Compounding pharmacies are a niche industry. Whereas large-scale commercial pharmacies provide mass-produced drugs, compounding pharmacies are typically small or medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that develop custom medications for a customer’s specific healthcare needs — medications that typically aren’t commercially available.
Regulations and inefficiencies challenge compounding pharmacies.
Multiple authorities, including the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), strictly regulate the pharmaceutical industry. While important for ensuring patient safety, documenting information about the chemicals used for customized medications in accordance with USP requirements is a complex process.
These documentation requirements can slow down business operations, creating a barrier for some pharmacies to offer compounding services.
To meet regulatory requirements, the technology and operational systems compounding pharmacies use must be both efficient and accurate. When compounding pharmacies use multiple operational systems that require manual data entry, that opens the door for errors.
So, is it possible to create a single operational solution that has all the necessary requirements to efficiently run a compounding pharmacy? Isak Computing, a Claris Partner, did exactly that by using Claris FileMaker to develop the SiCompounding application.
Custom app makes it possible for pharmacies to offer compounding services.
Just like how compounding pharmacies deliver medications based on the unique needs of each customer, Isak Computing developed a custom app according to the specific requirements of the compounding pharmacy industry.
Instead of having data scattered across several systems, these businesses can now consolidate their operations in a single application — the SiCompounding app. This reduces the need for manual or duplicate data entry and helps compounding pharmacies adhere to rigid quality assurance protocols.
Announced at Claris Engage 2024, Isak Computing won the 2023 Design Excellence Award. This achievement applauds a Claris Partner who used interactive and visually appealing design to create an exceptional user experience within a Claris FileMaker solution.
Isak Computing earned the award by developing an elegant FileMaker solution for a complex and niche industry. The SiCompounding app makes it easy for anyone to understand processes — even if they aren’t familiar with the compounding pharmacy industry.
Current software powers a new application.
Since Isak Computing shares the same building as a compounding pharmacy, geography had a big play in bringing the app to life. Plus, the pharmacist originally developed his own pharma system 20 years ago with FileMaker. When Isak Computing started working with the pharmacist in 2017, the system used FileMaker 7, an outdated version that was more than a decade old.
Using the latest FileMaker software allowed Isak Computing to quickly build a custom app tailored specifically for compounding pharmacies. An industry game-changer.
One of the first steps for Isak Rodriguez, co-founder and president of Isak Computing, was to upgrade the pharma system to the current FileMaker version, taking advantage of the latest features. Isak gained enough knowledge and experience with the compounding pharmacy industry to develop the SiCompounding app in close collaboration with the local pharmacist. Isak found that FileMaker was the perfect tool for building the solution.
“Until I started working with FileMaker, I was never able to find a platform that has everything we were looking for,” Isak says. “Using this tool to create an impact so fast for a business is a game-changer.”
FileMaker Data API advances communication within the app.
The SiCompounding app consists of multiple portals that are used by internal pharmacy staff and external users including patients, physicians, telehealth companies, and other third-party vendors. Isak Computing uses the FileMaker Data API to allow these portals to communicate with the SiCompounding app.
“The FileMaker Data API is opening a new window into integrations. Our developers created web apps to establish patient and physician portals send information to the pharmacy. With the Data API in place, there’s no need to give everyone access to the FileMaker app,” explains Isak.
The physician portal provides details about the pharmacy’s formulary and helps improve prescription data quality to reduce errors that could impact patient safety. Likewise, the patient portal gives customers access to real-time information about their prescriptions and order status as well as ways to submit online payments and request refills.
The new B2B order API reduced the time to fill compound prescriptions from days to hours.
Additionally, Isak Computing developed a B2B order API to enable connections between compounding pharmacies and telehealth providers using the FileMaker Data API as another facet of the SiCompounding ecosystem. By automating prescriptions and order intake, the time of dispensing compounded medications reduced from days to hours.
Security features keep patient information private and secure.
Designed with security actions in place to protect patient privacy, this application adheres to all required industry standards for keeping patient information secure. SiCompounding holds a certification to receive electronic prescriptions from SureScripts, the major e-prescription network provider in the US. Additionally, the app is DEA 21 CFR Part 1311 certified to process electronic prescriptions for controlled substances.
“Protecting data is a big part of what we do every day. We look for all options to protect patient information,” Isak shares. “FileMaker provides encryption at rest that’s needed to secure databases, so patient data stays private.”
FileMaker drives efficiencies and provides scalability.
By using the latest technologies and taking advantage of the FileMaker’s scalability, Isak Computing helps drive efficiencies across the compounding pharmacy industry for internal and external users. The SiCompounding app stands as an example of how Claris technologies make it possible to develop elegant solutions customized for niche industries.
“FileMaker’s scalability is a big part of why we continue using the software for the SiCompounding app,” Isak explains. “We can’t wait to leverage all the new features of FileMaker 2024.”
See what’s new in FileMaker 2024 , like AI capabilities that help you get more value from your existing data.
Have an idea for a custom business app but not sure where to begin? Find a Claris Partner in your area to help develop an app designed specifically for your organization’s needs.