08/12/2025
From Annual Audits to Continuous Accuracy: Why Cycle Counts Are Becoming the New Standard in Pharmacy
For years, many pharmacies relied on quarterly or annual full physical audits to reconcile their stock. But with rising workload pressures, tighter regulatory scrutiny, and increasingly complex inventory (short-dated items, and high-value meds), that model is quickly becoming outdated.
Today, more pharmacies are shifting to cycle counts, which are small, focused, and frequent audits, and the benefits speak for themselves:
âś… Higher accuracy: Issues are caught early, not three months later.
âś… Fewer surprises: Shrinkage, expiry risks, and discrepancies get flagged before they escalate.
âś… Reduced operational disruption: No more shutting down the pharmacy for full-day audits.
âś… Better compliance readiness: Continuous monitoring aligns with the expectations of auditors, payors, and regulators.
âś… More resilient processes: Staff stay familiar with stock-management routines year-round.
In practice, this looks like:
• Weekly or monthly checks by category (e.g., controlled drugs, high-value lines, fast movers)
• Segment-by-segment auditing built into the workflow
• Real-time system updates for tighter alignment between physical stock and digital records
As pharmacies deal with tighter margins and higher demand for accuracy, continuous inventory oversight isn’t just best practice, it’s becoming essential.
If you’re still relying on big annual counts, now might be the perfect time to rethink your approach.
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