Independent Insights, a Health Mart Podcast

Episode 14: Inventory That Works for You

• Health Mart

Share episode

Are you tired of inventory headaches draining your time, cash flow, and team morale? In this episode of Independent Insights, we’re cracking the code on an often overlooked yet powerful tool in your pharmacy: inventory management.

Join host Suzanne Feeney and special guest Britney Woods, Pharmacist in Charge at a Dallas-based McKesson-owned Health Mart, as they reveal how small, strategic changes in inventory can lead to big wins for your pharmacy’s bottom line—and your patients’ health.

 You’ll discover:

  • How to turn inventory from a back-office burden into a front-line advantage.
  • Real-world strategies to reduce dead stock, avoid costly expirations, and optimize cash flow.
  • The power of team buy-in and how to empower your technicians to take ownership.
  • Why med sync and just-in-time ordering are game changers for both workflow and patient care.
  • Tools and tech that take the guesswork out of inventory—and give you back your time.

Whether you’re a seasoned pharmacy owner or a technician looking to level up, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you streamline operations, boost efficiency, and strengthen patient relationships.

Don’t miss this behind-the-counter look at how smarter inventory can transform your pharmacy from the inside out.

Host
Suzanne Feeney, PharmD
VP, Pharmacy Retail Operations
McKesson, Health Mart

Guests
Britney Woods, PharmD
Pharmacist in Charge 
Dallas-based McKesson-owned Health Mart 

Resources
Tune into Episode 11: Maximizing Operations Through Proactive Workflow

Health Mart Pharmacies can access Health Mart University (HMU) for:  

  • Helpful CE courses and more on inventory management and med sync
  • Health Mart pharmacists to claim their CE credit for weekly GameChangers episodes   

Learn more about McKesson’s Pinpoint Community Solutions here: https://my.healthmart.com/purchasing/pinpoint-community-solutions 


The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guest and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of Health Mart, McKesson or its affiliates or subsidiaries ("McKesson”). The information provided herein is for informational purposes only and does not constitute the rendering of clinical, legal or other professional advice by McKesson.

Suzanne: [00:00:00] Welcome to Independent Insights, the McKesson Health Mart podcast, where we spotlight the voices and victories of independent pharmacy. I'm your host, Suzanne Feeney, a vice President of Pharmacy retail operations with McKesson Health Mart. Today we're diving into a topic that touches every shelf, every script, and every dollar in your pharmacy inventory.

So whether you're a seasoned pharmacist or pharmacy technician, or you're just starting out an independent pharmacy, we all know that inventory has a big impact in your pharmacy.

Are you looking for ideas to grow independent pharmacy and make a greater impact in your community? Look no further. Welcome to Independent Insights, the podcast brought to you by Health Mart. Episodes delve into a wide range of topics to provide you with the practical strategies, expert insights, and inspiring stories to help you and your pharmacy excel.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Health Mart, McKesson, or its affiliates and subsidiaries (“McKesson”). The information provided [00:01:00] is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute clinical, legal, or any other type of professional advice from McKesson.

Pharmacists are expected to exercise reasonable care as dictated by legal and professional standards and are ultimately responsible for decisions related to patient care and medication management. It is your responsibility to review and comply with all applicable state and federal laws, rules, and regulations governing your business operations. This includes laws applicable to businesses in general, those pertinent to employers, and those specifically regulating the practice of pharmacy.

Suzanne: ​Joining me today is Brittany Woods, a pharmacist in charge at a Dallas based McKesson owned Health Mart. 

welcome, Britney. Thanks for being here.

Britney: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me today. 

Suzanne: Super excited to have you on. I love this little phrase that AI helped me create with [00:02:00] my intro, but I really do feel like you have mastered both the art and science of inventory management.

And I just, I thought that was such great wording. So I'm really excited for our audience to hear from you today. And some of the things we're gonna talk about are real world challenges that are out there, some smart strategies. So you have, our audience can have an approach to inventory. And really what I love about inventory is it's the small changes that can lead to big wins and also empowering the team. So with that if you're all right with it, I'll just actually before we kick it off, maybe tell the audience a little bit about your experience in pharmacy. 

Britney: I have had a pretty long and interesting career as a pharmacist.

I started in retail and did a little stint in hospital pharmacy. And now I am back in retail. It is the place where I get to touch patients. Yeah. I get to make an impact on their goals for their health. How they understand the things that they do will impact their health. And so I just love being able to touch people.

I love to see their faces when they [00:03:00] understand how their medication works. It makes my heart happy. 

Suzanne: Yeah, a hundred percent. Hearing you say that, I'm like, oh, I wanna go back into the pharmacy. 'cause it is so much fun and you have such a beautiful pharmacy with a great front end. So kudos to you and your team for really.

Having that patient friendly set up maybe we'll have to have you on again in the future to talk about all the patient care things you're doing. I love that. That'd be awesome. Okay. So as far as inventory, I know that a lot of times we go to pharmacy school, we're clinicians first. We're taking care of the patient.

That's always the forefront of our mind. So inventory can probably be viewed a little bit as a back office type of function but it really does have a huge impact on patient care. So talk to us about your approach with inventory management. So you're ensuring both efficiencies and service quality.

Britney: For me and my team, we have to all be invested in managing the inventory, whether we're engaging in cycle counts. Notating products that our patients are requesting or performing returns. [00:04:00] Having the buy-in from your team is so important to identify pain points and opportunities. We have people working on different areas in the pharmacy and they may recognize something that we can do to impact our revenue, how we're handling medications. So it's always good to have everyone on the team invested, and we all know that there's such a delicate balance that exists in having just enough medication and too much. I believe that technology has greatly improved how we manage inventory and I'm so grateful for those advancements.

Suzanne: Yeah. What I'm hearing you say is really that your strategy is the team approach. Everyone touches it. Everyone supports it, and leveraging technology. I still remember doing those cycle counts by hand. But they were so important and critical to have done. 

Britney: Yes. Yeah. 

Suzanne: Yes, so technology, home care, and 

when with the technology, it's, it makes it so much easier and there's so many analytics that can be run off of those [00:05:00] cycle counts, so we can't discount how important those things are.

I've been in pharmacy for over 20 years, so I'll admit that I remember the day we got a computer system where you could see your real time online inventory. As you were dispensing the prescription versus walking to the shelf to check and make sure you had it in stock like that was, I think the single biggest piece of technology related to workflow that was so helpful is always knowing your on hand counts and trusting them was amazing.

Britney: Listen, we are from the same cloth because I've been in this. The industry for about that same time. So having those little nuggets that were like just game changing to how you interacted with patients and how you could make promises on what you could dispense to them has been like, it's just, it continues to evolve.

Evolve. And that's been so great. . 

Suzanne: With that, over your career what are some of the biggest challenges that you face with inventory at the pharmacy? Whether it is something like overstocking or expired meds, [00:06:00] or, some of the challenges with supply chain.

Like what has been those challenges and then how have you addressed them with your team? 

Britney: So what's most important to me is that I can lend my voice to independent pharmacy owners. When I speak to the importance of aggressively managing inventory. We don't have the convenience or luxury of having.

Stocks sitting on the shelf with no customers to come and dispense those two. So we need to identify medications that we may have overstocked and quickly return those things for saleable returns, like we don't need to be carrying that inventory. Management of expiring medications can be tricky because you have things that you may not have dispensed in a few months, and the worst thing is to have that patient come in and you've just.

Spent 90 tablets of that back to the wholesaler and you're like, I don't have it. But the thing again that I love about technology is you're able to run these [00:07:00] dispensing reports that can help you legitimize, restocking those items. There's so much information that your PMS can gather for you to help you make informed decisions about what kind of inventory you're carrying in your store.

Supply chain issues are. The worst. We all know that. They can create a sense of unpredictability for your patients that you can recognize as an opportunity to help them manage and navigate. Whether it's looking ahead to future fields or engaging their providers to try alternative doses or therapies just for the time being.

So you have to be really creative about how that unpredictability can affect your patients. And the last thing you want to do is lose your patient's confidence on being a valuable member of their healthcare team when you present a solution to a problem. You are giving them an alternative instead of just saying, we don't have it.

I don't know when it's coming in [00:08:00] the end. How dejected do patients feel when you just turn them away with no answers? Even something as simple as explaining to them like, listen, this is. Affecting everybody. Yeah. This is not just you. This is like all of us are in the same boat at the same time, but if I can present an alternative or a solution, then we're that much closer to getting that patient through that time.

Suzanne: A hundred percent. I remember being in the pharmacy and you would have some of those challenges with drugs not being available for whatever the reason it was over our, 20 plus year careers and, taking the onus to find that for the patient, right? Because, whether you're independent or chain, pharmacy is a small world.

We're all there to help serve our patients. If we can't get it, how can I connect you to the pharmacy that can take care of you? And. I remember making those phone calls. That's how I was raised, if you will, in pharmacy. Yes. It was just do right by the patient. Make sure that they're able to have their therapeutic doses.

And I think that's what it's about, is managing that patient's medication regimen and helping them do that. So [00:09:00] I, I think no one wants to be out of a stock of a medication, but there's ways to handle that where you're really taking care of the patient and they're gonna, they're gonna have that loyalty and think of.

What we want is that this is my pharmacist. Yes. And this is where I go for all of my medication and really having that true patient care relationship. 

Britney: The other thing about that is when you're providing a solution to providers also, then their confidence in you grows and they're like, oh, wait a minute. They know what they're talking about. They're doing right by my patients. Like we're a team now. We're not just provide over here. Pharmacist over here, patient somewhere in the middle. We're all working together. 

Suzanne: And oftentimes if they're running into that sort of challenge, it's happening broadly.

So they know that this pharmacy is gonna help solve my problems for me and for my patients and I love that. That's a great call out. Yeah, as you were talking related to those challenges too. I think that just in time inventory is such a great approach. It's different to get used to, right? Yes.

But once you [00:10:00] do, it's oh yeah I get an order almost every day of the week, so it's like one on one off and really, I see a lot of people that are confident and aggressively managing their inventory to a just in time approach. Once they flip that switch and go to that, I think pharmacies love it.

And it really works really well. But like you said, you have to leverage the technology. Look at the reports, make sure you're paying attention to that, and things may change as you gain patients and as your business grows. You might have to change some of those order points. 

Britney: Absolutely. And just think about the labor expenditures that you can reduce by just in time ordering.

Not having to worry about out of stock. Expired medications on your shelves. Yes. It just really makes you more efficient. It makes your expenditure of those dollars that more justified, like we are ordering this at a. Almost a replenishment level, and some people frown upon that. But when you're looking at those high cost medications you have to be very cognizant about how [00:11:00] you take care of your patient first, but remember to take care of your business.

Suzanne: So you can continue to be there for your patients. Yes. Yeah. Yes, absolutely. That makes a ton of sense. Can you walk us through any tools or systems that you and your team use to really track and optimize inventory? You've alluded there's reports that you're running, you're implementing automation and analytics in your process.

But maybe pass on some words of wisdom there for our listeners. 

Britney: I think this is my favorite part. I get so excited when I see how automation is helping not so business savvy pharmacists really take charge of their business. I've recently been engaged with McKesson's Pinpoint Community Solutions or PPCS I think PPCS can be a little intimidating for some independent pharmacies because they think, oh, this is not tailored for my small pharmacy, but they are working so hard to make sure that the analytics and that data that they're collecting. Works for everybody, and I love that.

They have the [00:12:00] ability to convert those cycle counts to information that reports on dead stock possible overstock reorder points, things that you need to send back immediately, it just takes the guesswork out of everything. And to speak more on that, just in time ordering, we are reducing inventory dollars that you don't need to carry.

These things translate into real impact on your cash flow. And like I said, the labor expenditures to go and cycle count to go and see do we have this, do I need to check the date? Do I need to put a sticker on this to say when it's expiring? The other thing that I'm really enjoying is the med syncing in. Tools. It makes us so much more efficient in managing our patient's routine medications, and it helps the patients manage their time as well. The worst thing is like they come and pick up three prescriptions, and then the next day you're calling them to pick up two more, and then the next day you're calling them to pick up one more.

Like at some point they're gonna think that you're [00:13:00] not a competent pharmacy. We're all about increasing that confidence in the team. They wanna know that when they come to our pharmacy, we're the experts. And I just, I love to tell my children this all the time. A wise person uses all the tools they have available.

Even if you think you know what, this technology, these automation tools, they help fill in gaps that when you're thinking about these things you might miss I look at technology as the ultimate helper and not a threat to my abilities as a pharmacist.

You're listening to Independent Insights, a McKesson Health Mart podcast with host Suzanne Feeney, VP Pharmacy Retail Operations for McKesson/Health Mart. And guest, Britney Woods, Pharmacist in Charge at a Dallas-based Health Mart pharmacy. 

Let's continue. 

[00:14:00] 

Suzanne: I love that you mentioned med sync in there because that appointment based model, med sync, all the things we call it, which is, beyond the auto refill, it's really creating that space for. Workflow and inventory to do their thing and help make the pharmacy be efficient and then create that space so you can talk to every single patient that picks up a script. Because if you're, you wanna get me on my soapbox? Counseling on refills is the most important thing.

It's not just the new scripts, it's the refills. And I think that's absolutely stand by that till the end of time where pharmacists can really show their value. So I love that it creates that space and who wouldn't wanna go to a pharmacy where every time you pick up, you get that check in from the pharmacist.

Absolutely. So that's awesome. 

Britney: And I agree that increasing the confidence of the patient is just, it's so important. A lot of times we have instances where we think, of course, the first time they feel is most critical. Yeah. But they may have had something happen between [00:15:00] their first fill and their refill that they're afraid to ask.

So imagine if you give them the space to have that conversation with you and they're like, oh, wait a minute. There was that one day when I took it. I took my blood pressure medication, I stood up and I got dizzy. Yes. That is so easy to help them understand and keep them from stopping their medication.

Yes, you're improving compliance. You're just. It's just a positive interaction that we can help, really guide our patients into their best care. 

Suzanne: Yep. A hundred percent. As you were talking, it reminded me of a time when I was a newer pharmacist and you don't think of these things.

Somebody comes in, they pick up their first script of blood pressure meds. You counsel 'em on the side effects and help 'em know when to take it. And then what I learned from refill counseling. And from checking prescriptions, every time I would check the script, I'm also looking at the other medications they're on and oh, okay, they're not, they didn't pick this up.

They didn't pick this up. There's, and this is completely fair. I took my blood pressure [00:16:00] medication for a month and I, it, I fixed it. It's good it's an antibiotic, but like legitimate, not making oh yeah, I have refills, but I don't need it anymore. Because I've solved that problem.

You learn things like that, that to somebody who is not a pharmacist or not in medicine. That is a valid point to bring up. And especially knowing when you get an initial diagnosis, how overwhelming it is. Yes, absolutely. And how much fear there can be. So to have that check-in and build upon that every time.

And for me too I'm somebody who likes that accountability check-in life, so I look at that as the prescription refill pickup. And there's just so much we can do with it. So we're on the same page there. And I love how inventory can connect to clinical practice. 

Britney: Absolute. That's the best.

Yeah. And I, you, we can't take for granted the knowledge that our patients have. Yeah. That's where we step in and help them understand. Just like you said, we have patients that believe that, Hey, I fixed my blood pressure. Yeah. My numbers are looking good. I don't need to take that anymore.

There is a knowledge gap that we are there to [00:17:00] stand in and make sure that our patients have a full understanding of what their medications mean, what their diagnosis is mean, so I love that too.

Suzanne: And I think, that we really had the chance to talk about balancing clinical priorities with business realities.

I think we hit on that, which is lovely. And I, as you were talking the about technology and analytics, one of the things that I wrote down was the conversations that, I've had over the years about pharmacists really allowing to let go of inventory in the sense of trusting technology, delegating to the team.

We have these highly trained, certified pharmacy technicians that are so capable and ready and willing to take this on. And I get it 'cause I've had this conversation where people are like, but Suzanne, it's my biggest controllable expense. I have to like, spend all my time. Yes. Versus patient care.

I'm like, wait, but you're not talking to your patients because you're so worried about inventory. And I'm not minimizing it. I get it. It's a big expense. But you've seen a lot of [00:18:00] success over the years and in your current role in engaging your team while leveraging technology. Maybe talk about how, how you overcame that, how the success you've seen from that.

And, is it okay to step back as a pharmacist? 

Britney: I believe that once you develop that confidence in your team, you have to let go. You have to let go. You don't know how your staff or your team is ready to rise to the occasion. Yeah. Until you give them the space. Think about how it feels to be hovered over and not empowered in your work.

Once that empowerment comes. That's when the ownership comes and your team is oh no. This is mine. This is going to be right because this is mine and I'm gonna be an expert on this. So if anybody needs help, then they can come to me. And then when you get that kind of empowerment within your team, other members going, Hey, what can I be in charge of?

Or Let me go talk to them so that like we can be a dynamic [00:19:00] duo or something like, you have to let go. I won't say that. Like you said, we don't wanna minimize the impact of inventory, but there are so many things that we can delegate to our highly skilled staff. When you are confident in the team that you have to let them take ownership and remember those things that.

Only a pharmacist can do. You don't wanna, you don't wanna have your patients suffering because you didn't have the time to step away and talk to them, or they felt like you shortchanged them on a conversation because you wanted to make sure that the tote was checked properly.

You wanna make sure that your patients feel like they are the priority because they are. Without them, where are we? 

Suzanne: Absolutely. I love how you said that, and as you were talking it, it made me think I think oftentimes the barrier is training or, you need building in that accountability.

So it's not saying, okay, don't pay attention to it at all, but, have those check-ins be there, support for your team. And I will give a plug for the Health Mart [00:20:00] pharmacies out there listening. We have a fantastic course on Health Mart University that as part of our technician specialist series, which is all about inventory.

I think it's a couple, like two or three hours long. I don't think it's anything too crazy. But being able to have your technicians take that course really then offsets that base education that you would have to provide. Absolutely. And then as a pharmacist, you can show 'em the hands on and be there for questions.

If you're not a Health Mart, I'm sure there's other courses out there to find. 

Britney: I love being a Health Mart pharmacy because health Mart University really helped my team perform at the top of their licenses. I know that the quality education and training that they're getting from Health Mart University, like I have no qualms about entrusting my staff with these tasks.

I love that I've worked with several technicians before and what I can say is Health Mart University ensures the quality of my staff 100%. [00:21:00] I.

Suzanne: And I think it's nice. We all wanna be developed in our careers, so I think being able to offer those sorts of specialist courses to the technicians is great.

Whether it's marketing inventory, there's CLIA vaccine storage and handling is in there, so there's a lot of really great courses that help elevate the role. This has been an amazing conversation. I think kinda one last question. I always like to end and get some pearls from our subject matter experts, but for those other independent pharmacy teams that are listening, what is one inventory habit or mindset shift that you think has made the biggest difference in your pharmacy operations?

Britney: Oh, I have to just say my old favorite med syncing has likely been the best shift in operations. Again, we are from another time when med sinking was not a thing. Yeah. And to see the way that it's benefited our patients first, it's so amazing. This life is so busy that being able to say, okay, this is my day to pick up my [00:22:00] prescriptions.

It's gonna be all of them. I'll be able to talk to my pharmacist. That is that's a game changer. So this mindset allows me to plan for anticipated fills. So that means. For scheduled refills. I'm never without medication. Yes. And then it allows me to create that buffer for those unanticipated, hopefully new patients.

Nothing is worse than having a new patient come in, step out on a limb. Walk away from a big box retail pharmacy to give us a try and we don't have their medication. Yeah. We never wanna turn away a new patient. So being able to really plan for how our dispensing is gonna go has been so helpful.

And most PMSs will allow you to look several days into the future. Just to see just to make sure you have a solid dispensing plan. I know just for instance, the holiday is coming up. [00:23:00] I was able to look into Tuesday just to make sure that tomorrow my order is sufficient to get me through to Tuesday.

That's irreplaceable that is. Anything can happen between now and Tuesday, but just to be ready for the anticipated volume, that's amazing. That just, it makes my life so much easier. 

Suzanne: Yeah. Being prepared. I feel like that's been the model of my day.

Be prepared. Thank you so much for joining us. So many great pearls of wisdom, and I think that's really a wrap on today's episode of Health Mart Independent Insights. Huge thanks to you, Britney, for sharing your practical WIS wisdom and just a behind the counter look at inventory that every independent pharmacy can learn from.

So for our listeners out there, if you found this helpful. Be sure to subscribe, share with your teams. And you can check out a host of other episodes. We did have one around appointment based model or med sync not too long ago that we can link in the show notes. And I think we talked about inventory in that.

So you can see how they really feed together. But until next time keep innovating, keep [00:24:00] serving and, keeping your shelves and your margins healthy. So thanks so much for being with us today, Britney.

I'm Suzanne Feeney, Health Mart Pharmacist, signing off. Stay tuned, stay inspired, and keep making a difference in your communities.

Subscribe to Independent Insights wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes are released weekly. Together, let's make a lasting impact and shape the future of pharmacy.