Direct thermal printing – An easy read for retail pharmacy labeling

Last year, Americans filled more than 3.8 billion prescriptions, ringing up more than $291 billion in revenues for the industry as a whole. And with more than two billion scripts filled, chain drug stores were the dominant force in driving sales, with some $102 billion hitting their earnings reports.

Although lucrative, the retail prescription market is also extremely demanding. Busy pharmacists must not only fill scripts accurately, they must also protect the confidential customer data they process with every prescription. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), enacted in 1996 by the U.S. Congress, mandates that retail pharmacies must control and destroy any waste containing sensitive patient information.

The cost for privacy violations can be severe, damaging company brands and resulting in financial penalties. One example is the negative publicity CVS/pharmacy received when an Indiana television station exposé revealed that one of its Indianapolis stores had improperly disposed of patient prescription labels and old prescriptions -- as well as the $2.25 million fine the chain was assessed two years later after a federal investigation.

HIPAA’s stringent patient privacy requirements, coupled with the limitations of dual web laser printing, are causing many pharmacists to rethink how they generate customer labels. Dual web laser printing, while easy to use, takes up a disproportionate amount of space and requires that pharmacies stock ample supplies of toner and paper. Fortunately, there is a better way to produce customer labels: direct thermal printing. This versatile printing technology provides a wide array of business benefits, including:

• HIPAA compliance: Since the direct thermal printing process creates an image directly on chemically treated paper, there is no need for toner, ink or ribbon. No ribbon means that no mirror image of critical customer information has been created that needs to be destroyed thus no danger of exposing confidential data.
  
• A smaller footprint: Direct thermal printers are smaller than laser or ink-jet alternatives, freeing up valuable pharmacy space for consumer products that can drive revenues and increase sales per square foot.
  
• A single consumable: Pharmacies need stock only direct thermal labels, simplifying the inventory management process, while reducing labor costs and storage space requirements.
  
• An innovative printing process: Direct thermal printers use heat to release images on chemically treated paper; are much quieter than dual web laser printers; produce sharp, highly legible images that are smudge-proof; and withstand dust, moisture, vibration and frequent business use.
  
• Ease-of-use: Direct thermal printers are easy to operate and maintain, as there is no toner cartridge or ribbon to position, replace or destroy. This can be especially critical when pharmacies experience unexpected business spikes, as with the recent swine flu epidemic. In the last week of April, retail pharmacies in the United States filled nineteen times more antiviral medications than the week before, potentially putting a strain on the waste handling processes of those pharmacies using conventional printing technologies.
  
• A high performance product: Top-coated direct thermal papers and adhesives have gone through extensive testing to ensure that they will maintain image clarity, affix properly to prescription vials and bottles and provide exceptional performance, even when subjected to hand sanitizers and lotions, cleaning agents and hot, moist storage conditions, such as those found in patients’ homes.
  
• Versatile adhesives: Retail pharmacies can pair direct thermal papers with either permanent or repositionable permanent adhesives; repositionable adhesives allows pharmacists to straighten labels without tearing them, but then affix permanently to the high density polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate vials and bottles used by these stores. These adhesive choices provide the preformance to permanently affix labels containting customer information to prescription vials in order to protect critical information.

Cost-effective, easy-to-use and highly durable, direct thermal printing is the logical choice for retail pharmacy labeling. And with its ability to protect confidential healthcare data, it’s clear that this technology is just what the doctor ordered for ensuring regulatory compliance.

For more information, contact Stacey MacNeil, Product Manager, VIP Labeling, UPM Raflatac at +1-828-651-4877 or stacey.macneil@upmraflatac.com.