As a doctor, it’s hard to know what is going on with your patients when they are not in your care. Most of the time, they leave your office and you aren’t sure whether they are following through with their treatment plan. Physician dispensing changes the game, allowing you to keep better tabs on your patient’s health and therefore, providing better care.
Below are some of the ways doctor dispensing allows you and your patients to collaborate better to achieve better health.
Improved Education
Gaining knowledge about the medicine you have prescribed should be done at the pharmacy. However, your patients rarely receive quality education from a pharmacist. There are several reasons patients do not seek education from a pharmacist about their medication.
One reason is that patients do not ask for education. They blindly trust that you know what is best for them.
Both patients and pharmacists are in a hurry. Patients tell themselves they will read the brochure or google information when they get home. Also, patients notice the pharmacist is busy. They ask patients if they have questions or need education, but you can see in their eyes they really do not have the time.
Furthermore, patients get embarrassed. They do not want all the other patients waiting in line to hear what medicines they are on and how to use them.
With doctor dispensing, patients can receive demonstrations and assistance in learning how to use medications directly from you, their care provider.
Doctor Dispensing Cleanliness
If the medicine you prescribe for a patient is dirty, it can negatively affect your patient. You want the medicines you prescribe to be created in a healthy environment.
Clean rooms help provide this healthy environment during the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. Clean rooms focus on the air in the facility where drugs are manufactured. If the air is clean, everything else in the facility will be cleaner.
A clean room is defined as the space used to contain an area that needs to be free of particles that could potentially contaminate a product. They are also used to control temperature and pressure.
Cross-contamination can happen at pharmacies. People do not realize this, but medicines can be handled by pharmacy technicians and pharmacists that can pass germs to their medicines. While many pharmaceutical staff wear gloves, they do not change gloves often.
Germs and bacteria can travel a distance through sneezing and coughing. These germs can land on the preparation table where staff are working, where medicines are placed.
Prepackaged medications used with in-office dispensing prevent germs from getting onto medicines. The prepackaging companies have state of the art equipment that must pass federal and state laws surrounding cleanliness.
Patient Follow Through
You may not be able to force your patients to take their prescriptions, but you can make it easier for them. An in-office dispensing system eliminates the excuse of not being able to get to the pharmacy.
Doctor dispensing also allows you the opportunity to check their files to see if they are keeping up with refills. If they have never called in for a refill, they are most likely not taking their medicines.
This gives you a chance to contact the patient before their next appointment to find out why they are not taking their medications.
When you show you care by providing on-site prescriptions and status checkup calls, you are encouraging patients to follow through.
Immediate Relief
You can administer a first dose to patients in your office. Educating and ensuring patients know how to administer a drug to themselves.
When a patient is sick, they just want to take medicine, rest and heal. They want quick relief and their idea of wellness means getting rid of pain as fast as possible. Going to the pharmacy involves many steps: finding a ride, waiting for their ride, waiting at the pharmacy.
It can be hours before the first dose of medication can be taken. This means they spend several extra hours suffering when they could be at home, recovering.
Patients needing medical equipment and supplies can purchase products in your office, in your care. This too gives you the opportunity to teach your patients how to properly use their durable medical equipment or supplies.
Being able to get a cane immediately rather than struggling to get to a pharmacy can prevent the possibility of further injuries. Being able to get testing strips at the point of care and being taught how to use a blood sugar monitor can help the patient learn self-care a lot sooner.
Being able to help your patients immediately, can lead to their higher compliance rates and overall better health.
Using Nurse Practitioners
You cannot be with every patient. You do your best to see everyone scheduled but it is impossible to provide quality care in just a few minutes of consultation.
Nurse practitioners can help you provide better care. Nurse Practitioners can and are perfectly capable of providing a variety of services. If you have a Nurse Practitioner on staff in your practice, you can double the number of patients you see. This means you can serve more people and increase the revenue flow to your business.
The role of a Nurse Practitioner today is extensive and valuable. More than ever before, seeking a career as a Nurse Practitioner is popular among both men and women.
They are your right-hand man or woman, without needing to be right there with you always.
The use of a Nurse Practitioner for Drug Dispensing is both smart and efficient for your practice, offering higher quality of care because you can both spend more time with the patient.
Ultimately, there would be no practice without patients. Providing the best care possible is how you can retain loyal patients and attract new ones. You can do this with doctor dispensing practices that allow you to follow your patient’s health from start to finish.
Doctor dispensing helps you stand out from other physicians, showing just how much you care about your patients.