Pharmacy Consulting is a privately held regional provider based in Ohio, with revenues of $25 million annually, and whose services include pharmacy, nursing and dietary nutrition care.

Key client groups that Pharmacy Consulting serves include the elderly population.

Depending on the customer being served, methods for administering a medication differ, and depending on the type of consumer, specific delivery requirements may be established to better serve the end user.

Pharmacy Consulting's dedication and commitment to continuous quality improvement is evident in all of its internal and external operations.

Pharmacy Consulting has a total of 176 employees, committed to their workplace and with a high level of training, representing many of the following disciplines: pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurses, endocrinologists, accountants, human resources, sales and marketing, purchasing , administration and administrative support, delivery, customer service representatives and information technology personnel.

Sometimes, given the complexity of the services to be provided, it is necessary to form multidisciplinary work teams to solve the tasks.

Pharmacy Consulting products are manufactured in its only 8,000 m2 plant in Ohio. The company's core technology rests on a specialized software package called Rescot. This system allows Pharmacy Consulting to process, bill and generate relevant data critical to the company's overall operations. Other alliances have also been established within Pharmacy Consulting's multi-dose packaging capabilities and wholesale purchasing interconnection.

Pharmacy Consulting uses the Internet to publish relevant information and news, and hosts an Internet customer service application, called Track-It, to provide specific information about customer problems and seek solutions within the company. The advantages of online commerce include faster response time in customer services for all areas, for example, ordering, pharmacist reviews and guidance, product delivery and billing.

Pharmacy Consulting successfully addresses key strategic challenges as a result of its healthy, rapidly evolving financial structure, its rapid adaptation to the constant evolution of the practice of medicine, and employee retention at all levels.

QUESTIONS

1. How do the different definitions of quality apply in the case of Pharmacy Consulting?

2. How are the principles of total quality reflected in Pharmacy Consulting's policy and operations?

3. Given the nature of Pharmacy Consulting's operations and the challenges it faces, explain how a total quality strategy can help the company meet the challenges and improve its ability to provide the services its customers need.