Practice Management>Workflow Optimization Practice Test

The community pharmacy is experiencing a late-afternoon surge: 35 new e-prescriptions arrive within 30 minutes, the phone is ringing continuously with refill requests, and 8 patients are waiting for influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations. One pharmacist and two certified technicians are on duty. Barcode scanning is available at data entry, filling, and final check. Currently, the pharmacist is alternating between answering phone calls, processing vaccine paperwork, and verifying prescriptions, leading to growing wait times and frequent interruptions. Several patients have urgent antibiotics, while others are routine maintenance refills. The team needs a safe, immediately implementable strategy to reduce interruptions and prioritize care.

An urban community pharmacy is processing about 60 e-prescriptions per hour during the after-work rush. One pharmacist and two technicians are on duty; many patients are waiting, phones are ringing with insurance questions, and several immunizations are scheduled. The biggest bottlenecks are third-party rejections at data entry and interruptions pulling the pharmacist away from verification and counseling. Barcode scanning and a two-station bench are available, but the team has not clearly divided roles for the rush. The pharmacy wants to reduce wait times without compromising DUR checks, counseling, or accuracy.