Script count is the heartbeat of an independent pharmacy, but the raw number hides the story. Growth that comes from new patients is healthy; volume that's all refills with no new starts is a store slowly aging out. And a shift from 30- to 90-day fills changes both your dispensing labor and your margin per script. This dashboard trends volume and decomposes it so you see what's really moving.
What this report answers
Is volume growing, and what kind of volume is it? The Volume Trend page carries the six KPIs — total scripts filled, new script count, refill count, refill rate, 90-day supply rate, and total days supply — then trends fills by week, compares new versus refill by month, and breaks fills by day of week so staffing matches the load. The Fill Mix page shows the 90-versus-30-day shift over time, volume by drug class, and the new-versus-refill split.
The metrics that matter
Refill rate is the loyalty signal: a high, steady refill base is the recurring revenue that keeps the lights on, while a falling new-script count is an early warning that the patient panel is shrinking. The 90-day supply rate matters because 90-day fills mean fewer dispensing events for the same days of therapy — more efficient labor but a different margin and reimbursement profile per fill. Total days supply normalizes volume by therapy delivered rather than fill events.
Why the data is trapped across the systems
Volume seems like it should be easy — and it is, inside one store's dispensing system. But independents on different platforms (PioneerRx, Computer-Rx, QS/1) can't trend or compare across stores without exporting and aligning each system's fill records, day-supply fields, and new-versus-refill flags. The moment you want a clean weekly trend, a new-versus-refill split, or a 90-day mix in one view, you're back in a spreadsheet stitching exports.
How to read it
Watch the weekly fill line for the trend and the new-versus-refill columns for its composition — rising refills with flat new scripts means you're retaining but not growing. Use the day-of-week bar to align staffing with peak fill days. Read the 90-day-share trend to understand shifts in dispensing labor and per-fill economics. Together they tell you whether the store is growing, holding, or quietly contracting.
The sample uses synthetic fill records and made-up volumes — no real prescriptions or patients.
Metrics it tracks
| Metric | What it means |
|---|---|
| Total Scripts Filled | Count of dispensed prescription rows in the period. |
| New Script Count | First fills — not refills. |
| Refill Count | Refill fills in the period. |
| Refill Rate | Refills ÷ total scripts — the share of volume that is refills. |
| 90-Day Supply Rate | 90-day fills ÷ total scripts — share filled as 90-day vs 30-day. |
| Total Days Supply | Days-supply dispensed across all scripts. |
Used by: Owner-pharmacists tracking store growth, refill capture, and 30-vs-90-day fill mix week over week
Frequently asked questions
Why separate new scripts from refills?
New scripts measure growth — patients and prescriptions you didn't have before — while refills measure retention and recurring revenue. A store can post flat total volume while its new-script count quietly falls, which signals a shrinking panel. Splitting the two turns a single number into an early-warning view.
Why does the 30-day vs 90-day mix matter?
A 90-day fill delivers the same therapy in one dispensing event instead of three, so a rising 90-day share means less dispensing labor per day of therapy but a different reimbursement and margin profile per fill. Tracking the mix helps with staffing and with understanding why per-script averages move.
Can I build this on my own dispensing data?
Yes. Export your dispensing records with fill dates, new/refill flags, and days supply and use this as a template — we model it into a Power BI report you open in Power BI Desktop. The sample uses synthetic data so there's no PHI here.
Build this report on your own data
Clone this Independent pharmacies template — describe it and we’ll generate sample data so you can try it free, or upload your own export. You get a fully modeled, branded Power BI project that opens in Power BI Desktop.
Use this as a template →