Kevin Lathrop, President, Transaction Data Systems

Over the years, the role of pharmacists has evolved significantly along with the health care needs of the people. Today, pharmacists are taking a larger role as medical counselors and educators rather than being confined only to dispensing medications. As their role continues to expand, they need to be well-equipped with solutions that can help them maintain efficiencies, increase revenue, and improve patient outcomes. They need an empowering and user-friendly pharmacy management solution to operate with efficiency, manage workflow, and provide more valuable and expanded services while reducing operating costs. And this is precisely where Transaction Data Systems (TDS), a leading independent pharmacy services and solution provider, comes into the picture.

Incepted in 1977, TDS provides innovative pharmacy management solutions and clinical applications that adapt to the workflow needs of the largest network of independent and community pharmacists. For the past 43 years, the pioneering company has supported the needs of single, multi-site, assisted living and hospital pharmacies through its portfolio of software and services including Rx30, Computer-Rx, Enhanced Medication Services, and PharmAssess.

Delivering Exemplary Pharmacy Management Solutions

Initially, the Rx30 pharmacy management system was the core of the TDS solution suite with a focus on automating pharmacy processes.As a complete solution, Rx30 was designedto handle everything a pharmacy needs, including workflow, inventory management, POS, and more. In 2015, the acquisition of Computer-Rx created a platform of scale, offering a choice of operating systems.

As both Rx30 and Computer-Rx were created by pharmacists, the TDS portfolio advanced beyond the competition for its intuitive workflow and innovative applications. In 2017, TDS launched Enhanced Medication Services providing medication therapy programs, including clinical adherence and intervention opportunities, to independent pharmacists. Most recently in 2019, TDS acquired PharmAssess enhancing the solution suite with robust data, analytics, and service offerings that improvethe profitability of pharmacies.

Equipped with such efficient solutions, TDS has been the preferred choice of pharmacists who demand a comprehensive pharmacy solution that is built for speed, accuracy, and functionality.

Following a Pharmacy Focused, Solution Centric Approach

Delineating on the uniqueness of TDS, Kevin Lathrop,  the President of TDS says, “We are unique in our complete, end-to-end approach to solution innovation in community pharmacy. Our exclusive TDS Clinical 360 platform integrates pharmacy management tools with care coordination programs to provide the most robust data analytics in the market and the most comprehensive solution suite in independent pharmacy today.”

Innovation focused on patient care has been one of the key factors behind the success of TDS. The innovation cycle of the company is still driven by the needs of all community pharmacies across the U.S.Whether through continued development or unrivaled customer support, TDS has always been focused on helping pharmacies perform at their very best.

Besides its innovative solutions, the uniqueness of TDS also comes from its largest network ofcommunity pharmacies. Independent pharmacies rely on TDS for more than just pharmacy management software and point-of-sale. Its pharmacy network covers single retail stores to multi-store regional chains, specialty, compounding, to long term care and hospital pharmacies.

“Just as our comprehensive, end-to-end platform is unique in the market so is our network of community pharmacies. TDS represents the largest network of more than 8,000 independent community pharmacies,” elucidatesKevin.

Through its central solution, the company is able to partner and bring medication therapy programs, adherence, and intervention opportunities directly in-workflow to its pharmacy network, a differientiator unique to TDS

Keeping Customer Success as the Cornerstone

For TDS, customer success is the top priority. The customer-centric company ensures that its solutions and support meet the needs of its clients,improves their service to their patients,and streamline processes that are critical to the daily productivity and profitability of pharmacists.These values translate to a culture of innovation and a commitment to independent pharmacy.

“Customer success is the cornerstone of our business, as it should be for all healthcare companies. Our customers rely on our solutions to serve the patients in their communities. We earn their trust by delivering the most comprehensive, innovative pharmacy solutions and supporting their patient care needs,” affirms Kevin.

He further adds, “We pride ourselves on our ability to adapt to industry changes and innovate to meet the evolving needs of patient care for our pharmacists.Our vision is to be recognized by our customers for innovative software solutions that enable communities where we work and live to lead healthier lives.”

Playing a Critical Role amid the Pandemic

Today, as the world is grappling with the outbreak of COVID-19, the role of pharmacyin the continuum of care has become more critical than ever. Pharmacists already see patients more often than physicians and this pandemic has heightened their need to document and bill for care outside of traditional services.Amid this catastrophic scenario, the rapidrelease of information from government entities, pharmacy organizations, and other outlets makesit even more difficult for busy pharmacists to keep pace with changing regulations. They need a source of truth for more clarity and guidance to operate in this chaotic situation. Realizing this, TDS launched a weekly communication providing the most relevant updates and information for pharmacists. The company also maintains monthly newsletters, webinars, and instant alerts within its solutions, product documentation, and videos within a complete customer success center.

“As the largest provider of pharmacy solutions, we take our responsibility as a thought leader in community pharmacy very seriously.With so many streams of communication, we make it easy for customers to stay informed.  However, we earn their trust not by the information we share but through our engagement and open collaboration with our customers,” states Kevin.

Focusing On the Expansion of Clinical Care inthe Pharmacy Setting

Moving into the future, TDS plans to continue supporting its customers through its pharmacy-focused, solution-centric approach. It also aims to increase the opportunities available to pharmacists to provide and be reimbursed for care. “A patient’s care journey involves so many touchpoints from providers to payers, to prescription savings plans, to the drug manufacturers and their coupon programs. Pharmacists are the last touchpoint for so many patients. Our focus is on the pharmacist’s involvement in the patient journey from initial engagement to treatment and we can facilitate the continuum of care,” asserts Kevin on a concluding note.