Checklist template

Dispensary workflow for retail pharmacies

A ready-to-use checklist with 110 items in 6 sections, covering Intake, Data entry, Filling, Verification, Bagging and storage, Pickup. Use it as-is in Bindy, or adapt it to your own standards in minutes.

  • 6 Sections
  • 110 Items
  • 91 Yes / No checks
  • 6 Scored ratings
  • 121 Points

Use this template How audits work

1. Intake 19 items

  1. Patients at the drop-off counter are acknowledged within the time set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The patient's full name and date of birth are confirmed at drop-off before the prescription is accepted Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Drug allergies of new patients are entered in the profile at drop-off, before data entry starts Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The patient's phone number is confirmed at drop-off so the ready notification reaches them Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Each prescription dropped off is given a promised time that is entered in the system Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Waiting patients are quoted a wait in minutes taken from the queue screen, not "a few minutes" Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Paper prescriptions are checked for the prescriber's signature, the date and the quantity before the patient leaves the counter Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Paper prescriptions are scanned into the system at the intake station Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Prescriptions for waiting patients are flagged as waiters in the queue or placed in a basket of the waiter color Yes / No 1 pt
  10. The electronic prescription queue is opened and triaged at the interval set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Prescriber voicemail is retrieved by a pharmacist or other staff authorized by local regulation Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Prescriptions phoned in by a prescriber's office are written on the telephone order pad at the time of the call Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Refill requests from the phone line and the mobile app are pulled into the work queue at the start of each shift Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Faxed prescriptions are collected from the fax tray at least once an hour Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Insurance details of new patients are captured at drop-off, before the claim is submitted Yes / No 1 pt
  16. The patient's choice of child-resistant or easy-open caps is recorded in the profile Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Electronic prescriptions waiting in the intake queue at the time of the visit Number
  18. Age of the oldest untouched prescription in the intake queue (hours) Number
  19. Intake as observed during the visit Rating
    • Every prescription identified, timed and queued 5 pts
    • Some prescriptions without a promised time or a waiter flag 3 pts
    • Prescriptions accepted without identity check or promised time 1 pt

2. Data entry 19 items

  1. Each technician enters prescriptions under their own login Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The patient is selected in the system by name and date of birth, not by name alone Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The prescriber selected is checked against the address or identifier printed on the prescription Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Drug, strength and dosage form are entered from the prescription image, not copied from the patient's previous fill Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Directions on the label are written in plain language with no Latin abbreviations Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Days' supply was calculated correctly on a sample of 5 prescriptions for inhalers, insulin or eye drops Yes / No 1 pt
  7. A "dispense as written" or "no substitution" instruction is entered as the prescriber wrote it Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The number of refills entered matches the prescription Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The date written on the prescription is entered, rather than left at today's date Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Interaction and allergy alerts that appear at data entry are left for the pharmacist to resolve Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Drug names in the selection screen use tall-man lettering for look-alike names Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Prescriptions that need clarification sit in a separate queue with a note stating what is missing Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Calls to prescribers are documented on the prescription record with the name of the person spoken to Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Insurance rejections are worked on the day they occur Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Patients are told on the same day when a prior authorization has been requested from their prescriber Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Compounds and special-order drugs are flagged at data entry, so that the promised time allows for the extra work Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Prescriptions in the insurance rejection queue at the time of the visit Number
  18. Prescriptions waiting for prescriber clarification for more than 2 business days Number
  19. Accuracy of data entry on 5 prescriptions compared with their images Rating
    • All 5 match 5 pts
    • 1 discrepancy 3 pts
    • 2 or more discrepancies 1 pt

3. Filling 22 items

  1. Each patient's prescriptions travel through the dispensary in their own basket Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Only one label set is printed and worked at a time by each technician Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The barcode of the stock bottle is scanned against the label for every fill Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The scan bypass report for the last 7 days has been reviewed and initialed by the pharmacy manager Yes / No 1 pt
  5. The product code on the stock bottle matched the label on a sample of 5 filled prescriptions Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The expiry date of the stock bottle is checked against the days' supply being dispensed Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Stock bottles are returned to the shelf right after each fill, leaving no more than one open bottle per technician on the counter Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Stock bottles that have been opened are marked on the cap or the label Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Counting trays are wiped with alcohol after counting penicillin or sulfa products Yes / No 1 pt
  10. A separate, labeled counting tray is used for hazardous drugs Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Counting machine cells are refilled with a barcode scan of the stock bottle Yes / No 1 pt
  12. A second person checks each counting machine cell refill before the cell is put back in service Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Counting machine cells are labeled with the lot number and expiry date of the stock loaded Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The counting machine cleaning log is up to date with the manufacturer's schedule Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Vials are closed with child-resistant caps unless an easy-open request is on file Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Auxiliary labels prompted by the system (shake well, refrigerate, take with food) are on the container Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Powders for oral suspension are reconstituted only when the patient arrives to collect them Yes / No 1 pt
  18. The water for reconstitution is measured with a graduated cylinder or a reconstitution device Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Quantities owed on partial fills are recorded in the system at the time of filling Yes / No 1 pt
  20. The filling counter is free of food, drinks and personal phones Yes / No 1 pt
  21. Baskets waiting to be filled at the time of the visit Number
  22. Organization of the filling station Rating
    • One basket per patient and one open bottle at a time 5 pts
    • Occasional mixing of baskets or several open bottles 3 pts
    • Labels, vials and bottles of different patients mixed on the counter 1 pt

4. Verification 18 items

  1. A pharmacist performs the final check of every new prescription against the image of the original Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The pharmacist opens the vial and compares the contents with the product image or description on screen Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The pharmacist's check is recorded under their own password or fingerprint Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Severe interaction alerts carry a pharmacist's note stating how they were resolved Yes / No 1 pt
  5. The pharmacist reviews the patient's profile for duplicate therapy before releasing a new prescription Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The patient's weight is recorded in the profile for pediatric prescriptions dosed by weight Yes / No 1 pt
  7. High-alert drugs (insulin, anticoagulants, methotrexate, opioids) receive the extra check described in company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Where local regulation allows a technician to do the final product check, that technician did not fill the prescription Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Prescriptions that require counseling are flagged by the pharmacist at verification Yes / No 1 pt
  10. The verification queue is worked in order of promised time, with waiters first Yes / No 1 pt
  11. The pharmacist is not answering the phone or serving the register while verifying Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Refrigerated products go back to the refrigerator as soon as they are verified Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Errors caught at verification are entered in the near-miss log on the day they are caught Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The near-miss log is reviewed with the dispensary team at least once a month Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Date of the last near-miss review with the team Date
  16. Near misses recorded in the last 30 days Number
  17. Prescriptions waiting for verification at the time of the visit Number
  18. Verification practice observed Rating
    • Each prescription checked against image, contents and profile without interruption 5 pts
    • Checks complete but often interrupted 3 pts
    • Steps skipped under workload 1 pt

5. Bagging and storage 17 items

  1. Each of 5 bags opened in will-call contained the prescriptions of one patient only Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The name on the bag label matched the name on every vial in the 5 bags opened Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The printed patient information leaflet is inside or attached to the bag for new prescriptions Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Bags are stapled or sealed so that nothing can fall out Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Each bag is scanned into a will-call location when it is put away Yes / No 1 pt
  6. 5 bags sampled were found in the location shown in the system Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Orders split over several bags are marked "1 of 2", "2 of 2" on each bag Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Refrigerated prescriptions are kept in a designated will-call bin inside the pharmacy refrigerator Yes / No 1 pt
  9. A refrigerator flag appears on the bag tag or the register prompt for orders with a refrigerated item Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Bulky orders that do not fit a bin have a labeled shelf and a system location Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Controlled substances waiting for pickup are stored as company policy requires Yes / No 1 pt
  12. The counseling flag set by the pharmacist is visible on the bag or at the register Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Products to be mixed at pickup are flagged on the bag Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Remaining quantities owed are kept in a designated place with the patient's owing slip Yes / No 1 pt
  15. The pharmacy refrigerator reads between 36°F and 46°F (2°C and 8°C) Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Pharmacy refrigerator temperature at the time of the visit (°F or °C) Number
  17. Accuracy of bagging and put-away on the bags sampled Rating
    • All bags complete and in their location 5 pts
    • 1 bag misplaced or incomplete 3 pts
    • Several bags misplaced or mixed 1 pt

6. Pickup 15 items

  1. The clerk finds the order through a system lookup, which lists every bag and its location Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Every bag listed for the patient is retrieved, including refrigerated and locked items Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Each bag is scanned at the register so that the system records it as picked up Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The counseling prompt at the register is answered by a pharmacist, not bypassed by the clerk Yes / No 1 pt
  5. A ready notification by text or call had been sent for 3 completed prescriptions sampled Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Patients whose prescription is not ready are told the reason and a new time Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Patients receiving a partial fill are told when the remainder will be ready Yes / No 1 pt
  8. 5 prescriptions sampled were verified before their promised time Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Minutes from drop-off to ready for one waiter observed Number
  10. Prescriptions ready by their promised time last week (%) Number
  11. A pharmacist reviews every queue before closing so that nothing promised for today is left unfinished Yes / No 1 pt
  12. The opening and closing checklists of the dispensary are completed for the last 7 days Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Name of the pharmacist in charge Short text
  14. Overall prescription flow from intake to pickup Rating
    • Smooth, on time and controlled 5 pts
    • Works with delays or workarounds 3 pts
    • Bottlenecks and skipped steps 1 pt
  15. Corrective actions required Comments

About this template

This checklist is part of the Bindy template library. Yes / No checks score 1 point when met; ratings score the points shown for each option. The overall score is the percentage of points earned, with N/A answers excluded. In Bindy you can add photos, assign corrective actions, require sign-off and compare results across sites.

Categories

Related templates

← All templates

Brand standards

At every site, every time

Start Free Contact us