A prescription comes in. The pharmacy assistant sees several variants of the same medicine on screen. Which one should be dispensed? That choice looks simple, but it depends on a number of factors. Is the medicine a preferred product? Is it available? Is it still in the pharmacy’s own stock? And is local processing the best choice, or is the prescription better handled through central filling (CF)?
That is exactly the moment when FloFarma and FarmaSort complement each other. FloFarma automatically determines the best available option based on the preference policy and the preferences set by the pharmacy. FarmaSort then shows immediately whether that option is actually in stock in the pharmacy. This brings availability and local stock together on one screen inside the AIS.
FloFarma helps community pharmacies regain control over stock, product range and purchasing. By automating the daily choices around medicines, the software supports pharmacies in ordering more intelligently, with less manual searching and more time for patient care.
What FloFarma does
Every pharmacy makes hundreds of choices a day around stock, product range and purchasing. FloFarma automates that process. The pharmacy records its preferences once, such as the wholesalers, suppliers and brands it wants to work with. FloFarma then continuously monitors which choice makes the most sense at that moment.
Medicines are grouped on the basis of the Dutch medicines database (Z-Index), so that equivalent products automatically belong together. Every hour, FloFarma processes the current stock data from suppliers, with the preference policy always taking precedence. If a preferred product is temporarily unavailable, the system automatically moves on to the next suitable alternative.
As a result, the pharmacy assistant no longer has to compare different suppliers or alternatives themselves. FloFarma automatically determines the best available option and sets it as active directly in the pharmacy information system (AIS). The pharmacist sets the process up properly once; after that, the software supports the dispensing, ordering and purchasing process day after day.
“The best ideas come from the pharmacy floor. We do not develop FloFarma on the basis of assumptions, but from everyday practice. New insights arise while working in the pharmacy and are then translated straight into the software.”
What the integration adds
FarmaSort adds real-time insight into the pharmacy’s own stock. The current stock is sent straight back to that same screen in the AIS. The pharmacy assistant sees immediately how many full packs are available and how much stock is still held in opened packs.
This shows not only which variant is preferred, but also whether it is actually present in the pharmacy. Availability and local stock come together in a single overview.
If the preference temporarily shifts to another product while there is still stock of the original medicine, that stock remains visible as phasing out. The existing stock is used up first; after that, the pharmacy switches fully to the new preferred product. That limits waste and reduces write-offs.
The combination also supports an optimal decision on whether a prescription is processed locally in the pharmacy or is better handled through CF. That decision, too, is based on current information about availability and the stock on hand.
The integration uses the same interface as the existing FarmaSort solutions. This means the SpeedFiller, EasyFiller and RotoFiller work directly with FloFarma as well. FloFarma currently supports Pharmacom; expansion to other pharmacy information systems is planned.