronically with your vendor. If your wholesaler supports electronic ordering, then we
can and will synchronize ordering with them! When you receive the response back, we automatically
update your inventory quantities and update your costs for all items in that vendors catalog. AND – to
top it off, if you have multiple vendors, the software can shop for your best pricing when it creates
the PO!!
 DCS Messaging System: Now Datascan can deliver you important messages directly to your own DCS
Inbox within the Pharmacy Management System. Any alerts, information about changes in the industry,
an issue with an insurance plan, anything ---you will get the information in a quick and efficient manner,
and can print these messages for the other staff to read.
 Automatic Program Updates: Delivered right into your software, with the option to schedule them to
run updates overnight so you always have the latest and greatest features.
*** These are just some of our features we wanted to highlight—but please schedule
a demo with us to get the full picture of what we can do for you.***
Testimonials
I’ve owned 3 pharmacies in the past 21 years. The last 16 years I’ve
been with Datascan, why, because of Ease of Use & Reliability! My
business is based on the ability to process prescriptions in timely,
efficient manner.
John J Burns - Country Village Chemists
I have had the pleasure in working with Datascan since 1984.They are
an innovative “State of the Art” company who will do whatever they can
to help you run your pharmacy from prescription, DME and nursing
home processing to POS systems. They work hand and hand with it’s
customers creating customized programs when needed and are always
open to new ideas.
Ken Villani - Cottage and 110 Pharmacy &
Surgicals
Our dispensary clients are extremely satisfied with Datascan. We like
the immediate response and support we receive from the staff, and the
ease of use of the software. Training our clients to use the Datascan
Pharmacy software package is easy, and does not require a lot of time.
Datascan has been more than happy to custom write software to
generate the reports that we need! Thank you Datascan for all you do
for us.
Mark Johnson - Johnson RX, Inc.
We have been a client of Datascans for over 25 years now. Their staff is
very customer friendly and provide excellent customer support. Their
quick response time to problems allows us to keep our pharmacy
running efficiently.
Marty - Slater Pharmacy
Datascan has been our software vendor for over 20 years. They are a
true partner in the success of our business. Their custom software has
increased our efficiency and has allowed us to thrive in a very difficult
business environment. No, is not a word in their vocabulary and a live
person always picks up the phone when we call, not a voicemail. I
whole heartedly recommend the company to anyone in the market for
a Pharmacy/POS System.
Anthony - Grassy Sprain Pharmacy
We have been doing business with Datascan Pharmacy, Inc. since
2006. Datascan’s pharmacy system, Winpharm, and Point-of-Sale
system are outstanding software programs capable of handling the
smallest medical office dispensary to the largest retail pharmacy. Both
systems are extremely user friendly, facilitate quick learning times, and
have fast prescription processing and check out times. Datascan’s
customer service is second to none as all employees are willing to go
the extra mile to make sure that customers are satisfied with the
software. To anyone looking for a state-of-the-art pharmacy system,
Datascan is solution for all prescription processing and front-end
merchandise sales.
Chris J - Physicians Pharmaceutical Group
Myself and my partners in all of my stores have been doing business
with Datascan for quite a few years now and have been amazed at
their customer service response time, their ability to take our ideas and
implement them into the software, and their aggressive pricing
structure. The fact that their staff is available instantly during business
hours and on call after hours means that we always have someone to
assist, even with getting claims paid. Our business has continued to
grow over the years and Datascan has been an important part of our
growth and continued success.
Locations.
Daniel Molino, R. Ph. - Multiple
We are a very busy retail pharmacy and Datascan is the key to our
success!Pharmacy software, POS, delivery system and IVR. In the past,
we had two other software vendors which did not meet our needs. The
support team at Datascan is very helpful and knowledgeable. Datascan
is up to date with the latest features and technology to help operate a
pharmacy. Kevin, the owner is involved in the details and makes sure
that we get the best service possible!
Abe B. - Pharmacy Plus
I have worked with Datascan for that last 10 years at multiple
pharmacies and when I opened my own pharmacy last year it was a
“no-brainer” to use their pharmacy software as well as their POS. There
software is state of the art, user friendly and always updating to the
newest technology available. I can’t speak enough about the
employees at Datascan as they are are extremely knowledgeable and
always very helpful. If you are looking for a top notch company to be
an important aspect of your pharmacy then look no further.
Rob Galli - Carman Drugs
We have been clients of Datascans for quite a few years, across 5
locations. Myself and my partners have used other systems, and have
found that no one can offer us the package that Datascan does ---their
pricing is aggressive, their support is fast and reliable, they are eager to
make changes in the software to keep up with the industry changes and
our needs as clients, and if I need the owner, I can get him on the
phone. We would not leave Datascan for the competition -they aid in our
overall success.
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WHAT SETS DATASCAN APART FROM THE COMPETITION
IMPORTANT FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW!
What sets us Apart from the competition?
 Our attention to you: Notice when you do a live demo with us, its one-on-one, you’re not hoarded into
a demo with 6 other people? We are about YOU and focusing on our clients, not how many systems we
can install in a week or a month! We want quality clients, not quantity! We are here for the long haul.
 Pharmacy Software products is what we do – period. It is our focus, every single day. We are not
involved in drug wholesale or controlled by one, a PBM, or some private equity/investment group that is
simply out to turn a profit for its investors. So you know that everyone here from ownership down is
focused on our software products, and giving you, our clients, the absolute best of everything we offer—
with no other motives.
 Aggressive pricing that sticks around --- when you shop us, you will find we are priced among the
best priced systems industry wide. We don’t claim to be the cheapest –but the old saying ‘you get what
you pay for’ rings true, even in our industry. Whether its start-up costs, conversion cost, or monthly
fees, you will be impressed with what you get for the money you spend.
 Quickest response times & top tier support: Call our offices for assistance during normal business
hours, and you get trained staff on the phone within under 30 seconds on average. Our IT support staff
is not broken up into specialized areas, and they are not split into tiered support levels. Everyone that
responds for assistance here is fully trained in pharmacy, claims adjudication, hardware, ALL of our
software products, operating systems, and beyond. We have pharmacy technicians that work for us, as
well as IT specialists, and they are all trained in all aspects of the business.
 After hours & holiday support: Our after hours and holiday response times are fast – on average a
call back within 5 minutes is to be expected. We have a fail-safe in place, and if the technicians on call
do not grab your message to contact you back within 10 minutes, it escalates directly to management.
 Support staff with impeccable follow up: All support calls are entered into our issue database. If the
call requires a follow up, it has automatic escalations that require staff follow up within certain time
frames. If the issue is not updated within the time frame allowed, it escalates automatically to our
management and the owner. Our goal is to maintain nothing less than excellent customer service. Our
staff is trained in ALL areas of the industry and specialize in both hardware and software!
 Advanced Technology and Features build Star Ratings & Profits: Datascan is always ahead of the
curve and the competition on the latest and greatest features to build your profits, increase efficiency,
and take you into the future of pharmacy (such as building star ratings with Medicare patients). Keep
reading, and you will see detailed examples of this.
 No outsourcing: Unlike some of the competition, all of our programs are owned and developed by us.
Our programmers and IT staff are all in house within our offices. Nothing goes out of state, never mind
out of country! We have full control of what direction all of our software products go in.
HOW CAN WE SAVE YOU MONEY?
IMPORTANT FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW!
How can we save you $ money $?
 FREE Mobile & Web Refills: applications on both Android and Apple markets for your customers,
Web/Internet Refills for your customers from your website, or use our refill page as your private labeled
site!
 FREE: Training! You do not pay for training as a new client, nor do you pay for follow-up training
if you request it in the future.
 FREE Nursing Home Package: built into the software, you can maintain patients within facilities,
manage frequency codes, print MAR’s, etc.
 FREE Label Design & Redesign: We do not charge you for custom label design OR custom label
changes at any time!
 FREE Document Scanning: We do not charge for RX Image scanning OR Document Management!
 FREE Program Updates: We do not charge for program updates! Throughout the year you have the
opportunity to receive the latest and greatest functions and updates to the software.
 FREE Auto- Email communication with patients
 INCLUDED: After hours and holiday support
 INCLUDED: Solutions the others make you pay 3rd parties for! Such as Medication
Synchronization, MTM, additional reporting capabilities, etc.
 $$$ ADDITIONAL REVENUES: Datascan is one of the few companies on the market that
actually shares in 3rd party revenue sharing programs. Watch your monthly expenses go down
with these programs!
 Datascan locks pricing in for extended periods of time, so you do not have to worry about constant
price increases. In the last 15 years the company issued one small price increase, where the average
customer paid $9 more a month!
THE IMPRESSION YOU GIVE TO YOUR CLIENTS:
Whether its your first impression (which is everything in business), or assisting a long time customer,
patients in need of prescriptions expect a different level of service outside of the chain atmosphere.
If they have to come back because you’re having an issue with a rejection, your hardware, or even
software, you can not afford to ask these clients to come back. Datascan will work with you to make
sure you’re always on top of your clients needs and that they do not have to wait!
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Turning Struggles into Solutions
An interview with DataScan’s Kevin Minassian
In this interview with ComputerTalk’s Maggie Lockwood,
DataScan’s president, Kevin Minassian, shares his thoughts on
what he sees as necessary for pharmacy’s survival, as well as areas
for growth.
CT: You see CMS star ratings as an opportunity for the
independent owner. Tell us why.
Minassian: The Part D star ratings program was started
back in 2007, but only recently has
CMS aggregated the data, and is
now putting the results into effect. If
an insurance provider is not meeting and maintaining at least three
out of five stars, they will no longer
be able to service Medicare patients.
These ratings, based on a number
Kevin
of different metrics, really trickle
Minassian
down to the providers within the
plans — the doctors and the pharmacists. It’s a sign of
things to come, and I think it’s a sign of positive changes
within our industry. Now if we could just get rid of mail
order! Pharmacists want to be part of a patient’s overall
health picture, and finally CMS has recognized the role
pharmacists play. If we utilize pharmacists’ knowledge and
training, and make them part of the overall solution, they
could be the answer to assisting in lowering overall cost of
patient care.
CT: So independent pharmacies can survive and stay
profitable, with everything going on with PBMs? How
do they compete with the changes?
Minassian: We all know what the real problem is in our
industry — the enemy — the PBMs. The threat of the
chains themselves does not compare to what the PBMs
are doing. To say everyone is going to throw in the towel
and give up is just insane. I have owned other companies,
my friends and other family members own businesses in
different industries, and every last one of them can give
you a laundry list of hardships that threaten their liveli-
hood and businesses. We are fortunate, in that we are in
healthcare, so the hardships we experience in our industry
are worth fighting. In the ’80s you could make a good
living filling prescriptions. Today, you have to build a
great front end, educate your customers on the competitive pricing you offer, implement rewards programs, and
use technology to do more without requiring more staff.
Implement automatic refills, build adherence and reminders through automation in your pharmacy management system, offer mobile and Web-based solutions, stay
on top of maintenance medications through automation
to make sure patients do not go without their meds —
and if the software you currently use is not offering the
latest technology and automation, it’s time to reinvest
in that area of your business. Surgical supplies, not just
from a sales perspective, but possibly offering rentals, is
unique to independents. You should explore compounding — something the chains don’t do. I know many of
you went to pharmacy school with patient care in mind,
but you also own a business. So looking at all areas of that
business is imperative to its ultimate success. Owning a
software company in this industry has major challenges,
trying to keep up with the changes and demands from all
angles, but it keeps us on our toes. I don’t want my children to grow up only knowing big-box stores because the
mom-and-pops threw in the towel. That’s not what this
country was built on. Look at history in general, and how
many problems have been overcome with a good fight,
and realize that together, we can do this.
CT: How does automating adherence programs allow
pharmacy to capitalize on the programs?
Minassian: The question is how do pharmacists build
medication adherence programs, without creating an additional workload? With technology — seriously. If building adherence means patients are getting their refills on
time, how about communicating automatically with your
continued on next page
Interview First Appeared in ComputerTalk for the Pharmacist • January/February 2016
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Turning Struggles into Solutions
continued from previous page
patients to let them know refills are due, or are ready to be
picked up — or still have not been picked up and that restock date is closing in. These communications should not
require an employee to press buttons or run reports; they
should happen automatically. These are just some of the
features we made sure to build into our WinPharm software. Datascan has built in a utility that identifies patients
with maintenance medications on their profiles, and who
have run out of refills and have no other current prescriptions for this therapy, and can automatically reach out
to doctors for new prescriptions. We made sure to build
our own proprietary med sync that can be customized
over time to meet your needs right into our software. Our
adherence dashboard will allow you to quickly identify
problem patients and set up auto reminders so the system
itself can help you build adherence, especially in those
problematic patients. We continue to build upon these
platforms and innovate with the changes in the industry
with a goal of doing less with reports, and creating a piece
of software that works like an extra employee.
CT: How does improved patient tracking in the pharmacy system help pharmacy owners?
Minassian: As I have mentioned, pharmacists will be
required to assist in patient adherence, and there is a great
need to identify problem areas and opportunities. Whether it’s an MTM [medication therapy management] opportunity popping up right in our software, or a warning that
Mrs. Jones, a diabetic patient, is constantly hitting 100%
utilization before her refill request, the software needs to
do this work for you. The software should have detailed
algorithms built in, and easy-to-use features, along with
a lot of fully automated processes to assist you in working with and communicating important messages to your
patients. The technology today needs to work for you like
an employee tasked with a project.
CT: You say you like to debate the topic “Is the end of
the independent pharmacy near?” Tell us why.
Minassian: The end is only near if independents give up
the fight and sell out to the chains. Here’s the bad news:
Most independent pharmacists are used to working for
themselves. The chances of enjoying the chain environment as a staff pharmacist are pretty slim. In the ’80s we
use to look at doctors and say “wow, these guys make the
big money.” Today, unless you’re a surgeon or in certain
specialty areas, doctors are miserable, with all the hours
they put in and the dwindling reimbursements. The question is, how do we tackle these changes? Like any good
business owner, we have to reinvent ourselves and look for
other profit centers within our business or industry. The
Make sure the software is helping you
monitor progress and identify opportunities, and giving you a detailed look into your
business. And last but not least, any process
that takes up a lot of your time — tell your
software vendor! It’s our job to build better
products every day to aid in your success.
front end today is as important, if not more important
that the prescription business. Set yourself apart from the
chains — offer delivery, compounding, and other unique
products within your store for the demographic surrounding you, not just the everyday Tylenol and soap. Don’t just
use the technology offered by your software vendor to fill
prescriptions — dig into it! At Datascan, we offer our clients optimization training, where we walk them through
the features and automation they should be putting to use.
It’s a shame to see that the large majority of pharmacists
are not putting the technology to work for them, and only
using the basic features of the WinPharm software. We
are working hard to change that. You should offer your
patients mobile and Web refill conveniences, get them
signed up for automatic refills, and get those maintenance
medication patients synchronized. Make sure the software
is helping you monitor progress and identify opportunities, and giving you a detailed look into your business.
And last but not least, any process that takes up a lot of
your time — tell your software vendor! It’s our job to
build better products every day to aid in your success. CT
Interview First Appeared in ComputerTalk for the Pharmacist • January/February 2016
feature
Getting Creative
Offering More Than
Prescriptions Keeps
This Pharmacy Vibrant
A Long Island pharmacy owner with a vision builds a dynamic, high-end
pharmacy thanks in part to a supportive pharmacy software vendor who
views each client as a business partner.
by Maggie Lockwood
T
here are three entrances to Cottage Pharmacy in
Woodbury, N.Y., a Long Island suburb outside New
York City. The first is through the DME department, the
second is through the traditional pharmacy, and the third
is through a high-end clothing boutique and makeup
counter that would rival the big-name department stores.
The different entrances serve as a metaphor for pharmacist
owner/CEO Ken Villani’s philosophy that the opportunity
to thrive in a new pharmacy environment is out there for
owners who are willing to be creative.
With 30-plus years in the business, as Villani anticipated
that income from prescriptions would drop, he knew he
had two directions to take his pharmacy. One was the
discount pharmacy route; the other was to branch out
into the healthcare field, with a wellness center, treatment
rooms, and expansion of the surgical, DME, and nutritionals. Today, Cottage Pharmacy is part pharmacy, part
healthcare management headquarters, and part naturalfood store. And Villani’s software vendor, DataScan, supported this vision and the transition enthusiastically.
The Evolution
The first step in Cottage Pharmacy’s evolution from community pharmacy to healthcare services hub begin with
a 900-square-foot store in Woodbury Common in 1974.
Over 38 years the store relocated within Woodbury Com-
Ken Villani in the nutritional department with vitamin consultant and nutritionist Colette Abizeid. As Villani revamped
Cottage Pharmacy’s inventory, he focused on vitamins and
nutritional products usually found in a health food store.
mon five times, finally growing to the current size of 8,000
square feet and servicing the fourth generation of families.
While he began with community pharmacy, with his entrepreneurial spirit, when Villani saw opportunities he ran
with them, branching into surgical supplies and durable
medical equipment. “Fifteen years ago I decided to move
into the healthcare field,” he says. “If a customer asked for
something, I got it. We had a customer ask for a hospital
bed, and we got it.” From that first bed, which Villani
recalls delivering with an employee’s pickup truck,
Article Reprinted from ComputerTalk for the Pharmacist • July/August 2012
feature
Getting Creative
Cottage now has an extensive
offering of DME products and
services, plus a homecare staff and
delivery teams. “We get orders
daily from the chains for medical equipment because they don’t
carry these things,” he says.
goal to upend the preconception
of what a pharmacy should look
like.
“I don’t want it to look like a
pharmacy,” Villani says of his
store. “As the market started to
change, I decided the hub of the
company would be something
other than prescription volume.”
As a good businessman, Villani
has a nose for change, eventually
consolidating the five locations
into one store that showcased
his keen eye for what’s current in
healthcare and merchandizing.
After listening to his customers he
made the executive decision not to
compete with the chains by trying
to offer what they offer. “They
can have their chips and dips,” he
says. This attitude is clear in the
store, especially in the health food
section, which is behind the traditional OTC department. If there
are chips, they are pita, and there’s
no trans fat in them.
The nutritional department has
wooden shelves and flooring, givTwo views of the keys to success at Cottage
Pharmacy: Above, the ScriptPro robotics and
ing it a warm feeling and delinworkflow system that interfaces with DataScan.
eating it from the OTC section.
Below, the cosmetic counter that anchors the
A counter is set to the side so
boutique.
the area is open. A nutritionist,
one of 200 employees at Cottage, is available to provide advice
and answer questions about the
products, which include glutenfree items and many you’d expect
to find in a high-end health food
or grocery store. The nutritionist can also run the single-cup
coffeemaker if a customer comes
Along the way Villani has
in for the advertised free cup of
installed software and technolcoffee. Villani says this can turn
ogy that allow his pharmacists to focus on customers
into a sale as the customer picks up a few items while she’s
and his management to constantly improve. His was the in the store. Living Naturally’s database is available as well,
first pharmacy to install automated dispensing on Long
and interfaces with the DataScan system. A POS register is
Island, using the ScriptPro robot, which now interfaces
at the counter to complete sales and capture signatures.
with the ScriptPro SP Central workflow system.
“We anticipated the growth in filling prescriptions, which
we’ve seen up to the end of 2011,” explains Villani. The
automation frees up the staff to perform the medication
therapy management services that don’t come with mailorder prescriptions. “We don’t think it’s a cost-effective
way to do it, giving a 90-day supply,” he says. A patient
can take it for a week and then toss it in the garbage. In
the local pharmacy, we can give them any kind of supply
and then follow up with the clinical compliance and make
sure the patient is getting the right drug from the doctor.”
Cottage also specializes in compounding, lotions, cough
medicines, and specialty capsules.
A Different Perspective
Villani has wrapped other healthcare services around the
core prescription business of his 8,000-square-foot store
to diversify the revenue streams and provide services that
aren’t available elsewhere. The thought and effort that have
gone into the nutritional department exemplify Villani’s
Brainstorming
For a forward-thinking pharmacy owner like Villani, it’s
vital to have a software vendor who likes the challenge of
getting the software to answer the “what ifs” of a brainstorm. In December DataScan’s second-generation owner
Kevin Minassian stopped by to walk the store with Villani,
and it was clear that Villani and Minassian talk often about
trends at the store and in the wider industry. Standing in
the vitamin department, Villani explained the idiosyncrasies of scanning in natural-food inventory. Minassian
listened and shot back solutions and ideas.
“It’s a very important relationship,” Villani says of the
back-and-forth with Datascan. “We will bring ideas to
the table, and they will try to write them into the software for us.”
Having a firm grasp on inventory is key at any pharmacy,
but at Cottage there’s the additional challenge of the
continued on next page
Article Reprinted from ComputerTalk for the Pharmacist • July/August 2012
feature
Getting Creative
Pick your door:
The exterior of
Cottage Pharmacy tells the
story, with
pharmacy, HME,
vitamins, and
nutritionals all
promoted.
continued from previous page
variety of inventory and the various departments. When
there’s no barcode on an item, DataScan lets Cottage
Pharmacy staff create and print a custom barcode. Departments are separated into categories and subcategories, and,
ultimately, down to UPCs. During the December visit,
Villani walked the OTC departments and bantered with
Minassian about not overstocking slow-moving items.
He and Minassian weighed the options for tweaking the
ordering system so Cottage staff doesn’t have to make onthe-fly decisions about individual products; at the same
time, shelf space isn’t wasted on a lingering product.
The POS system also plays an important role in Villani’s
marketing plan. Villani uses Facebook and Twitter to support the store’s coupon program. The program is linked
to the POS (also through DataScan), and allows Villani
to collect data and track trends, tweaking his advertising
efforts based on the information from these reports. At
the end of the month, he can review what purchases were
made with a discount and see how the coupons drive sales.
DataScan’s POS system handles the store’s rewards card,
which customers can apply for online and then receive in
the mail.
Staying Current
And finally, what’s behind the third door of Cottage
Pharmacy cements the notion that Villani’s not running a
typical pharmacy, chain or otherwise. This door leads to
the sleek boutique anchored by a cosmetic counter offering brands one wouldn’t normally find in a community
pharmacy.
In late December, as Villani and DataScan’s Minassian stood by the display in the boutique, which offers a
tasteful array of accessories and shoes, a woman selected
two Hermès brand bags, in the same style as the reusable
grocery shopping bags so popular today. “We can’t keep
these on the shelf,” says Villani.
During the most recent store renovation, Villani carved
out treatment rooms behind the boutique and next to
the natural-foods section, giving him another piece of
the healthcare services strategy. With the addition of a
physician’s assistant, the rooms are a miniclinic that can
also double as a private space for flu shots and high-end
cosmetic demonstrations a few times a month.
“We are offering services that start a conversation,” says
Villani. “From our little mom-and-pop pharmacy in
1975, we have become the talk of the town. It just happened by being creative.” CT
“We needed something to add to profits, and one way to
do this was to add the high-end cosmetics and nutritional
department,” Villani says.
Article Reprinted from ComputerTalk for the Pharmacist • July/August 2012
Maggie Lockwood is a senior editor at
ComputerTalk. If you have a pharmacy
you think others would like to read about, please
email the author at maggie@computertalk.com.
feature
Entrepreneurial Spirit
Choosing Independence
by Maggie Lockwood
In an age when pharmacies face roadblocks to success, Frank Bosio, R.Ph., at Heritage
Chemists Pharmacy & Boutique in Mount Sinai, N.Y., has built a store that reflects his years
in the business and an upfront investment in technology to handle growth as it happens.
F
or his entire pharmacy career, from an apprentice
working the stock room at a local independent
pharmacy in Queens, N.Y., through years at chains
and working as a clinical consultant pharmacist, and
finally as a part-time pharmacist at a high-end independent in East Hampton, N.Y., Frank Bosio has wanted to
own his own pharmacy. In 2012, when the East Hampton
store closed, Bosio found himself at a crossroads. He was
interviewing for another job and was asked what he saw
himself doing in five years. What he saw was an independent pharmacy.
“I could stay and work for a chain, or we could open our
own store,” recalls Bosio of that moment in 2012. “My
wife said, ‘Go for it.’”
And so he did. Along with his wife, MaryJo, Bosio began
the process of opening an independent pharmacy from
scratch. He found a space in the Mount Sinai neighborhood, minutes from his home. He worked on all the zoning and construction issues, creating a larger space from
two smaller retail storefronts — one for the pharmacy and
one for a boutique — that flow together naturally. Frank
and MaryJo have years of experience in independents,
most recently at the store in East Hampton, where Frank
worked as a part-time pharmacist and MaryJo in the gift
department. They wanted to replicate this mix to support
their goal to serve their community consistently, and to set
Heritage apart from the competition.
“Our goal at the beginning was being able to compete
12
ComputerTalk
MaryJo and Frank Bosio are using years of experience in
the pharmacy setting to do what Frank says he wishes he
had done 20 years ago: Open and manage an independent
pharmacy.
with the chain drug stores in the area, and to get members
of the community to trust us, as most were going to the
chain stores,” says Bosio. “The clinical is always there. As
a pharmacist, you have to speak to people, and sometimes
they just need you to listen. We thought the unique items
in the boutique help bring people in. And now the pharmacy is starting to bring in people.
Doing the Homework
As part of the start-up, Bosio was very focused on technology. “I feel you should have the latest and most up-to-date
system in order to compete,” he says. This idea was confirmed after he attended a McKesson pharmacy ownership
feature
Entrepreneurial Spirit
class. “If you’re going to do a start-up, you don’t want to
be behind on the technology,” says Bosio.
Bosio estimates that he and MaryJo made visits to at least
30 pharmacies, taking ideas from all of them, from store
layout to the type of inventory to the pharmacy technology that was installed. Bosio had looked at Winpharm by
Datascan at the beginning of the process. After looking at
five to 10 systems, he still liked Winpharm’s clean screens
and ease of use. After a demo from company owner Kevin
Minassian, Bosio found the system offered what he needed
at the right price.
“I looked at other systems at shows, and I thought some
were too complicated. I like the Datascan screens — they
make sense, and everything is right in front of you. The
cost factor of course, was important, and I wanted the
features offered — scanning prescriptions, IVR, POS
— combined to offer the most up-to-date system. I use
everything.”
In managing a small business (in addition to Frank and
MaryJo, the couple’s four children each work part-time,
along with an aesthetician and a part-time employee who’s
also a neighbor), Bosio relies on the way the Winpharm
system handles the business operations. The reporting features are key to Bosio, as a small business owner. “Whenever I need a report — on refills due, narcotics, patient
logs, daily totals, whatever log I need — it’s right in front
of me,” he says. The technology in our system allows
automatic communication with patients via email and
text. Our smartphone application and autodialing through
the IVR let patients know everything about the status of a
prescription — autoreminders that a prescription is ready
to be filled; notification that a prescription is ready for
pickup; and follow-up reminder if a prescription has not
been picked up at the pharmacy. This can save not only a
lot of time, but also save on restock of inventory. The end
result is an automated way to build medication adherence,
star ratings, and profits.”
The pharmacy front end offers traditional OTC items as
well as a carefully selected and regularly updated variety of
candy and gifts to make Heritage a unique shopping experience.
invest in technology. With the Datascan system, he saw a
company that was always looking to advance. “They aren’t
saying, ‘Here’s your system,’ and in five years it’s antiquated. As new software versions come out they add features;
for example, with e-prescribing they were on top of that,
and then with the controlled e-prescriptions, they handled
that. As an owner you have a lot on your plate, and you
don’t need to worry about the systems.”
The pharmacy side of the store has evolved over the first
year of business. Although the wholesaler set up the
over-the-counter (OTC) items, after a few months, Bosio
returned 70% of it. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve
done a reset. Because when we first opened, the last eight
feet was all surgical supplies. I left it there two months
and sent it back. I don’t want to be a surgical supply guy.
I have two competitors, and I told them that’s their niche
and I have my niche. I have basic things. I do have commodes and wheelchairs, but I don’t sell them, I lend them
out. I put it on Facebook: We’ll loan it to you. That went
viral. I even brought the wheelchair to one guy. He was so
happy.”
Bosio can spend the time with customers and inventory.
“The reports I use are easy to run, and we like the loyalty
program to keep track of our customers,” he says.
The loyalty program in his point of sale (POS) allows BoIn addition to the POS and IVR systems, Bosio uses a
sio to track his customers’ buying habits. The interactive
voice response (IVR) goes into workflow and makes it easy compounding module for his compounding business, and
he finds the built-in NPI (national provider identifier) dafor him to handle refills.
tabase CoverMyMeds prior authorization features particu“Datascan is constantly updating the system with new
larly useful. Down the road Bosio hopes to use the nursing
features, to keep up with the everyday challenges and
home module, as the property behind his store is being
enhanced technology that is needed in today’s market,”
eyed by a developer who wants to put in a nursing home/
says Bosio.
assisted-living facility. “If so, then I have the software to
handle the business,” says Bosio. “I am looking ahead, and
Investing Now for a Profitable Future
want the technology I have to take me into the future.”
Especially with a start-up, Bosio says, it’s important to
continued on next page
September/October 2015 13
feature
Entrepreneurial Spirit
continued from previous page
Customizing the Technology to
Fit the Store
Customizing the point-of-sale system was important for
MaryJo as she started the store’s own line of cosmetics.
Datascan added feature buttons in the POS for the skin
care line, as well as for the aesthetician who offers facials,
waxing services, skin care services, and consultations.
Monthly specials highlight different categories in the
boutique.
“There is never a time that we feel apprehensive calling the
help desk,” says Bosio. “As a growing business, Datascan
has been with us every step of the way.” MaryJo agrees. After a year, MaryJo has continued to expand the boutique
from jewelry and basic skin care to clothing, accessories,
brand-name jewelry, and the pharmacy’s line of cosmetics.
The jewelry in particular can be tricky to enter into the
inventory system and track to be able to run reports and
purchase orders. MaryJo finds that anytime she needs
Datascan for ideas on how to best accomplish anything
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ComputerTalk
Frank and MaryJo Bosio’s goal for the new pharmacy: Be a
trusted resource to the Mount Sinai Community.
for her boutique with POS, the staff is always available to
assist her with the best solutions to a specific situation. “It
seems that there are no limits to the Datascan software; it
always delivers based off our needs no matter how unique
they may be,” says MaryJo. “I still don’t know all the possibilities of the system.”
Why Independent
Being part of the community, really knowing the neighbors, is what drives Frank and MaryJo in their drive to
own an independent pharmacy. As customers come in
for a refill or to get a lottery ticket, the couple takes every
opportunity to chat in the easy way that harkens back to a
small-town store. When a mother and daughter ask about
gifts for a bridal party, MaryJo gives the customers her
undivided attention. As part of the front-end resets, Frank
aims to offer items like reasonably priced cards and vintage
and bulk candy that bring customers in between refills.
“These are our neighbors, and if they need something, you
want to help,” says Bosio. “You encounter patients with a
host of problems, and sometimes it is a challenge to help
them, but we do what we can, either with free delivery or
finding a medication that’s difficult to get, or to help with
drugs that don’t have out-of-pocket costs. We are continuing with our goal to service the community, day after day,
in our unique way, to set us apart from everyone else.”
And Frank and MaryJo agree that he should have done
this 20 years ago: “You have to get in there and jump in
when opening a store,” he says. CT
Maggie Lockwood is VP and a senior editor
at ComputerTalk. If you’d like to share an
innovative business solution that’s working
at your pharmacy, email details to
maggie@computertalk.com.
Datascan Pharmacy Software
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10
ComputerTalk
Why Datascan?
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FDA MedGuides available.
■ Fully integrates with Datascan POS.
■ LTC software with MAR and order
sheets.
■ Internal bulk email capabilities for
refill reminders and will-call to
your patients!
Datascan POS
What sets our point-of-sale (POS)
system apart from our competition
is the fact that it was written and
designed in-house with assistance from
our pharmacy clients. As with our
WinPharm software, we are constantly
improving on our POS software, based
on feedback from our clients. Our
full-featured POS software systems
integrates with our WinPharm software
to allow data to be shared throughout
the pharmacy.
Our POS complies with FSA/IIAS, is
SIGIS certified, and is PCI compliant for credit-card processing. The
full version has everything you would
expect from a POS software package,
including full inventory control, sales
tracking, reports, electronic purchase
orders, ability to auto-add inventory
from vendor responses, and more.
Point of Sale:
■ FSA/IIAS/PCI compliant.
■ Customize sales and coupon
promotions.
■ SIGIS certified.
■ Electronic delivery tablets.
■ Touch-screen system.
■ Full pseudoephedrine tracking.
■ Integration with signature capture.
■ Real-time FSA, HRA, credit-card,
and debit-card acceptance.
■ Electronic POs/EDI.
■ Loyalty rewards program that is
fully customizable and gift-card
tracking.
■ Full inventory tracking and
electronic ordering with major
wholesalers.
■ Sales scheduling.
■
...and much, much more!
1602 Lakeland Avenue • Bohemia, NY 11716
Sales: sales@datascanpharmacy.com
Phone: 631/698-6285