Cegedim Software: things we would like to see added and changed.

[Web Ferret]

Also with pharmacy manager it'd be great if one could choose a particular manufacturers generic drug to be ordered.

As said above - use the right code with the right "forces" at the wholesaler and all will be fine. Did this for years with cegedim.

If your dispensing for a multiple all this will be out of your hands because the multiple is looking at the profit not at the patient who needs the yellow box for one table and the blue one for the other as these work better for them and they don't get confused. I used to say all the generics are the same etc. But now if it works best for the patient - That is what matters. They take the medicine that they trust.

When I was managing independents I did a lot of work to standardise generic suppliers - Teva from 4 suppliers backed up by activis. The patients preferred the same boxes every month, The extra few % cost was soon negated by the 25% increase in item numbers in year 1. When a new patient came they always came back. When a patient left they always came back.

We all like semi skimmed milk in green capped bottles and salt and vinegar crisps in blue bags.

Imagine if diesel wasn't always the black pump and petrol wasn't always the green one...
The green pump is diesel. All diesel is the same no matter what pump it comes out of. Oh the VPower? thats the pink pump on number 6.
There is brand loyalty in medicines - tap into that and you will take business of your competitors, er I mean colleagues down the road. The multiples spend £££ on their branding yet dispense any old tat to the patients. Its the tat that your patient has to take every day not the fancy green shop facia.

[Tesh]

Very interesting web ferret, thanks for that. I work in an independent store where they always give the cheapest generic/pi etc and if a patient complained they are generally always accommodated with appropriate reminders flashing up on the PMR's. Other things such as giving Ventolin for salbutamol are also implemented. Didn't realise that patients could be that fussy in other areas to the tune you can increase item numbers like that. Are you sure though it was the fact you used consistent generics and not you blood, sweat and tears that increased the figures? ;-)

[Web Ferret]

Very interesting web ferret, thanks for that. I work in an independent store where they always give the cheapest generic/pi etc and if a patient complained they are generally always accommodated with appropriate reminders flashing up on the PMR's. Other things such as giving Ventolin for salbutamol are also implemented. Didn't realise that patients could be that fussy in other areas to the tune you can increase item numbers like that. Are you sure though it was the fact you used consistent generics and not you blood, sweat and tears that increased the figures? ;-)

Are you brand loyal? or will you buy the cheapest baked beans, chocolate, mobile phone, shampoo etc even if the packaging is a bit rough and the beans/chocolate don;t taste great. The phone is a bit cr@p and the shampoo doesn't make your hair shine but gets it clean.

You go to a shop and ask for a razor. You take it home and it cuts you to bits.
Do you
A) Go back and complain
B) Go back and buy a different razor?
C) Go to another razor shop and find their razor is really smooth and makes you feel better so then always buy your razors from the new supplier?

Supermarkets spend loads on playing the right music at the right time yet buy the cheapest generics! They wouldn't always buy the cheapest wine.

Putting the patient FIRST and a few small investments and you will increase your business easily. Penny pinching everywhere is not the way to increase a business. Do you pass shop X to buy the same item from shop Y? Why?

[Tesh]

Agreed with your sentiments re: quality and customer service but in practice I've not really experienced many customer complaints. Granted some people may find they don't tolerate a particular generic but 9/10 its due to size, shape (want caplets) or taste. A very very small minority in any case. Teva has great brightly colour and quality packaging compared to most but most complaints I have are about how bad the bendroflumethiazide taste. Also when a checked the other month teva tramadol 50mg (30 packs) were 62p from one supplier and even with any teva discount its still very unfavourable to the small bristol packs I can get for 33p which are much smaller and convenient to pack in a dispensing bag.

I can appreciate that patients do require quality but I see it as they are looking for a quality of service. You give them service with a smile, offer delivery etc when out of stock and they'll be back again and again. If and when they have any issues with what they are supplied I would be more than happy to make a special arrangement for them whether its small methotrexate 10mg tabs, or even 28 packs of omeprazole 40mg caps because they 7 packs are too annoying for them to take on holiday. But I find this very rare. I do appreciate it can get confusing for some patients if their packaging varies month to month but if efforts to maintain some level of consistency and with all the bending over backwards to deliver a legendary service surely the impact is minimal no?

Also what supermarkets get cheap generics? The tesco ones I go to have all the expensive ones because they have no idea how to do their buying properly.

[EDIT]
Tesco pharmacies I DID go to. (Haven't worked for them in over 6 months).

[Web Ferret]

Teva aren't prefect but as you impled, go for the best supplier of any given generic. Have you contacted TEVA and given the customer feedback? Tevas Bendroflumethazide person maybe scratching their head wondering why sales are down and why they haven't got a Christmas bonus. Hmm... The packing is good according to the customer focus group, the price is good, the adverts are good...

Do you really think that Tesco pay the actual price that you see on that AAH invoice? AAH will print the list price so that the locums don't go telling tales. "well tesco only only 3p for Tramadol, how come AAH are charging you more?"

How many pharmacies have Tesco got 400?

400 shops doing 200 items a week at £10 an item?
Thats £42 million a year

Hello Mr AAH, whats the discount if I buy £42 million?
Hello Mr loonychem whats the discount if I buy £42 million?

[andrew paxton]

I'm a locum now, but when I was a proprietor, and when I work at certain independents, it works like this. Such as Teva come and visit you and make a deal that if you default to their brand, as described in the mrmeds post, and go to a specific full-line wholesaler (e.g. AAH) they will give you a retrospective discount (every 3 months about 10 years ago, not sure when now...) that equals or beats the short-line generic prices. That's why many independents use Teva through their full liners. I know that Almus do a similar deal and Norton used to, and I see Sandoz products coming in to multiples when their price is apparently excessive. p.s. I was replying to the last post on page 2. I hadn't seen page 3

[Pharmanaut]

Found this one for Pharmacy Manager.
Use CTRL-B (switch to brand) when dispensing a generic to switch to brand - note this also includes 'Branded Generics'.
The system will change the "dispensed as..." to whatever you choose.

Use CTRL-G to switch to a different generic manufacturer.

This works in most places - some of the larger chains impose defaults so it might not work there.

Took ages to find this in the helpfile.

Try CTRL-K to "Kondense" the directions on to the smallest number of labels.

[andrew paxton]

If you talk to Cedegim Helpdesk 08446302000 option 2 (Pharmacy Manager) and ask them, they will send you a handy guide to the keyboard shortcuts in Pharmacy Manager. Useful as is, but also good to let you know what the system can do. (CTRL-Z for Zoom Label, or set it as patient default in the 'other' tab)