McCreadie PharmAcademic - Software for Pharmacy Education & Residency Programs

Problem Summary

After analyzing the current process and workflow in the PharmAcademic, we came to the conclusion 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.

They were looking for a partner with expertise in handling pharmacy education systems and a deep understanding of their industry and business model. Finally, they chose Closeloop because we demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of their unique requirements and presented a compelling solution that met their needs.

Solution

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.

1. 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 PAN (Password Authentication Number)
• So that 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 

2. 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 that have an assigned Mentor.

Development and Solution Architect

1. Two-Factor Authentication: We have integrated the Twilio SMS service, in which the system will send Reset Password Code to the user's password authentication number. Users can request password reset codes as often as they want so they don't have to wait for Emails.
   
   
2. Removal of Preceptor and PIT (Preceptor in Training role): We have automated removing unnecessary users. Now the system will identify the preceptors (Instructor/Invigilator) who are associated with the programs even after completion of the programs.

QA and Testing of the Software

Implementing Twilio and the automated user removal process required much more effort in the testing. Closeloop conducted rigorous testing throughout development to identify and resolve bugs or usability issues. Our QA team tested the released functionality in a dev environment, where the setup was built with the hardware used in production to ensure as many similarities as possible between the dev setup and the app developed. 

Our QA team carried out the following activities: 

1. Functional Testing
2. Testing of user association after the program ends
3. User acceptance testing UAT support

Results

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

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