The article below speaks to a variety of inefficiencies in Specialty Pharmacy Information Technology.
What an opportunity to create a new acronym…. SPIT.
The article makes the case that SPIT has followed the market rather than leading as IT has done in many other industries. In short, it has been slow on the uptake.
The article makes the case that dispensing software is at the heart of the problem. That’s true to a degree as many pharmacies are averse to replacing their dispensing platforms due to ‘transition angina’ and cost.
But the article misses pointing out that real SPIT has blossomed and is now available from a number of developers. These very sophisticated platforms enable SPs to provide highly tailored patient journey management that is fully integrated with dispensing functionality. Customizable modules are available by disease state and even by the drug being dispensed. Of key importance, these platforms can also generate the kind of highly detailed reporting that makes pharma partners salivate. Now that’s impressive SPIT.
But is SPIT growing?
The number of potential SP customers that can afford state-of-the-art SPIT platforms are microscopic compared to the number of retail pharmacies that get by using only traditional dispensing platforms. For an industry to grow more customers are needed and a couple of developments are making this possible. First, hospitals / health systems have more than doubled the potential customer base seeking SPIT in the last few years. They also have the funding to afford the best SPIT. Secondly, creative vendors have developed software-as-a-service options that offer even retail pharmacies access to affordable online SPIT programs.
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Information Technology Inefficiencies Within Specialty Pharmacy
Although specialty pharmacy has mirrored health care IT’s explosive growth and market innovation over the past several decades, the industry has not advanced significantly in dispensing software.
Information technology (IT) has revolutionized the health care industry, allowing pharmacy services to expand dramatically over the past 30 years. Virtual dispensing platforms have improved efficiency and patient outcomes; automated prescription dispensing robots cut the time to fill scripts and improve accuracy of fills; pharmacy applications connect patients with their health care in ways that improve treatment engagement and adherence—the list can go on and on.
The specialty pharmacy market has experienced a similar transformation over the past few decades, beginning from a single pharmacy supporting dispensing………….
