Pluripharm

Pluripharm is one of the four leading independent pharmaceutical wholesalers in the Netherlands, offering a comprehensive range of medicines, medical supplies, and pharmacy services. Customers are provided with a wide assortment of medications, from specialty, generic, and parallel to self-care products. A notable characteristic is their excellent availability.

In 2020, Pluripharm was acquired by the Danish company Abacus Medicine. Abacus Medicine is a leading player in the international trade of pharmaceuticals. The acquisition enables Pluripharm to expand its services to customers and ensure even better availability of medicines and services. To achieve its goals for the coming years and enhance customer service, a result-oriented approach and roadmap of new initiatives were defined in 2020. Léon Tinke, CEO of Pluripharm Group, reflects on two successful projects.

The PluriCheck Case  

For pharmacists, it is important to find the right balance between the preference policy (the insurer’s preferred medication within a group of equivalent drugs) and the so-called free volume when dispensing medicines. It is impractical for pharmacy assistants to determine the best medication for the patient and the pharmacist for each doctor’s prescription. Each health insurer has its own complex rules. Therefore, it is too complicated and time-consuming to manually search for the required information in the Pharmacy Information System (AIS) and then make the right choice.

The Question  

Pharmacists need their pharmaceutical wholesaler, Pluripharm, to support them directly in making the right choice for a medication by providing clear and reliable order advice. The pharmacist can choose whether or not to follow this advice.

How It Works  

Based on various data such as the prescribed medicine, the insurer’s preference policy, price, packaging, availability, and business ruling, the PluriCheck system generates a tailored advice for each medication for the pharmacist. This advice is immediately visible in their AIS when writing a prescription for a patient. This new service makes Pluripharm’s daily pharmacy processes more efficient.

“With the expertise of Squadra, we have systematically enhanced our services.”

The Central Filling Case  

Central Filling is another innovative service Pluripharm offers to its customers, the pharmacists in the Netherlands. This service involves Pluripharm handling the packaging and labeling of medicines according to patient prescriptions from a specialized pharmacy. This allows pharmacies to directly deliver the ordered medicines to their patients, removing logistical concerns from the pharmacy, saving processing time and required FTEs.

The Question  

Pluripharm already offered a Central Filling service, but the existing system was end-of-life. Pluripharm opted for a future-proof custom solution based on the latest logistical techniques to replace the old system. The project aimed to implement the new system and ensure a controlled and smooth transition from the old to the new system.

Approach  

Since the Central Filling process impacts not only the Logistics center but also many other departments within Pluripharm, such as IT, Customer Support, and Finance, a multidisciplinary project team was formed. This team was responsible for the entire process: from gathering requirements to go-live and all necessary steps in between. To ensure the highest quality result, the project followed the classical V-model. Close collaboration with external (software) suppliers contributed to the solution’s stability. Input and feedback from the internal organization were collected and processed through the established sounding board group. Steering was provided by the steering group, consisting of Pluripharm’s management and the IT manager.

Role of Squadra  

In the PluriCheck case, Squadra assisted Pluripharm in developing the concept (from process to information provision) to implementation and aftercare. Project management was carried out, and pharmacists and pharmacy information software suppliers were jointly involved. Additionally, Squadra supported Pluripharm employees in drafting functional and technical requirements, designing, and guiding the selection of the software supplier. Developments are ongoing, and Squadra is currently involved as project lead and advisor in further developments of PluriCheck.

In the Central Filling case, Squadra took on the project management. The Squadra project approach (project organization, project tracks, reporting, etc.) provided the necessary structure and tools to keep management continuously informed about the project’s status and to make adjustments as needed. This approach led to the successful delivery of the new Central Filling system and processes, with satisfied Pluripharm customers as the icing on the cake.