Written by 12:21 pm Pharmacy Operations

Retail Pharmacy Workflow Basics

STEP 4: VERIFYING

The verifying step is where the pharmacist checks the final product before bagging or completing it.  In some workflow software there is actually a step for the pharmacist to check what was input prior to any labels being generated or pills counted.  Personally I think this is brilliant.  Those who are unfamiliar with how challenging a perfectly entered prescription can be, might not appreciate such a step.  Those who work in a busy store and are involved in training new technicians and interns tend to see the value.

But whether there are only 1 or 2 actual “verifying” steps in the workflow doesn’t matter.  The pharmacist should be able to do these from the same location with plenty of room to organize the baskets or bags of patient orders coming his/her way.  It is this final verifying step in which the pharmacist looks over the patient profile (was the right patient selected?) and looks over the prescription (did they pick the right drug, right directions, right refills, right doctor?).

The verifying position(s) need to also be equipped with easy access to frequently utilized filling supplies.  Often the pharmacist has to do the filling and counting of certain controlled substances.  There should be plenty of room for this.  They also need access to the locked narcotics, narcotic log books, bags and staplers, pens and notepads, counting trays and a phone.  The verifying station needs to be the most versatile workstation in the whole process.

Because the whole purpose of the verifying step is to catch and fix mistakes, the verifying station should be connected with a dedicated printer that is not typically used by others in the pharmacy.  When mistakes are caught, it often means generating a new label and placing the order back into the filling workflow to be corrected.

Last modified: April 17, 2023

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