PharmAcademic – Software for Pharmacy Education & Residency Programs

Our client McCreadie Group delivers market-leading software,
“Pharmacademic” for Pharmacy Education & Residency Programs
and Research Pharmacies.

PharmAcademic integrates the management of experiential
education, assessment, courses, curricular outcomes and
mapping, and a portfolio designed to support pharmacists’ education throughout their careers. It streamlines processes, eliminates inefficiency, and allows you to redirect limited resources where they matter most.

Problem Statement

After analyzing the current process and workflow in the
PharmAcademic, we concluded that the following
features/flow must be enhanced for better performance, user
convenience, and transparency in the system.

1. A HIGH VOLUME OF TICKETS FOR THE SUPPORT TEAM
   The current password reset process involves using the "Forgot Password" link sent to the user's email ID.
   However, many users frequently request assistance
   through support channels, as they either do not receive
   the email from PharmAcademic or the link provided
   does not work. These password reset requests account for approximately 25% of all PharmAcademic support activities. Currently, the procedure involves MGI Support manually resetting the user's password and providing them with the new password, which is not considered a good security practice.
   
   
2. UNNECESSARY USERS (PRECEPTORS/RESIDENTS) ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROGRAM
   The current process requires a significant amount of manual effort to remove unnecessary users. After the Preceptor (Instructor/Invigilator) Survey is delivered, the system frequently reminds program directors that they have preceptors listed who no longer work for the organization, prompting them to remove them from the program. This task consumes a lot of time for Residency Program Directors (RPDs) to individually check and remove
   preceptors from completed programs. Unfortunately,
   there is no feature that helps RPDs locate preceptors
   and remove them in bulk. As a result, they have to
   manually check each program and associate preceptors,
   which is time-consuming and inefficient.

Our team initiated the project by conducting a comprehensive
assessment of the software and enrollment process in pharmacy. This helped us understand their pain points and identify areas for improvement.

WE PROPOSED A SOLUTION FOR REDUCING THE HIGH VOLUME OF TICKETS FROM THE SUPPORT TEAM.

• Allowing individual accounts to enroll in a 2FA authentication process for PharmAcademic access.
• Users will have the option to provide a PAN (Password Authentication Number).
• So that the system can send a Password reset code to PAN. Users will also have the option to request a Password Reset Code as much as they want
• Integration of third-party SMS service (Twilio) for sending Reset Code vis text SMS on user's PAN

WE PROPOSED THE BELOW PROCESS CHANGES FOR THE REMOVAL OF UNNECESSARY USERS.

• Remove a preceptor who has left their program but
  has an outstanding survey.
• Complete their annual Preceptor Survey for all sites
  where they precepted that academic year.
• Treat all preceptors equally within PharmAcademic
  while identifying those needing additional guidance.
• Remove the cosigns for evaluations by preceptors
  who have an assigned Mentor.

Closeloop developed and delivered two-factor authentication and automated removal process of preceptors, which resulted in:

• Reduction of approx 65% in daily support tickets related to password reset.
• Helps RPD to manage programs more effectively than earlier processes of handling programs.
• It helps the resident to recover passwords easily.
• Added additional security to the password reset process.