If you are a physician dispensing medication at the point of care, then you are most likely in need of a medication dispensing software program to help you make the process easier. And good software programs do just that, simplify processes so you can focus more on patient care, not the many tasks involved with dispensing.
So, how do you choose the best medication dispensing software program for your business? This question is asked around the country by physicians just like you.
The good news is that there are several key characteristics to look for when shopping for the right medication dispensing software. Descriptions of these characteristics are provided below.
It’s Easy
This may sound like a no-brainer, but when you are implementing a new system, it needs to be easy enough for both you and your staff to learn and utilize. There are staff members who will adapt to the new software with ease. There are others who may find it more difficult.
A good medication dispensing software program will be able to help both types of staff members. It will allow the tech savvy staff to engage and adapt quickly, while providing needed instruction and tutorials for the not-so-tech savvy.
You do not want a staff member feeling inadequate using a software program. The software itself should be encouraging to inexperienced users. It is unrealistic to think all staff will jump right in and be able to conquer the new software soon after it is installed.
However, if the programs within the medication dispensing software are simple to navigate, and education is provided in a positive way, it will not take long for everyone to be on the same page.
Helps You Educate
Patients rely on your expertise to teach them how to take their medications and why knowing this is important. Sometimes at the point of care patients are not fulling listening to your instructions. They may feel overwhelmed or rushed to get to the rest of their day.
Good software programs provide you and your patients with extensive, yet easy to understand, information about their illness or injury, and about the medication you are prescribing.
Safety
Keeping patient information confidential is not only important, it’s the law. A good medication dispensing software program will have features that protect your patients and your practice.
No more charts laying around on staff desks, no more papers needing to be shredded and no more worrying about sticking the wrong patient information into someone else’s chart.
The medication dispensing software program for you stores and backs up patient information. Security features alert you to any suspicious behaviors online. And while patient information is easily accessible, it remains safe from online thieves.
Medication Dispensing Software Support
There are no perfect computer software programs. At some point, you will need to contact the developer for advice.
Technical support should be available to you around the clock. That means at 4a.m. when you go into the office early to get a head start on the day’s work, you can contact a support tech for help if you experience problems with the software.
In addition, the tech you work with at 4a.m. is friendly, helpful and eager to help you fix your medication dispensing software issues.
Batch Reports
As you know, physicians need to run reports. You run reports on each of your patients to make sure they are compliant. You run reports on your finances to make sure your business is profitable. You run reports on the medications you prescribe, to make sure you are fully stocked and can provide full care to patients.
All these reports will help you remain compliant with State and Federal regulations.
In-office dispensing software can help you stay in compliance with state and federal laws and regulations. Each State has specific rules for physicians to follow to dispense medicines in-office to patients.
In addition, the Pharmacy Boards in each State also has requirements each physician must meet.
A web based portal keeps all your records, all patient data and stores it in an organized and easily accessible format. All reports and information needed for compliance reports can be quickly retrieved and submitted.
Reasonable Cost of Medication Dispensing Software
The ancillary service of in-office dispensing will bring in a lot of extra revenue for you. That is, if you don’t blow it on the most expensive software program.
Yes, you want the best medication dispensing software program. But that does not always mean the most expensive software program.
Finding a company who can meet all your needs at a fair price is doable. In fact, it is very doable, and you know that a company who is not trying to upsell, resell or cross-sell you all the time with software additions to their web based dispensing platform, is one who can be trusted.
Easy Claims Submission
Dealing with insurance companies can be frustrating. A good software program will make this process easier, not more difficult. The software should include simple and efficient steps to submitting a claim on behalf of a patient.
Your staff should have few steps to take to submit a patient’s records. They should also be able to avoid medical errors that happen due to human error. Entering data on the patient should be quick and easy.
Once the data is entered, pre-set contacts with insurance companies should be easily accessed. Meaning, your staff should be able to submit a claim directly to the claims department of the patient’s insurance company.
They should be able to do this with just the click of a few buttons.
Choosing the right medication dispensing software is one of the more important decisions you will make regarding point of care dispensing. Not only do you have to consider the needs of your practice and your staff, you must also consider the needs of your patients.
Dispensing medicine in-office provides many benefits: saves time for patients, increases your revenue, and streamlines all office practices. You need a software program that matches and exceeds those benefits.
Using these guidelines will help you determine which medication dispensing software meets your needs the best.