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MEDFORD, Mass. — Pharmacy automation provider QS/1 will offer its pharmacies translations of prescription directions for use and medication information sheets through RxTran, a provider of language services for pharmacies.
RxTran said Wednesday that under the partnership, its software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution will allow pharmacies using QS/1 technology to quickly and accurately provide written prescription translations to customers with limited English proficiency (LEP), enabling a fuller patient understanding of medication directions and use.
For QS/1, RxTran can provide translation services in 17 languages, including Arabic, Bengali, French, German, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, simplified Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog, traditional Chinese and Vietnamese.
"We are excited and proud to partner with QS/1," stated RxTran chief executive officer Brian Kratt. "The integration of these technologies provides pharmacies with an affordable language solution that enables them to improve patient safety and provide better patient care to limited English proficiency customers."
For a low monthly subscription, pharmacies nationwide can access RxTran’s online library of translated prescription drug label information, auxiliary warning labels and patient education sheets to print — directly onto prescription labels or in a supplemental form — and distribute to LEP patients. RxTran also provides verbal On-Demand Phone Interpreting, allowing pharmacists to dial a toll-free number and communicate with non-English speaking customers in seconds.
Citing data from the U.S. Census Bureau, RxTran reported that the LEP population grew by 80% from 1990 to 2010. The company noted that as pharmacies seek ways to better serve that growing market, its alliance with QS/1 can help them reach LEP patients, improving customer loyalty and boosting prescription and store merchandising revenue.
"QS/1 is committed to providing its pharmacy customers with the tools they need to offer the best patient care possible," commented Michael Ziegler, senior manager for marketing and an analyst at Spartanburg, S.C.-based QS/1. "Using RxTran allows pharmacies to translate prescription information into a patient’s native language."
RxTran added that LEP is a major factor behind medication nonadherence and, in response, the federal government and some states have implemented pharmacy language service requirements.
