Folks, can you share some insights on will call bin management process as practised in your store. Best practices or any automation/technology in use to make bin management effiicient
Will call bin management
- Thread starter Rxman
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Can you please clarify what you mean by bin management? Is it the software process of being able to locate a bin #? Or is it the corporate decision of which bins to be willing to use?
I'm unclear what you are asking???
I'm unclear what you are asking???
Rxman - sorry for me being so dense - I'm sure your lingo means something, but I'm afraid my lingo is different.
Are you using bin - as in the bin # which locates the actual third party processor for the insurance claim? If so....that process of managing those bin numbers is done in the central corporate pharmacy computer offices of my corporation in an entirely different state. (editorialy....in not such a fine manner either!!)
However...you threw in will call bin management - does that refer to the actual physical place where the completed rx is located ready for pick up? Are you asking how that is done with a computer or if its done with a computer?
Again - sorry!
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Similarly, Walgreens usually has "Call MD (CMD) or Will Call Back (WCB)" quarrantine bins that sometimes get out of hand if not checked on a regular basis - that's what I was thinking when I read the message
Our weekly scanning process is called "Bin Reconciliation" so that's kinda close, as well...don't feel bad, SDN - I'm feeling a little dense myself!
I work for CVS, and we do two things that you would consider management of the will call prescriptions. First, we get a computer print out every single day that prints overnight that shows which Rxs have not been scanned through the cash register and have been filled for more than 13 days. You are supposed to then pull all of those scripts and RTS them as appropriate. That often ends up being like detective work, because sometimes they aren't in the bin, or it's a 0.00 copay that probably just didn't get scanned at the register, it's in the PA bin, it got transferred and somebody forgot to pull it and RTS, etc. Secondly, as the other poster noted, once per month the entire waiting bin is scanned at the same time on Sat. evening (or overnight if you are 24 hour store) and this is compared to what the computer says you are supposed to have in the waiting bin (measured in dollars). This information then becomes part of the store's "grade" for the month.
My best advice for maintenance is do it every day!! Make sure that somebody on the staff pulls the ones out of the bin and does whatever needs to be done every day - then the amount doesn't build up. If you do it every day, even in a moderately busy store it doesn't take very long, but if you wait 4 or 5 or 7 days, then it's a huge pile of prescriptions and can't really be handled unless the store happens to be very slow, which at this time of the year rarely happens. Also, if your computer is hooked to your cash register, be sure to emphasize to every employee who ever sits foot in the pharmacy that they must scan every label, no exceptions. Also, when the subject comes up (and it always will) try to get your regular patients to understand that if prescriptions sit a long time, then they will go back into the computer and it will be a wait to have them refilled.
One other thing that we try to do is segregate the prescriptions that come out as too soon on insurance. If they are a lot too soon, then we will put them on hold. If they are just a few days, then we put them in a separate place and try to rebill them on the day they will go through insurance. This is also a patient satisfaction thing - that way they don't have to wait when they come to the pharmacy for the insurance rebill. My PIC is really good about waiting bin maintenance - I guess you can tell we've thought about this a lot.
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Wal-Mart in NY
We print out a list of all the rx's that are filled and are ready to be picked up. Then we go and physically check to see if they are there. (Cross the name off of the list once located). If there are any extra rx's then we try to figure out why they are there.
We do this every week. Since we have about 200-500 on the shelf it usually takes ~20-30 min
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maintenance, maintenance, maintenance...
a tech should be assigned as the "will call tech" and take care of RTS etc, and if machines are used [like automated will call cabinets] they should do maintenance on them daily. those machines get lots of wear! also, computer maintenance and data purging post RTS are a necessity.
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A man of many words, I see
Just joshin'...Are the responses here answering your question(s) well enough?
In that case, where I am....a bin management report is printed daily. Sometimes the signature has not been captured on the computer sig log machine. It happens with those with poor eyesight or those who don't wer glasses or those who are just not familiar with sig caputure machinery. Sometimes, we've forgotten to scan the receipt for the delivery sig log. Sometimes, it just has been sitting there. If its our "usual" > 7 day pts - we let it sit a bit - they'll come in (altho 7 days is supposed to be the limit). Otherwise....its returned to stock, the rx dispensing receipt is logged in the computer as returned to stock so it is retrievable on audit.
Does that answer it? Very little hand work involved & takes about 5 min/day. At the worst....sometimes a sig will get "hung up" in the computer "ether" - in which case the help desk has to get involved to get it off the report. That has only happended twice to me - once was with the DM's rx
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Can someone clarify bin recon at Walgreens? I did it for the first time the other day and I'm a little confused what gets pulled out to restock.
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