What's New in Propel Rx 1.6

Key Enhancements and Fixes in This Release

  • You can now schedule prescriptions for a patient from the Patient Profile using the Schedule button within the Rx menu. Please note, the Schedule button is only available from the Patient Profile. For more information, select the Schedule Button dropdown.

  • You can now open a Drug Folder while the Inventory Reconcile module is open on the same or a different workstation/instance; the Drug Folder will no longer open in Read Only mode.

  • All Owe Balances in Propel Rx can now be cleared by a Pharmacy Manager user. When cleared using this method, Owe Balance labels do not print automatically. For more information, select the Clear Owe Balances dropdown.

  • If a prescription is rejected by a Third Party after an Owe Balance is created, upon reducing the Quantity and filling the prescription again, a negative Owe Balance should not be created.

  • The Manual Reversal option that appears during a failed rebill should cancel the prescription locally and close Rx Detail for that prescription.

  • In a coordination of benefits scenario, when a primary Third Party approves an amount that's different than what they pay, the Claim Summary window should display the correct values returned by each plan.

To see the fixes that are coming up, click here.

  • It is now possible to perform Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review on multiple Compliance prescriptions for one or more patients at a time. This feature will be driven by a new Workflow Preference. For more information, select the Aggregate Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review dropdown.

  • You can now filter by prescriber name in the Fax tile. For more information, select the Fax Tile dropdown.

  • A SRxS button is now available in the Drug Folder Main tab below the Rx Vigilance button for select specialty drugs. When the button is invoked, the corresponding page in the SRxS Library on the Rexall store portal opens in Microsoft Edge for your reference.

Enhancements

It is now possible to perform Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review on multiple prescriptions for one or more patients at a time. This feature will be driven by a new preference added to Workflow Preferences.

It is now possible to perform Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review on multiple Compliance prescriptions for one or more patients at a time. This feature will be driven by a new Workflow Preference.

Watch the video below for an overview of the Aggregate feature.

Aggregate Preference

Aggregate checkboxes have been added to the Retail and Compliance sections under Workflow Preferences. When Technical Validation and Clinical Review are ON, the Aggregate checkboxes are enabled. When the Aggregate checkbox is selected for Technical Validation, the corresponding checkbox will be automatically selected for Clinical Review as they must be turned on together.

Aggregate checkboxes have been added to the Compliance section under Workflow Preferences. When Technical Validation and Clinical Review are ON, the Aggregate checkboxes are enabled. When the Aggregate checkbox is selected for Technical Validation, the corresponding checkbox will be automatically selected for Clinical Review as they must be turned on together.

  • When the Aggregate preference is ON, multiple prescriptions can be loaded into Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review for aggregate checking.

  • When the Aggregate preference is OFF, Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review must be performed for one prescription at a time, as per previous functionality.

If the Aggregate preference is changed, restart Propel Rx (exit and relaunch) on all computers for the changes to take effect.

Upon upgrade to Propel Rx 1.6, the Technical Validation and Clinical Review queues will be turned on for Compliance prescriptions. If Clinical Review precedes Packaging, prescriptions that were in Packaging prior to the upgrade will not flow through Technical Validation or Clinical Review after being Packaged. If you want these prescriptions to be checked in the Aggregate window, you need to rebill them.

Overview of the Aggregate Window

The Aggregate window opens when the Aggregate preference is ON, and one or more prescriptions are processed from the Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review queues. In the window, the prescriptions are listed in a layout similar to the Drug Record Book. If multiple patients are loaded, the prescriptions are separated by patient onto different pages.

For more information, select the expander icons More in the image below.

In British Columbia, the existing Allergy Check, PharmaNet Check, and D.T. Issues checkboxes, as well as the PharmaNet link, will continue to be available at the top of the Aggregate window.

Process for Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review

To complete Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review from the Aggregate window:

  1. Select one or more prescriptions from the Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review queues.

  2. Select Process. If there are other prescriptions for the same patient, group, or packager that were not selected , the existing Workflow prompt appears with the options to process these additional prescriptions.

  3. Select the appropriate option from the Workflow prompt, if applicable. Depending on the Aggregate settings in Workflow Preferences, the prescriptions load into Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review accordingly:

    • If Aggregate is turned ON for Retail, only retail prescriptions load into the new Aggregate window. All other prescriptions load into the previous Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review window.

    • If Aggregate is turned ON for Compliance, only Compliance Pack prescriptions load into the new Aggregate window. All other prescriptions load into the previous Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review window.

    • If Aggregate is turned ON for Retail and Compliance, retail and Compliance Pack prescriptions load into the new Aggregate window.

To complete Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review from the Aggregate window:

  1. Select one or more Compliance prescriptions from the Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review queues on the Workbench.

  2. Select Process. If there are other prescriptions for the same patient, group, or packager that were not selected , the existing Workflow prompt appears with the options to process these additional prescriptions.

  3. Select the appropriate option from the Workflow prompt, if applicable. The prescriptions load into the new Aggregate window.

  1. Select the Verify button for the prescriptions that have been checked. Once a prescription is Verified, it drops to the bottom of the list, and the Verify button is renamed to Verified and changes to green. If you'd rather Verify all prescriptions for a patient at once, select the Verify all button.

  2. Once all prescriptions for the patient have been Verified, select the toggle buttons at the bottom to navigate to the next patient. If you've already partially Verified prescriptions for a patient, you must Verify the remaining prescriptions before navigating to the next patient; otherwise, you will receive the following prompt.

    If multiple patients were loaded in the Aggregate window, you can Verify a patient's prescriptions while other patients are loaded in the background.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • If performing Technical Validation only, select Validate. Technical Validation will be completed for the Verified prescriptions and they will vacate the Aggregate window. Any prescriptions which have not been Verified remain in the Aggregate window for you to check.

    • If performing Clinical Review, independently or in combination with Technical Validation, select Sign Rx to open the Signature window. For more information on the enhanced Signature window, click here. Once the signature is captured, Clinical Review will be completed for all Verified prescriptions and they will vacate the Aggregate window. Any prescriptions which have not been Verified remain in the Aggregate window for you to check.

    You are not required to Verify all loaded prescriptions for all patients before selecting Validate or Sign Rx. However, you must Verify all loaded prescriptions for a patient to complete Technical Validation and/or Clinical Review for that patient; if this is not done, you will receive the following prompt.

    Upon selecting OK, you will be returned to the Aggregate window to Verify the remaining prescriptions.

Setting Prescription Labels to Not Print

As per existing functionality, the thermal medication record and official receipt print after Technical Validation and Clinical Review are complete. If you're performing an Aggregate check, this could translate to many labels being printed after sign off. If you do not want the labels to print automatically after sign off, set Labels to 0 in one of the following locations:

  • Rx Detail during Data Entry - this will apply to that specific prescription only.

  • Batch Preferences window when scheduling a batch - this will apply to all prescriptions in the batch.

  • Group Folder Preferences tab - this will apply to all prescriptions filled within that group.

Pharmacy Manager users have been granted the ability to clear all Owe Balances in Propel Rx.

Review your Owe Balance preferences to ensure your setup reflects how your pharmacy manages Owe Balances.

Security Access

In the Security Administration Facility window under General Access > Inventory, a new access type has been added called Clear Owe Balances. Pharmacy Manager users cannot assign this permission to another user nor modify their own (i.e., checkbox is disabled).

When a user has access to Clear Owe Balances, a Clear Owe Balances button becomes visible in the More (...) > Inventory menu.

Responsibilities of the Pharmacy

It is important to note that Clear Owe Balances will only clear Owe Balances and will not affect On Hand values. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to run the Owe Balance report prior to clearing the Owe Balances. Once Clear Owe Balances is used, the action cannot be reversed. The drugs on the report should be cycle counted after the Owe Balances are cleared to ensure On Hand values are accurate in Propel Rx.

Although only Pharmacy Manager users can access this feature, your pharmacy is responsible for ensuring each team member uses their own login to perform actions within Propel Rx.

Process

To clear all Owe Balances:

  1. Select More (...) > Inventory > Clear Owe Balances. A warning prompt appears.

  2. If you have not printed the Owe Balance report yet, it is strongly recommended to Cancel out of the window and print the report before proceeding.

    Once Owe Balances are cleared, you cannot reverse the action. Cycle count the drugs listed on the Owe Balance report after the Owe Balances have been cleared. Adjust the On Hands in Propel Rx as needed to reflect your physical count.

  3. Select Continue. The following actions are performed by Propel Rx:

    • All Owe Balances are zeroed. On Hand values and the Order pad are not affected.

    • Any Owe Balance indicators in the Patient Folders and Drug Folders are cleared.

    • All entries on the Owe Balance report are cleared.

    • All Owe Balances in the Parked Rx tile are cleared.

    • A date and time stamped note is added to the Drug Folder Notes tab. The Owe quantity that was cleared, affected pack size, affected prescription numbers, and user are indicated. The Alert and Print checkboxes are defaulted to OFF for the note.

    If the above actions were successful, a prompt appears.

    Owe Balance labels do not print when the Clear Owe Balances feature is used.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is anything recorded in Workflow Details when an Owe Balance is cleared using the Clear Owe Balances feature?

No. As Packaging for the Owe Balance did not occur, no row will be added to Workflow Details if the Owe Balance is cleared using the Clear Owe Balances feature.

After clearing a full Owe Balance, I noticed I could Package the prescription even though I didn't have any On Hand for the Drug. Why was this allowed?

When the full Owe Balance was cleared, inventory tracking for the prescription was removed. Therefore, you will be allowed to Package the prescription even though you have no On Hand for the Drug.

The following enhancements to Clinical Review apply to both the Aggregate and non-Aggregate windows.

Interaction Checking

A new warning indicator appears on the Clinical Info tab if an interaction exists for the prescription(s) for which the severity is classified as one of the following:

  • Contraindicated

  • Severe

  • Moderate

This applies to all supported interaction types in Propel Rx including Drug - Drug, Drug - Allergy, Duplicate Therapy, Drug - Disease, and Drug - Food.

If the indicator is present, the Pharmacist user must view the Clinical info tab before they can sign for the prescription(s). If this is not done, upon selecting Sign Rx, the Clinical Info tab will be forced open for the user to view. The user must select Sign Rx again to complete Clinical Review.

Once the Clinical Info tab for a patient is viewed, Propel Rx will not force the view again (i.e., if the user navigates to another folder and returns). However, if the prescription is rebilled, the user must view the Clinical Info tab again.

Drug Allergies

A new Drug Allergy tag appears under Clinical Info whenever a Drug Allergy exists in the Patient Folder. The Drug/Allergy label in the Interactions section also now displays in red.

Counter

The counter on the Fax tile now displays the number of new/unread items in the Inbox over the total number of non-archived Inbox items.

  • When a new Fax is received, the first and second numbers of the counter increase by 1.

  • When a Fax is read but not actioned, the first number decreases by 1 but the total remains the same.

  • When a Fax is archived automatically or manually, the total decreases by 1.

The new counter makes it easier to identify at a glance how many Faxes are awaiting further action.

Prescriber Name

For incoming faxes, Propel Rx will attempt to match the fax number with the Prescriber Folders in your store's database. If a match is found, the prescriber's name will appear beside the fax number in the following locations:

  • Fax From field in the Inbox and Archive

  • From field in the Image Preview (text may be cutoff if long)

If multiple matches were found (i.e., more than 1 Prescriber Folder has the same fax number), each prescriber will be separated with a semicolon. When this occurs, a tooltip will be visible when you hover over the fax row, which displays the entire list of prescribers and their fax number.

As a result of this enhancement, you can now filter by prescriber name in the Fax tile.

If no match is found for the fax number in the Prescriber Folders, only the fax number displays as per previous functionality.

When Fax is selected in the Authorization Request Form window, the following now occurs:

  • A message indicates the date and time that the fax was sent. This message remains visible until the window is closed. If the Authorization Request Form window is closed and reopened, the message does not display again.

  • The Fax button becomes disabled. The button is re-enabled if a different address or prescriber is selected from the dropdown, or the Authorization Request Form window is reopened.

  • The Authorization Request Form window remains open so you can print the form if needed.

You can now open a Drug Folder while the Inventory Reconcile module is open on the same or a different workstation/instance; the Drug Folder will no longer open in Read Only mode.

The counter on the Messages tile now displays the number of new or unread items in the Inbox, including subfolders, over the total number of non-archived Inbox items.

  • When a new Message is received, the first and second numbers of the counter increase by 1.

  • When a Message is read but not actioned, the first number decreases by 1 but the total remains the same.

  • When a Message is archived automatically or manually, the total decreases by 1.

The new counter makes it easier to identify at a glance how many Messages are awaiting further action.

The Fill Type display has been updated as follows:

  • For new prescriptions placed on Hold, the Fill Type = New (Hold).

  • For reauthorized prescriptions placed on Hold, the Fill Type = ReAuth (Hold).

  • For refills of new prescriptions that were placed on Hold, the Fill Type = New (Prev. Hold).

  • For refills of reauthorized prescriptions that were placed on Hold, the Fill Type = Reauth (Prev. Hold).

This new display will be applied wherever Fill Type is shown in Propel Rx, including the Workflow information bar, e-File copy, Technical Validation, and Clinical Review.

The Schedule button has been added to the Rx menu from the Patient Profile. You can now schedule prescriptions for a patient from the Patient Folder.

The Schedule button can only be invoked from the Patient Profile. It is not available from any other location (e.g., Workbench).

Process

To schedule prescriptions from the Patient Folder:

  1. Highlight the prescription(s) you want to schedule from the Patient Profile.

  2. Select Rx > Schedule. Existing validations that are performed when a prescription is refilled will be displayed (e.g., if the prescription is Inactive, the Stop Date or Rx Life Expiry Date has passed, etc.).

  3. After selecting the appropriate responses to the validations, the Batch Profile window opens. This is the same Batch Profile window that opens when scheduling a batch. Enter the Scheduled Date and Time. Ready Time is optional.

  4. Select Preferences to open the Batch Preferences window. The following fields or checkboxes will be editable:

    • Scheduled Date

    • Time

    • Labels (Automatically print or Do not print)

    • Skip Evaluation

    • Batch Waive Amounts

  5. Select the appropriate settings for the batch.

  6. Select OK. For banner stores only, if a prescription for a non-primary brand is being scheduled, the Interchangeables Exceptions window opens. Make the appropriate selections in the window and then select OK.

The prescription(s) is then placed on the Workbench in the Data Entry queue for the scheduled date. For an Auto Refill prescription, the future fill that existed on the Workbench before scheduling the prescription will be moved to the new scheduled date and time. The Auto Refill status of a prescription will be retained when it's scheduled. On the scheduled date and time, the prescription will auto-process.

Exceptions

The following cannot be scheduled using the Schedule button:

  • Prescriptions with an Incomplete status

  • Prescriptions with a Queued status

  • DURs

Rescheduling a Prescription

If you scheduled a prescription from the Patient Profile but need to change the date, time, or other preferences (i.e., Skip Evaluation setting, Third Party Threshold values), you can highlight the prescription from the Workbench and then select Rx > Batch. This opens the Batch Profile window for you to review and make any necessary modifications.

To locate the scheduled prescription, use the calendar controls ( ) on the Workbench to navigate to the date that the prescription is scheduled to process.

The Signature window in Clinical Review and Dialogue (for British Columbia stores) has been redesigned to allow all methods of signing to be performed from one place. Due to this change, the Sign Rx Method preference in Workflow Preferences has been removed.

Signature Window Overview

The top portion of the window is used for straight credential entry or if the user has a saved E-Signature. The user can either manually enter their user credentials or scan their fingerprint. The fingerprint icon on the right indicates if a biometric fingerprint reader is installed at the workstation and can be used to sign for the prescription. A red X appears over the fingerprint icon if the fingerprint reader is disconnected from the workstation.

The bottom portion of the window is used to capture signatures taken with a signature pad or mouse. By default, Propel Rx auto-detects which method was used and displays the signing method to the right of the signature box. Auto-detection has been tested with the McKesson supported signature pads: Topaz TS460 and 461.

If you are using a signature pad that is not compatible with the new auto-detection functionality, the auto-detection backend preference can be turned off and the bottom portion of the Signature window will have two radio buttons for the user to choose whether a signature pad or mouse is being used. Once a manual signature is entered, the radio button selection will be saved for the next prescription, regardless of which instance or workstation it's signed off on. If user credentials or a fingerprint is used to sign for the prescription, the Use Mouse option will be defaulted for the next prescription.

The bottom portion of the window is used to capture signatures taken with a signature pad or mouse. By default, Propel Rx auto-detects which method was used and displays the signing method to the right of the signature box. Auto-detection has been tested with the McKesson supported signature pads: Topaz TS460 and 461.

If you are using a signature pad that is not compatible with the new auto-detection functionality, the auto-detection backend preference can be turned off and the bottom portion of the Signature window will have two radio buttons for the user to choose whether a signature pad or mouse is being used. Once a manual signature is entered, the radio button selection will be saved for the next prescription, regardless of which instance or workstation it's signed off on. If user credentials or a fingerprint is used to sign for the prescription, the Use Mouse option will be defaulted for the next prescription.

If your signature pad is not compatible with auto-detection, please contact Customer Care to turn this preference OFF.

Once a method of signing is initiated, all other methods become disabled. You can use the Clear button to reopen all methods of signing if needed.

Signing Methods

Depending on the hardware installed at the workstation and whether an E-Signature has been set up for the logged in user, the signing methods available vary. Due to provincial restrictions, credential entry and fingerprint scanning are not available for Alberta and Manitoba pharmacies.

Workstation or User Setup Credential Entry Fingerprint Scan Sig Pad Signing Mouse Signing
Signature pad & fingerprint reader Yes Yes Yes Yes
Signature pad, no fingerprint reader Yes No Yes Yes
Fingerprint reader, no signature pad Yes Yes No Yes
No signature pad or fingerprint reader Yes No No Yes
E-signature for logged in user Yes Yes No No

Overriding the Logged In User

Pharmacist users can sign for a prescription in the Signature window even if they're not the logged in user or Pharmacist linked to the logged in user. In Workflow Details and the e-File copy, the Pharmacist's initials are displayed as follows:

  • When credentials are entered or a fingerprint is scanned, the initials of the signing Pharmacist are used.

  • When a signature is entered, the initials of the logged in Pharmacist user are assumed. However, the signature of the signing pharmacist is captured and appears on all prescription documentation.

If a non-Pharmacist user attempts to sign for a prescription using their credentials or fingerprint, a prompt indicates "Rx can only be signed by a Pharmacist."

A SRxS button is now available in the Drug Folder Main tab below the Rx Vigilance button for select specialty drugs. When the button is invoked, the corresponding page in the SRxS Library on the Rexall store portal opens in Microsoft Edge for your reference.

If no content exists for the drug in the SRxS library, the page will display contact information to obtain additional information about the drug.

This button will not be visible for all other drugs.

The Reject action button has been added to the Workflow Workbench. You can now reject prescriptions to a previously completed Workflow step from the Workbench.

For example, if you accidentally Packaged prescriptions instead of sending them to a packager from the Compliance Automated Packaging (CAP) window, you can now reject them back to Packaging from the Workbench. This way, you can send them again from the CAP window.

To quickly locate prescriptions that are destined for a packager, filter the Workbench by the Group name or Batch ID. You can highlight all the filtered prescriptions by clicking on the Select All checkbox in the grid header.

Fixes

  • Owe Balance labels should not print when Owe Balances are cleared using:

    • The Clear Owe Balances button in More (...) > Inventory

    • The Reset button in the Drug Folder Inventory tab

  • If a prescription is rejected by a Third Party after an Owe Balance is created, upon reducing the Quantity and filling the prescription again, a negative Owe Balance should not be created.

  • The Manual Reversal option that appears during a failed rebill should cancel the prescription locally and close Rx Detail for that prescription.

  • In a coordination of benefits scenario, when a primary Third Party approves an amount that's different than what they pay, the Claim Summary window should display the correct values returned by each plan.