I'm glad you were finally able to get in and share your perspectives. I just have to comment on your opinion on ordering. After seven years, you should be able to rely on your "Spider Senses", to figure out ordering patterns, employee habits, and how to avoid the weekly "Friday Afternoon Crisis". I'm sure you keep you ear to the pharmacists to find out what the docs are ordering this week, or which sales rep came through the hospital.
You probably do this automatically, like second nature by now, so you'd tend to discount your abilities. After all, can't you walk in on Monday morning and just INSTANTLY know who screwed up the weekend order and how? And don't you just KNOW when a new batch of interns invade your hospital? You have a BIG house and you've kept it clean for over 7 years, or they wouldn't have kept you.
Pharmacy Buyer Day was established to celebrate all of us. Why not give yourself a pat on the back, or better still, let us!
I am with Mike on giving yourself a pat on the back. On a good day, you will have read the minds of 100's and probably do not even know you are doing it.
I am curious about using Amerisource for inventory. Cardinal has a similar system and the draw back is the quantity function of cases versus eaches as you discribed. How many changes do you make to the system for the inventory? Currently, we use REGIS and they come in and count by eaches, including the pills and I price the shelves by eaches (this is a lot of work). So if the changes are not that great, the Cardinal system (Amerisource for you) might be very advantageous. It would also give us an itemized summary of the meds. We go right behind REGIS on key areas and do a recount to make sure they are doing the count accurately.
Keep up the good work
Name of Facility: 300
Years as a Buyer: 3.5 in Pharmacy, 25+ in retail hardgoods
Hi Kathy,
Sorry I haven't answered sooner--I've been getting ready for inventory!!!
Actually, we don't make any changes for inventory. I think we finally have everybody educated about entering quantities--it is really a big pain and we all have to be reminded every year. That whole fraction of a package drives me wild. The ABC shelf stickers do indicate how many are in a pack, so the person counting has only to check that info to know what decimal to enter in the Telxon.
It is confusing, but after a few missteps, most of the quantities are entered correctly. And it is pretty apparent to me, especially, and to our ABC rep, if he is here to help on inventory day, when an amount is way off.
I don't know if that helps or not.
I appreciate the encouraging words--I know I do a good job, but being the perfectionist that I am, I take it too personally when we run out of drugs.
Ruth