Direct physician dispensing systems can improve the efficiency and safety of your healthcare practice. Here’s how.
In 2016, the US population spent $329 billion on prescription medication. Yet studies estimate that a significant portion of medication purchased is never taken by the intended patient – and at the same time, rather large numbers of prescriptions go unfilled.
Patient adherence, or a patient’s ability to stick to the recommended treatment and medication plan, is affected and diminished by several contributing factors including:
- Medication cost
- Lack of convenience
- Forgetfulness
- Disease-related factors
Measures such as physician dispensing help improve patient adherence, and could massively impact overall public health, as well as help save the estimated 125,000 lives lost annually due to lack of medication adherence.
By leveraging existing technologies and state-specific dispensing rules, physicians and their practices can utilize lightweight web-based dispensing systems to incorporate a unique value proposition for their practice and offer greater convenience to their patients.
What is Direct Physician Dispensing?
Physician dispensing solution providers like Proficient Rx, offer web-based software that allows practices to dispense prepackaged medications directly to patients. Healthcare providers keep an inventory of these prepackaged medications which can then be distributed individually to patients based on their needs.
There are multiple benefits to both the healthcare provider and the patient when using a web-based dispensing system.
Direct Physician Dispensing Systems, Medication Errors, and Efficiency
Medication dispensing systems have reduced the number of medication errors. These medication errors usually take on the form of providing the wrong pill count, or even something more severe, such as the wrong drug altogether.
Indistinct packaging, workplace distractions, or even just simple miscommunication can lead to the wrong dose or drug, which can have disastrous effects. Thankfully, medication errors are incredibly rare to begin with, even in places where manual sorting, pill counting, and dispensing is still the norm.
Dispensing Systems, Medication Adherence, and Patient Satisfaction
Beyond medication errors, the more pressing issue is the issue of medication adherence. Miscommunication, literacy issues, lack of willingness to ask questions, forgetfulness, and various disease-specific factors (from low mood to lack of mobility) can lead to patients not refilling prescriptions, or not taking their medication as advised.
In states that allow physician dispensing can not only help improve medication adherence but give patients the chance to ask questions or seek more information within the comforts and privacy of their doctor’s office, rather than the more public pharmacy desk (especially in busy big box pharmacies).
Through direct dispensing, physicians can also assure themselves that their patients are receiving the medication they need to intervene with their disease. Additionally, follow-up calls can be scheduled simply be referring to the dispensing history on the system, helping physicians keep track of what they’ve dispensed, and when they should check with a patient to see how they are doing, whether they have any questions, and whether they have been adhering to their treatment plan properly.
With the pandemic raising concerns regarding safety and social contact, practices can also utilize curbside pickup delivery and other contactless delivery options to ensure that their patients get the medication they need without taking an unnecessary risk.
Direct dispensing also impacts patient satisfaction, which for many patients is even more important from a customer perspective than quality of care.
This may be because patients are already generally satisfied with the quality of their care but are more interested in services that might increase convenience such as shorter wait times, better customer care, and features that save time and provide additional value.
Direct Physician Dispensing Systems Help Save Time
By taking advantage of direct physician dispensing, practices can save the time spent communicating with pharmacies over prescriptions and preparing a patient’s prescription. Patients, in turn, can save themselves a trip to the pharmacy.
Direct dispensing also helps make refills easier and simpler, encouraging patients in need of long-term pharmacological interventions for chronic conditions get the help they need, rather than putting off their refill for too long.
The Value Proposition Of Dispensing
Seeking ways to improve the value proposition of a healthcare practice is important in today’s economy, as many are struggling between burgeoning medication and treatment costs, the impact of the pandemic, and the need for new concepts to attract clients and cover operating expenses.
Direct physician dispensing can be a great way for many smaller urgent care clinics, worker’s compensation clinics, and other healthcare practices to leverage a software solution for a stronger reputation and an improved level of care.
Proficient Rx provides a web-based solution for clinics looking to incorporate a lightweight and efficient direct dispensing system in their practice. At Proficient Rx, our secure and easy-to-use dispensing software does not require lengthy downloads or installation processes, and it takes mere minutes to integrate it with your practice.
Our software keeps track of inventory, can manage auto orders, track patient information, minimize errors through physician dispensing, and massively improve patient satisfaction by cutting down the number of hours you and your staff spend communicating with pharmacies to manage prescriptions and refills, while helping your patients avoid lengthy and unnecessary trips to pharmacies and medication dispensaries.
Our software solution helps us provide you with branded and generic medication repackaged at our FDA- and DEA-approved state-of-the-art facility, and our customer support is ready to help you ease through the transitory period on your way to becoming a fully-fledged dispensing partner.
