BCO2041 Systems Analysis And Design

“Only prescriptions written by Family First physicians for Family First patients are filled at these pharmacies. The reason for this is that it allows us to maintain a relatively restricted inventory of medications, as we can tailor the stock to the drugs of choice of our physicians. But, patients can fill their prescriptions at pharmacies not affiliated with Family First if they prefer. We do carry some medications that do not legally require a prescription to purchase, such as Panadol, but company policy requires that all medications dispensed from a Family First pharmacy to a patient must have a prescription order by one of the Family First physicians.”

“The typical procedure for the filling of a prescription is as follows:

1) Verify the patient’s name and address written on the prescription order when presented by the patient
2) Retrieve the patient’s prescription profile card or prepare a new card if patient is new.
3) Type the prescription bottle label
4) Get the product from the shelf.
5) Put the appropriate amount in the patient’s bottle.
6) Use a numbering stamp machine to assign a sequential prescription number which must be posted on the patient profile card, the prescription order form, and the label on the prescription bottle
7) Price the prescription
8) Record the prescription information and price on the patient profile, the daily transaction log (a listing of data on all prescriptions filled that day), the prescription receipt, and the prescription order form.
9) Re-file the patient profile card alphabetically
10) File the prescription order form numerically
11) Present the prescription to the patient and collect payment for it
12) Hand the patient the prescription receipt.”

“A company policy forbids refills of Family First prescriptions. If a patient has a chronic condition requiring ongoing treatment, we believe that they should establish a traditional relationship with a regular physician, rather than using the Family First model of health care. So, a given prescription can only be filled once. If a Family First physician wants to provide more of the same medication to the same patient, perhaps on a subsequent visit, they must write another prescription.””At the moment we can only estimate how much of each medication we have on hand, but it would minimize errors and loss if we had a more accurate way of keeping track of inventory. It would be ideal if the system could keep records of what we have in stock, exactly what and how much medication is delivered, and exactly what and how much is sold every day. This way we would have an accurate picture of inventory levels, and that helps up with re-ordering. Three times a week, we do a visual check of the stock on hand. If we are running out of stock for a particular drug, we write out what we need to order in our re-order book. At the endthe day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I phone a wholesaler and put in an order for those medications.”

“We have the minimum stock level written on the card identifying the item. We estimate minimum stock levels based on customers’ needs and seasonal variations. So if the quantity of an item falls below its minimum stock level, then we know it is time to re-order. We have one preferred drug wholesaler/vendor, Johnson Drug Company, but two other vendors are used when Johnson either doesn’t carry an item or is out of stock.”

“When an order arrives, the date of arrival is recorded in our delivery book. The number of packages of each drug received is also recorded in that book. Sometimes, the number of packages received may or may not be the same as the quantity ordered. There are no back-orders. So, there is only one shipment per order. Any shorted items must be obtained with another order, possibly with another vendor if the drug is needed quickly.

The actual package cost of each drug received is likewise recorded. The total order cost, which is the sum of all individual item totals on the order, is also recorded. There is no shipping charge or sales tax.”From Dr. Slate, the list of functions that the system must provide is as follows:

• Maintain personnel information on all doctors and employees affiliated with Family First
• Track physician work assignments at the individual centers and print a weekly schedule for each doctor
• Track patient appointments and print daily appointment schedules for use by each of the centers
• Track total revenues generated by medical care appointment, by time period
• Track total revenues generated by pharmacy sales, by time period
• Track total expenditures for items purchased from wholesale vendors by time period
• Provide online, and be able to print, all the information currently provided by the patient profile cards
• Provide customers, upon request, with itemized yearly lists of medical care (appointment) expenses and also prescription purchases for income tax reporting purposes
• Automatically generate prescription numbers and prices, and record all information associated with the filling of prescription orders
• Generate prescription labels and patient receipts for the medications dispensed
• Generate detailed customer receipts (appointment or prescription) for insurance claims when applicable
• Generate a daily dispensed drug log and a separate log of dispensed controlled substances, which must be kept to meet DPR and DEA requirements
• Generate drug re-order reports for items that have fallen below their minimum stock amounts
• Help prevent pharmacist and nurse licenses from expiring without being noticed
• Track drug movement by category and by time period to improve inventory control
• Provide total itemized inventory in stock by quantity and total valuation for inventory tax purposes