Navigating Specialty Medication Delivery Workflows

In our previous blog post, we explored patient concerns regarding specialty medication delivery. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, you can check it out here.

However, whether you’ve read it or not, it’s not difficult to guess some of the top concerns on patients’ minds – quick access to critical medications and ensuring deliveries are never missed.

While these concerns resonate with specialty pharmacists, there are additional frustrations they face in the shipping process that aren’t quite as obvious.

High stakes. High dollar. Highly complex.

For instance, specialty pharmacies have unique and complex shipping needs. Specialty pharmacy packages always contain high-value, high-stakes medications vital for the care of the most vulnerable patient populations.

Without proper visibility, mishaps such as deliveries to the wrong address, delays, temperature control issues, and patient confusion can occur. Specialty pharmacies bear full responsibility for their outbound logistics, making visibility a paramount concern.

Clearly, one-size-fits-all solutions from non-healthcare industries won’t suffice for an area with such specific needs.

High-risk environment

Furthermore, it’s worth noting that there are five times as many errors in the distribution of prescriptions compared to dispensing them. Factors such as manual data entry, distractions, disparate systems, outdated technology, and unreliable infrastructure contribute to a high-risk environment, which poses significant challenges to medication safety.

High expectations for compliance

Finally, to maintain accreditation and profitability, pharmacies must meticulously track distribution accuracy metrics. Gathering this data can consume valuable time that could otherwise be spent on patient care.

Compliance audits require presenting complex information in an organized manner, and any inability to demonstrate performance improvement (PI), payor clawbacks, or lapses in accreditation compliance adds an extra layer of uncertainty to the process.

Introducing VPL TrajectRx for specialty pharmacy delivery workflows

Understanding the unique demands of specialty pharmacies, we’ve developed the first and only clinically minded shipping solution available – VPL TrajectRx.

Our software seamlessly integrates with your existing workflow, streamlining the prescription shipments and reducing the risk of human error, ultimately enhancing patient safety. Improved visibility, including downstream proof of delivery, empowers your staff, offers audit protection, and minimizes the need for package rescues.

Patients also receive automatic updates on delivery status, leading to fewer failures, increased patient satisfaction, and better overall outcomes.

On-demand analytics provide insights and exportable reports to showcase PI and delivery accuracy, supporting accreditation and contracting requirements. Also, by offering a customizable mix of carriers/couriers, you unlock cost savings by having the power to rate shop.

Exciting new services coming to TrajectRx this year

In addition to the existing features of TrajectRx, we are excited to introduce three new enhancements this year:

• Pharmacy Compliance Dashboard

  Our transparent and exportable shipping metrics are presented in an on-demand dashboard, offering a visually intuitive representation of your pharmacy’s data. This simplifies distribution accuracy reporting, facilitates PI tracking for accreditation audits, and provides actionable insights for operational improvement, budgeting decisions, and accountability discussions.

• New and Improved Quick Ship

  A patient-centric specialty medication delivery workflow that:

  • Eliminates manual data entry
  • Minimizes error opportunities by simplifying staff decisions and clicks
  • Adheres to ISMP medication safety practices
  • Safeguards against costly medication distribution errors
  • Promotes operational efficiency, freeing up more FTE hours for patient-centered activities

• Proactive Shipping Intervention

  Our targeted and prescriptive proactive monitoring solution includes rescue and intervention if necessary. The long-term goal is to eliminate the root causes of package rescues. Our tech-enabled system allows you to access professional service through our call center or self-service within your pharmacy, managed by your internal staff. With improved delivery metrics and predefined processes for handling failures, you can reduce or eliminate reshipments, secure better contracts and terms, and boost profit margins for your specialty pharmacy.

Contact Us Today

If your hospital or health system seeks a superior way to support your specialty pharmacy’s success, contact us to explore the enhanced TrajectRx. Schedule a demo here.