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Introducing DrugStoreCompliance.com – An Interview with Pharmacist Mark Rubin

A. A. Milne, the English author of the beloved Winnie the Pooh series of stories, once wrote “Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.”  I consider myself to be a reasonably organized person, maybe slightly above average.  My file cabinet documents are all alphabetically arranged, my library is organized by topic and author, and I own a label maker.  But even perfect systems fall apart at times.  And it seems just when I really need to put my hand on that ONE document or form…my system collapses and frustration sets in. 

When it comes to staying organized in a pharmacy, the challenges are even greater.  Busy schedules, changing requirements, rotating personnel and shifts all militate against a well-organized system of files and certifications necessary to operate legally and pass inspections.  That is…until now!  A new, comprehensive and easy to use system for maintaining a secure and organized pharmacy record-keeping system has just been released, known as DrugStoreCompliance.com.  I reached out to the creator, and fellow-pharmacist Mark Rubin to share with my readers about this new and unique solution to a rampant problem.

1)  Mark thanks for talking with us here at The Honest Apothecary.  Could you begin by just telling us a little about yourself and your career as a pharmacist? 

I first started working as a technician in an independent pharmacy in New York 1990. I graduated Long Island University in 1997.  I have owned 5 pharmacies since the 2001. Three of those pharmacies I sold to a Major Chain. Most of my experience has been in independent pharmacy.

 

2)  What lead you to develop DrugStore Compliance? 

Independent pharmacists share a persistent headache: completing the ever-increasing stacks of paperwork needed to maintain regulatory compliance, document training programs, and demonstrate quality assurance. Historically, finishing this paperwork promptly and accurately has been a critical, yet painstaking, process. 


Before now there was no computer software to assist a pharmacy with compliance. Compliance requirements such as logs (refrigerator, temp, logs of use, etc.) and compounding batches are typically filled out by hand and stored in binders and filing cabinets. Even with the best of intentions things can sometimes fall through the cracks and be problematic for pharmacists when it comes time for audits. I developed DrugStore Compliance to get rid of the margin of error.

 

3)  So what exactly is DrugStore Compliance?  How does it work? 

DrugStore Compliance (www.drugstorecompliance.com), a new Cloud-based software solution for the independent pharmacy industry, delivers a sustainable answer to the paperwork challenge.  It enables independent pharmacies to “go green” while streamlining compliance requirements, automating policy and procedure manuals, and creating a more fail-safe audit process. Pharmacy owners and managers can document and organize each aspect of compliance, staff training, and continuous quality improvement — enhancing efficiency, reducing the likelihood of errors, and saving time and costs. 

 

4)  Who needs this product?  

Independent pharmacists across the country.

 

5)  How is your product a BETTER solution than other approaches to managing the paperwork and certifications required by law? 

Well as I mentioned earlier, DrugStore Compliance is the only software of this type right now. Of course, some pharmacies have IT departments and will potentially have something similar in place already, but most pharmacies don’t have that luxury. The software will keep all of the employees accountable, and will enable the supervising pharmacist to be aware of any tasks that are overdue. This solution keeps all compliance needs in one convenient spot. No longer will they have to dig through filing cabinets and binders to find the exact logs the auditor wants to see. They will only need to search for it on their portal and pull it up in seconds. Not to mention that because their portal is completely online, they will have less paper waste in the pharmacy.

 

6)  How quickly can a pharmacy begin to utilize your services and what are the costs associated with it? 

There are absolutely no implementation fees, so the pharmacy would only need to pay the monthly cost of $199.00 for the use of the software. There is no software to download, so the pharmacy can begin use immediately after signing up.

 

7)  So if any of my readers would like to learn more about DrugStore Compliance, how can they contact your or subscribe to this service?                                                                                                         

They can check us out on the web at www.DrugstoreCompliance.com , and if they have further questions they can email info@drugstorecompliance.com to get in touch with our team.

 ©Jason Poquette and The Honest Apothecary.  Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jason Poquette and The Honest Apothecary with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

 

 

Last modified: April 17, 2023

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