Selecting the right pharmacy management software can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not sure where to start.
With decades of experience developing and implementing solutions for specialty pharmacies, Inovalon’s team of experts created this checklist to help you navigate the process with clarity and confidence.
1) Start With a Business Needs Assessment
Clarify how a new system supports your pharmacy’s long-term strategy, patient mix, service lines, and care model.
Pro tip: Re-evaluate how your technology aligns with corporate initiatives at the start of a new year (or budget cycle).
With Inovalon’s ScriptMed®: Tailor your solution around the biggest challenges – like reducing cost to fill and speeding up time to therapy – across your unique mix of specialty and infusion therapies, with flexibility to launch new lines of business.
2) Map Out Key Stakeholders
Align clinical, operational, technology, and financial leaders early in the evaluation process.
Hint: Don’t wait for the contracting stage to clarify roles and approvals. Early alignment is critical.
With ScriptMed®: Defined roles and persona-based workflows help stakeholders visualize how the system supports their team’s day-to-day work.
3) Know Your Budget and Approval Process
Build a clear business case that considers the full cost of ownership – not just software licensing fees.
Hint: Include labor, system overlap, integration needs, and any required hardware.
With ScriptMed®: Consolidate multiple systems into one built for growth – reducing integration delays and time lost to syncing efforts.
4) Define Your Must-Have Features
Set clear evaluation criteria early and distinguish between your pharmacy team’s “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves.”
Hint: Think beyond today’s needs. Choose a solution that scales with your business and patient needs.
With ScriptMed®: Check off ‘must-haves’ with flexible role-based workflows, clear visibility across high-risk patient non-adherence, and customized reporting by program, disease state, or payer requirements.
5) Set a Realistic Timeline
Create an achievable implementation roadmap and set defined milestones together with your solution partner.
Pro tip: Set a feasible go-live date and clarify internal responsibilities to stay on track.
With ScriptMed®: Dedicated implementation teams and onboarding resources – including training courses and pre-configured templates – keep your launch on track and speed time-to-value.
6) Confirm End-to-End Capabilities
Ensure your vendor can support the full range of your pharmacy’s operations.
Pro tip: Eliminate the need for spreadsheet workarounds or disconnected tools.
With ScriptMed®: Gain full visibility and control across the entire medication journey, with our all-in-one connected solution that includes:
- Patient onboarding
- Clinical assessments
- Order fulfillment and reordering
- Reporting and payer/pharma compliance
- Care team and patient digital experiences
- Nurse scheduling and documentation
- Inventory management
- Medical and pharmacy billing
7) Ensure IT Compatibility and Interoperability
Collaborate with the software partner to validate system processes, shared responsibilities, and swift access to shared data.
Hint: Confirming IT compatibility late in the process almost always leads to costly delays, rework, and project overruns.
With ScriptMed®: Tap into ready-to-use APIs and connectors to reduce development time and achieve EHR integration, while gaining access to the nation’s largest healthcare dataset.
8) Schedule On-Site Executive Briefings
Invite your top vendors to meet your team, demo their solution, and learn about your organization.
With ScriptMed®: Demonstrate how the system helps teams work faster with intelligent task prioritization and tailored workflows, reducing manual overhead and enabling more personalized care coordination.
Even better: Test it first-hand in our Innovation and Simulation Lab.
9) Build in Time for Contract Reviews
Allow for legal, compliance, and procurement reviews to prevent last-minute delays.
With Inovalon: Gain a partner that has enterprise-level presence in the healthcare industry with over 26 years of experience across the entire continuum of care, with payer, provider, and life sciences.
10) Look Beyond the Go-Live
Your vendor of choice should support your long-term success, long after implementation.
Hint: Grow from the get-go. Don’t get stuck with rigid workflows, tap into flexible systems that scale as you do.
With ScriptMed®: Experience a true partnership, operating as an extension of your team, fully aligned with your long-term roadmap and pharmacy goals.
