Batching Explained


Batching your orders in Kroll allows you to send a large number of patients at one time. You don't need to use the delivery order system at all and the batch order system supports any compliance cycle.


Pharmacies that use the Nursing Home module are likely familiar with batch filling & adjudication. 


Batching will probably work better if you do institutional filling of some kind where you fill in batches of 7 days or shorter. Batches of longer than 7 days tend to be problematic because of changes.


To send a blister compliance or a strip packager order for a facility from Kroll to Providen uses the Automed Report in Kroll or the PacMed Report in Kroll. 


These reports generate a Kroll preview that allows you to make sure all the people you wanted to include are present in the batch. You can also make changes to your batch if/when you notice it was not correct. All of this is done before you "send data" in Kroll.


The Automed Report generates a data file that Profill uses for your compliance order. While not obvious in Kroll, the Automed Report creates Profill batches for the SynMed blister packager and the FastPack EXP strip packager. If want to create a PacMed batch order (another strip packager), then you use the PacMed Report in Kroll. Be certain to choose the "Kroll" file format when you generate the data otherwise Profill will not recognize it 


  • Profill Batching does not require the nursing home module in Kroll to work
  • Non compliance Rxs are not suitable for this workflow. If you have a compliance medication list for a patient who is also on an inhaler that you might have refilled, you'll need to make a delivery order for the inhaler.
  • Batching mode is disabled in Profill by default. You'll need to ask Providen support to enable the feature in Profill for you.


File Format Selection for PacMed in Kroll:



Batch Setup in Kroll


This is something Kroll will train in, and help you with; especially if you are getting the Nursing Home module enabled.  This document starts at the point where you have:


  1. Completed your batch filling & billing
  2. Verified your Automed Report Preview and are ready to "send data" (a Kroll prompt after you run your report)


Batch Setup in Profill


When Kroll has "sent it's data" to a local folder on your computer, as shown:





Profill can see it. 


Step 1 (validate the batch file)


  1. Click the "Check For Automed Exports" button to import any data Kroll exported.
  2. The batch order badge will appear. 
  3. Click the Process Kroll Export button to perform a batch validation



When the batch validation is completed, the "Process Kroll Export" button will disappear. If there was any problems found with the batch you'd get an error message.  For example, if you included two different nursing homes in your Automed export, you'd get an error in Profill.


Step 2 (validate the contents of the batch)


Validating all the drugs in the batch comes next; click the Action menu.  In the example we're working with there are 60 patients at at least 60 Rxs.  When we attempt to validate the batch there could be a large number of rejections. Again, this is more common in newly onboarded stores.


The badge will turn orange when it fails preflight just like a delivery order badge.




Clicking the action menu will allow you to see all the errors, sorted in to categories.  You can send the entire list in one ticket with the "show errors" menu under the Actions menu.




Step 3 (send your order)


Most types of product errors result in some about of batch fixing (where you rebill one or more Rxs under alternate DINs).  In this example we're going to fix all these issues at the facility. This is not something that would happen often, but it's possible and makes for a shorter tutorial.


So we'll revalidate the batch and this time there will be no preflight errors and we can then send the batch just like we would with a delivery order.


Please note, you'll need to either choose Strip or select a label for blister packs before you send the order. Profill will remember your last selection which means, practically you would not need to modify these options once you select them the first time.


In this example we'll pretend that Providen has activated all the drugs that caused validation errors in the above batch, and you got a message from support saying you can try to send your batch again, so


  1. Revalidate it to be sure,
  2. Send it.



Try To Send



This time is a server error, not a validation error.  You've seen how to create tickets on the fly, so we won't show you that again, we'll just skip to the end:


3rd Time's the Charm



When successful most of the controls and labels are removed from the badge and the Providen # gets a valid number from the server, #741 in this case.


Final Notes on batches:


  1. The can't be cancelled in the same way as a delivery order. This is because they end up in a packaging robot very quickly. We have to cancel it from the device first and then from central fill.
    1. You can request a cancellation via the Action menu.
    2. Once central fill confirms you can Delete the batch (and this reverses inventory modifications Profill performed).
  2. They do not live-poll like a delivery order does. This feature will be added at a later date.