Managing Owe Balances

When there is not enough drug on hand to fill the prescription, the owe quantity is calculated based on the Owe Balance Days Supply preference. The value entered in this preference is the assumed days supply you are packaging for the initial fill. The remainder is the owe quantity. For drugs with minimum dispensing quantities entered in the Drug Folder, the quantity to package for the initial fill defaults to the minimum dispensing quantity. If the on hand amount is less than the quantity required to fulfill the Owe Balance Days Supply preference, the owe quantity defaults to the entire prescription quantity.

For mixtures, the quantity to package defaults to the amount of drug on hand.

The calculation for the quantity to package is contingent on an accurate days supply being entered in the prescription.

To adjust the Owe Balance Days Supply preference:

  1. Select > Pharmacy > Rx Detail tab.

  2. Enter the number of days in the Owe Balance Days Supply field. By default, the preference is set to 7 days.

  3. Select Save.

  4. Exit out of Propel Rx and log back in to save the settings.

When using the Packaging queue and there is not enough drug on hand to fill the prescription, a 7 days supply is assumed for packaging the initial fill. For pack sizes that cannot be broken, the quantity to package defaults to the minimum dispensing quantity. If the on hand amount is less than the quantity required to fulfill a 7 days supply, the quantity to package is set to 0.

For mixtures, the quantity to package defaults to the amount of drug on hand.

There are two parts to managing Owe Balances:

Part 1: Creating Owe Balances

Part 2: Processing Owe Balances

Part 2 is not applicable to stores who have Packaging turned OFF and automatically reconcile Owe Balances during purchase order reconciliation.

Part 1: Creating Owe Balances

As the initial fill flows through Workflow, Owe Balances are created and displayed in various locations in Propel Rx. Only the documents pertaining to the initial fill are printed. This helps reduce clutter in the pharmacy by printing documents when they are needed.

As the initial fill flows through Workflow, Owe Balances are created and displayed in various locations in Propel Rx. Depending on your label type, Owe Balance labels are either printed with the initial fill labels or when the Owe Balance is processed.

Use the dropdowns below to learn what happens to Owe Balances as the initial fill moves through Workflow.

Upon filling a prescription, the Owe Balance window appears if there is not enough drug on hand. You have the option to edit the Owe Balance from this window.

This window does not appear for prescriptions within a batch if they are processed from the Batch Profile window.

To edit an Owe Balance in Data Entry:

  1. Fill the prescription. The Owe Balance window should appear if there is not enough drug on hand to fill the prescription.

    You can also manually create an Owe Balance by selecting Rx > Owe Balance before filling the prescription.

  2. In the Owe Balance Details section, enter the amount you want to owe the patient in the Owe Qty field.

  3. Select OK. The prescription moves to the next Workflow step. The following occurs:

    • The Qty to Package is updated based on the Owe Qty entered.

    • The Patient Profile displays the owe amount in red below the prescription quantity.

    • An Owe Balance Edit row is added to Workflow Details. The Qty Owed is updated at the top of the window.

In the Packaging queue, you can edit the Owe Balance in the same window that is used to edit the label settings.

To edit an Owe Balance in Packaging:

  1. Select the expander icon beside the attachments button. The Owe Balance window opens.

  2. In the Owe Balance Details section, enter the amount you want to owe the patient in the Owe Qty field.

  3. Select OK.

  4. The Qty to Package is updated based on the Owe Qty entered. Continue to package the prescription as per usual.

  5. Once Packaging is complete, the following occurs:

    • In Workflow Details, an Owe Balance Edit row and Packaging row are added with the Owe Balance indicated. The Qty Owed is updated at the top of the window.

    • The Patient Profile displays the new quantity owed.

The Owe Balance is displayed in the Prescription section of Technical Validation. It also appears below the Qty in the Profile tab.

An Owe Balance cannot be edited in Technical Validation or Clinical Review if Packaging is turned on. To edit an Owe Balance, you must reject the prescription back to Packaging.

Once the initial fill moves to Waiting For Pick Up/Delivery, the Owe Balance is placed in the Parked Rx tile for processing at a future time. The Owe Balance appears with an owe indicator on the Parked Rx tile.

If POS integration is not turned on, the Owe Balance appears in the Parked Rx tile after the initial fill completes Workflow.

For half labels, the initial fill and Owe Balance labels print after Packaging is completed. The vial label for the initial fill shows the quantity being packaged now while the Owe Balance vial label shows the quantity to be packaged for the Owe Balance. The receipt on the label is for the full prescription quantity.

For Thermal labels, the initial fill labels print as the prescription moves through Workflow. See Table 1 for more information.

If your pharmacy is not using Technical Validation and Clinical Review, all documents listed in Table 1 are printed after Packaging is completed. If Packaging is also not used, the documents print after Data Entry is complete.

The initial fill labels print as the prescription moves through Workflow. See Table 1 for more information.

Table 1. Printed documents for the initial fill when using Thermal labels.

Printed Documents When does it print? Sample

Initial fill vial label

  • Displays quantity being packaged now

 Packaging completed

Initial fill privacy label

  • Displays an Owe Balance indicator

 Technical Validation and Clinical Review completed

Official Receipt

  • For full prescription quantity

 Technical Validation and Clinical Review completed

Medication Record

  • Prints if enabled in Pharmacy Preferences

 Technical Validation and Clinical Review completed

Initial fill narcotic pickup receipt

  • Used for documenting the pick up of narcotic initial fills

 Technical Validation and Clinical Review completed

Part 2: Processing Owe Balances

This section is not applicable to pharmacies who have Packaging turned OFF and automatically reconcile owe amounts during purchase order reconciliation. The applicable Owe Balance rows in the Parked tile will be removed automatically for these stores when purchase orders are reconciled.

When there is enough on hand to fulfill some or all of the balance remaining, the Owe Balance can be processed from the Parked Rx tile and scanned at the till, if POS integration is turned on. If you are using half labels, the Owe Balance label does not print as it was printed with the initial fill. If you are using Thermal labels, documents are printed once the Owe Balance is processed.

When there is enough on hand to fulfill some or all of the balance remaining, the Owe Balance can be processed from the Parked Rx tile and scanned at the till. Documents are printed once the Owe Balance is processed.

Use the dropdowns below to learn how Owe Balances are processed and picked up.

To process an Owe Balance from the Parked Rx tile:

  1. Select the Owe Balance.

  2. Select Process.

    Owe Balances do not flow through the Workflow queues and cannot be assigned a Ready Time.

  3. If another dispense (i.e. initial fill or a previous Owe Balance) for the same prescription is in Technical Validation, Clinical Review, or Waiting For Pick Up/Delivery, a prompt alerts you that previous dispenses for the same prescription are in the pharmacy. Select OK. The Owe Balance window opens.

    Retrieve the other dispenses so you can bag them together with the Owe Balance you are processing.

  4. In the Owe Balance Details section, deduct the Owe Qty field by the quantity being packaged now. If the entire Owe Balance is being packaged, enter 0.

  5. Select OK. The following occurs:

    • The Owe Balance is moved from the Parked Rx tile to the Pick Up/Delivery tile.

    • The Owe Balance is removed from the Parked Rx tile. For POS integrated and Saskatchewan stores, the Owe Balance is moved to the Pick Up/Delivery tile.

    • If an outstanding owe still exists for the prescription, another Owe Balance is placed in the Parked Rx tile. Up to 9 Owe Balances can be created for a single prescription.

    • In Workflow Details, an Owe Balance Edit row is added. The Qty Owed is updated at the top of the window.

    • On the Patient Profile, the Owe Balance is updated. If the Owe Qty is zeroed, the Owe Balance is removed from the Profile.

For POS integrated and Saskatchewan stores, Owe Balances are moved to the Pick Up/Delivery tile from the Parked Rx tile. The Owe Balance privacy label can be scanned at the till or manually marked as picked up when the patient comes to pick up their Owe Balance.

Owe Balances are moved to the Pick Up/Delivery tile after being processed from the Parked Rx tile. The Owe Balance privacy label should be scanned at the till when the patient comes to pick up their Owe Balance.

If the second digit of the barcode on the privacy label is 0, the dispense is an initial fill. If the digit is anything other than 0, it is an Owe Balance.

Compare the Qty Pkg and Qty columns on the Pick Up/Delivery tile to identify initial fills and Owe Balances.

Once the Owe Balance has been sold, the following occurs:

  • The Owe Balance is removed from the Pick Up/Delivery tile.

  • In Workflow Details, the sold date and time are added to the Owe Balance Edit rows.

    The sold date and time at the top of the Workflow Details window always corresponds to the initial fill.

Owe Balance labels print after the Owe Balance is processed from the Parked Rx tile. The vial label shows the quantity being packaged for the Owe Balance. The privacy label includes a barcode that can be scanned at the POS till. For more information on the different thermal documents that print, see Table 2.

If you are using half labels, Owe Balance labels do not print after the Owe Balance is processed from the Parked Rx tile because they were already printed with the initial fill labels.
If you are using Thermal labels, Owe Balance labels print after the Owe Balance is processed from the Parked Rx tile. The vial label shows the quantity being packaged for the Owe Balance. The privacy label includes a barcode that can be scanned at the POS till. For more information on the different thermal documents that print, see Table 2.

Table 2. Printed documents for Owe Balances when using Thermal labels.

Printed Documents When does it print? Sample

Owe Balance vial label

  • Displays quantity that is being packaged now

 Processed from Parked Rx tile

Owe Balance privacy label

  • If an Owe Balance still remains, an owe indicator also appears

  • Barcode can be scanned at POS till

 Processed from Parked Rx tile

Owe Balance hard copy

  • Used for documenting checks when dispensing the Owe Balance

 Processed from Parked Rx tile
Owe Balance narcotic pickup receipt

  • Used for documenting pick up of narcotic Owe Balances

 Processed from Parked Rx tile

  1. Choose one of the following options:

    • From the Workbench, select RX > Print. Enter the prescription number(s) and select OK.

    • From the Patient Profile, select the prescription and RX > Print.

    • From the Pick Up/Delivery tile, select the prescription and RX > Print.

  2. For stores using half labels, the initial fill and Owe Balance labels print automatically. For stores using Thermal labels, select the Owe Balance option.

    Owe Balance labels can only be printed if the Owe Balance has been processed from the Parked Rx tile.

    Select OK. The Owe Balance labels print. For stores using Thermal labels, this includes the Owe Balance vial label, privacy label, hard copy, and narcotic pickup receipt, if applicable.

    If the prescription had multiple Owe Balances, the most recent Owe Balance is printed.