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Find out why it's worth sending short, timely SMS text messages to your patients and customers
91% of Australians have a smartphone device and 90% of people read text message within the first 3 minutes of receiving it. Take a look at why your pharmacy should start using SMS text messages to communicate in your dispensary and as part of your customer service.
SMS messaging benefits
Here are some benefits in sending SMS text messages to your patients.
- Quick – send SMS text messages straight from Minfos – all while you dispense
- Efficient – instead of phoning patients, streamline communications with SMSs
- Reliable – your patient will receive your message in a matter of seconds
- Cost effective – save staff time and sending text is cheaper than phone calls
Uses for SMS text messages
You can quickly send timely SMS text messages for alerts, notifications and reminders. This includes:
- Script collection advice
- Refill script notice
- Appointment confirmation
- Delivery status
- Order and payment confirmation
- Owing reminders
Key features of Minfos SMS Connect
Sending SMS text messages straight from Minfos is simple. Key features of Minfos SMS Connect are:
- Message size write a message with 160 characters maximum (you can send multi-messages)
- Address book manage your customer’s mobile and contact details within Minfos
- Template setup your most frequently used message as a template
- Sender ID 11 characters available for your pharmacy’s name so that your patients and customers can see that the message is from your pharmacy
- Integrated workflow send a patient SMS texts messages from Minfos Dispense & Minfos Customer Maintenance
- Audit message you can review by customer and date range, delivery status, User ID of person who sent the message and more
We hope this article has helped you understand the benefits on using a SMS messaging service for your pharmacy. If you would like to find out more about Minfos SMS Connect, request a demo.
Source:
Efficiently dispense ePrescriptions with Minfos eQueue
Minfos eQueue is the next evolution in your ePrescriptions workflow. eQueue is designed to help you efficiently manage the growing number of eScripts within your existing workflow.
4 ways to electronically queue ePrescriptions
There are now 4 options on how pharmacists can manage their eScripts basket and dispense workflow.
When you receive an ePrescription you can choose to:
- Use eQueue to manage the dispense workflow electronically
- Continue to use the existing ePrescription paper token workflow
- Dispense eScripts directly into dispense
- Or use a combination of the above
Learn more
For more information on Minfos eQueue, take a look at the following articles:
ePrescriptions have the potential to deliver huge benefits for the Australian healthcare system.
As a pharmacy management software, we have noticed some challenges that the industry faces in implementing this new technology and we would like to share our insights into:
- A software perspective
- Barriers for change
- The case for change
- A collaborative approach
- Technology adoption curve
The process for managing and dispensing an ePrescription is simple in Minfos.
Want to know more?
If you are interested in getting a closer look at how you can easily manage and dispense ePrescriptions using Minfos, please register your interest.
Stay up to date
Join us on our LinkedIn channel to stay-to-date.
As a community, we are facing an unprecedented challenge with the spread of COVID-19.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you, our community pharmacies, for the exceptional and essential care you provide.
Our priority is the health and wellbeing of our customers and staff.
To ensure this, we have made some changes to how we operate, including how you log issues with us.
Log all non-critical support issues online
Please log your non-critical support questions on our Customer Portal or via the Minfos Launch Pad.
Refer to Using Service Now to learn how to use our Customer Portal.
Critical issues
Please call us for any critical issues on 1300 887 418. Do not log critical issues on the Customer Portal.
We are here to assist you with critical issues on the weekend as well. All non-critical issues will be attended to on business days.
Support hours
8 am – 8 pm Monday to Friday
8 am – 5 pm Saturday & national public holidays (available for critical issues only)
8 am – 12 pm Sunday (available for critical issues only)
All hours are in Australian Eastern Daytime (AEDT).
Our updates
We will continue to keep you updated via email and our LinkedIn channel.
We hope you and your family are able to stay well and healthy.
The Minfos Team
Using Minfos with Continued Dispensing
We have extended Minfos dispense data to include the new range of drugs available for Continued Dispensing.
To access the updated list of PBS items in Minfos, please follow the below steps:
1. Refer to your State’s legislation to find out what items and quantities are available through the Continued Dispensing Program.
Note: There may be items marked as Continued Dispense in Minfos that are not available in your state to supply under this Program.
2. Perform a manual dispense update.
3. Ensure your Pharmacists are setup as ‘Prescribers’ in Prescriber Maintenance with their AHPRA number as the registration number.
4. Refer to our manual to dispense a Continued Dispensing supply.
Claiming authority items
We are currently working on updating our system to support PBS claiming of authority items.
You are able to dispense and supply these items to the patient but you may receive a rejection from PBS Online. We will advise Minfos customers via email when they can resubmitted authority items claiming.
Useful resources
- Continued Dispensing Guidelines - Pharmacy Society of Australia
- Education guide - Continued Dispensing Initiative - PBS requirements - Australian Government Department of Human Services
For assistance, please contact Minfos.
- ePrescribing will soon be rolled out nationally.
- From April 2020 it will be mandatory for Victorian pharmacies to check SafeScript when dispensing a prescription for a monitored drug.
To prepare for these changes
- Ensure that your pharmacy is connected to a Prescription Exchange Service (PES) such as eRx Script Exchange or MediSecure.
- Ensure that all staff scan the PES barcode on the script rather than enter information manually. Scanning PES barcodes is crucial as this data will form the base infrastructure for ePrescribing.
- Notify eRx or MediSecure of doctors in your area that do not use a Prescription Exchange Service (i.e. no barcode is printed on the script).
For eRx: Please click this link and provide their details and eRx will contact the practice directly.
For MediSecure: Please click this link and provide the practice name and phone number and MediSecure will contact the practice directly.
If you experience technical issues with your scanners, please contact your hardware vendor for assistance.
Need help?
It is important that you act now to ensure that you will be eHealth ready in 2020. For assistance, please contact Minfos.
