As physicians look for additional ways to increase revenue, they are finding in-office dispensing of medications to be a good option. One reason is because physicians can mark up the medications by one or two dollars while still saving patients time and money. Other reasons include patient convenience and compliance.
A concern some physicians have before deciding to implement this ancillary service is regarding how difficult a process it can be. The good news is that the process, from start to finish, is quite simple and offers many benefits.
Easy to Get Started with In-Office Dispensing
When you are ready to get started, the first step you will take is to choose an in-office dispensing company. Choosing one that provides the software, the storage boxes and prepackaged medicines is best.
You also want to choose a company that offers around the clock technical support. These companies are not hard to find but they may differ in price. Check reviews and do the research to choose the right company for you.
Once you choose a company, you simply place your order. You will be assigned a company representative who will hand everything for you, including assisting in the office set-up.
Easy Set Up
Some companies send a representative to set up the entire system for you right there in your office. This means you have very little work to do when it comes to installing the dispensing system. They do the work so you can continue with patient care.
Furthermore, setting up the program and running the programs can be done by office staff.
Easy Training
The representative from the company you chose can train you and your staff in less than an hour. They can teach you everything from how to log into the system to how to re-order prescription stock.
They can provide in-office training and online training, whichever suits your practice. Because using the system is so easy, training is easy. Your office is most likely using software now that is more challenging that in-office dispensing software.
Even the least technical staff will be able to easily adapt and learn this system.
Easy Packaging
This is one area where you literally do not have to do anything. Medicines are prepackaged for you. You can simply place an order for the ones you want to stock.
In-office dispensing companies spend countless hours and efforts to prepackage medicines. They follow strict guidelines set forth by your State and Federal governments. The facilities are pristine and are climate controlled.
The security measures they take are excessive, which is a good thing when it comes to prescription medication. When you order your prepackaged medicines, you can trust they have been through rigorous quality control processes.
Easy to Dispense
When you want to write a prescription for you patient, you simply type in the patient data that is requested by the in-office dispensing software. This information typically includes name, date of birth, name of medicine, dosage information and your office contact information.
You are basically creating a label for the medicine you are prescribing. Once that data is entered, you simply push the print button. The label will print and you can adhere it to the prepackaged medicine you retrieve from a locked box.
After that, you simply give the medicine to the patient.
When it is time for a refill, you can simply hit the refill button. Then the label will print. You do not have to re-enter prescription data each time you make a refill.
The dispensing system can even track the dates of the refills so you can have a better picture as to whether the patient is taking their medicines as prescribed.
Easy to Report
The in-office dispensing software is set up to track important data for you. All you do is run a report to get the information you are researching.
You can run reports that tell you the most common medicines you prescribe, the most common ailments diagnosed and outcomes for each patient.
The dispensing program helps you stay compliant with the rules and regulations of your State. When you need to send in a report, you can run a compliance report and send it in online or print and mail.
Dispensing software will even keep track of your inventory and makes it easy for you to reorder supplies.
Easy to Re-Order
When you are running low on medicines or even durable medical equipment, you simply place a reorder through the in-office dispensing software.
The dispensing company you choose receives and processes your re-order and within days, your inventory is re-stocked.
Easy Billing
Dispensing software programs are created with a direct link to all insurance company billing departments. That means all you must do is enter the claim information and hit the submit button.
Your staff will no longer have to wait on hold with insurance billing department staff. There are no more faxes to send over and get lost during transfer. With the press of a button, the claim is immediately sent. Your staff then waits for a response from the insurance company regarding the claim.
Easy Storage
Medicine safety boxes are supplied by the in-office dispensing company you choose. They can provide you with the right size cabinet, from small to very large, depending on the amount of medicines you want to keep in stock.
There are safeguards provided. The safety containers are securely locked and can be hung on a wall or stored anywhere in your office that is out of reach for your patients but convenient for you and your staff.
Storage containers are not bulky and will not take up much extra space in your office. Some are small enough they could be hidden from plain sight.
The dispensing company can help you set up storage for medicine that needs refrigeration, in air tight containers and for those that can be stored at room temperature in a lock box.
Easy to Make a Return on Your Investment
Some reports show physicians using in-office dispensing methods have added thousands of dollars to their income streams. This may also be because it does not cost a great deal of money to set up in the first place.
Some physicians report spending as little as ten thousand dollars to get started, while others report spending much more. It will depend on the needs of your company. It is extremely rare to find a physician who reports losing money after installing an in-office dispensing program.
In fact, most physicians report such satisfactory results they decide to add additional ancillary services on top of in-office dispensing, providing even more extra revenue and patient conveniences.