Doctor shopping has become a drain on the healthcare industry. This practice can waste your time, prevent patients from getting appointments with their physicians, and potentially give opioid-seekers access to dangerous amounts of controlled substances.
The question is, how do you prevent doctor shopping without hindering patient care or turning away people with legitimate medical needs? Physician dispensing may hold the key.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to stop doctor shopping by prescribing medications directly in your office.
Understanding Doctor Shopping
Before you can learn how to prevent doctor shopping, it’s important to consider why people do it in the first place. Here’s a closer look at doctor shoppers, their motivations, and the prevalence of this concerning trend.
What Is Doctor Shopping?
Doctor shopping occurs when a patient visits multiple healthcare providers to obtain numerous prescriptions, often for controlled substances. The practice is typically done without informing the doctors about the other prescriptions, allowing patients to gather more medication than is medically necessary. Doctor shopping is often driven by substance abuse, but some patients are simply seeking multiple opinions about their conditions.
The prevalence of doctor shopping varies widely, ranging from 6.3% to 56%, depending on how researchers define doctor shoppers. Studies that focus solely on individuals who are shopping around for prescription opioids may indicate higher rates of doctor shopping.
Common Motivations Behind Doctor Shopping
Why do people doctor shop? Typically, the trend can be attributed to one of two key motivators:
Seeking Multiple Prescriptions
One common motivation behind doctor shopping is the desire to acquire multiple prescriptions. Patients might want to stockpile medications for future use or distribute prescription medications to others. This practice is especially prevalent with prescription painkillers and other controlled substances, such as Xanax.
Substance Abuse and Misuse
Many doctor-shopping patients don’t intend to stockpile or sell medication to others. Instead, they have a drug addiction and have burned through their supply. They are attempting to support their prescription drug abuse by obtaining multiple prescriptions from different doctors.
The Impact of Doctor Shopping on Healthcare
The opioid epidemic and the doctor shopping habits it has created place a huge burden on the American healthcare system. Some of the repercussions of this concerning practice include:
Increased Healthcare Costs
Doctor shopping makes healthcare more expensive. Multiple, unnecessary prescriptions can lead to higher insurance claims and more frequent doctor visits, which strain the financial resources of the healthcare system. The treatment of complications arising from drug use and opioid abuse further drives up costs.
Strain on Healthcare Resources
Doctor shopping also places a considerable strain on healthcare professionals. It consumes valuable time and attention from physicians that could be better utilized in treating genuine medical needs. Pharmacists are also encumbered with extra work, including processing unnecessary refills and rectifying discrepancies in patient records.
Risks to Patient Safety and Public Health
Perhaps the most critical impact of doctor shopping is the risk to patient safety and public health it presents. Overprescription and medication misuse can lead to severe health consequences, including overdose and death.
Overdose deaths have increased drastically over the last two decades. The drug overdose death rate in 2002 was 8.2 per 100,000. By 2022, the drug overdose death rate per 100,000 increased to 32.6, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Identifying Signs of Doctor Shopping
The first step to curbing this trend involves identifying common warning signs of doctor shoppers. Here are key indicators to keep in mind:
Red Flags for Healthcare Providers
Stay vigilant for red flags, such as patients who request specific medications often, especially controlled substances. Individuals who ask for stimulants, painkillers, benzodiazepines, or other frequently abused substances may be shopping for a prescription.
You should also be wary if someone claims to have “lost” their prescription. While one-off events could legitimately happen, it is extremely unlikely that the same patient will lose their controlled substance multiple times.
Patterns and Behaviors to Watch For
Doctor shoppers can be very savvy and deceptive. Some may not even exhibit the common red flags, but there will still be signs. For instance, if someone has traveled a long way to visit your office, it may be because they have already exhausted all prescriptions near their residence.
People who frequently visit the emergency room for “pain management” may also be shopping for prescriptions. Be wary of people with inconsistent medical histories, as well as those who sound as if they are uttering a slew of chronic pain symptoms from a list they’ve memorized.
Strategies to Prevent Doctor Shopping
To prevent doctor shopping, you’ll need to prioritize the following:
Comprehensive Patient Records and Monitoring
Keeping detailed medical records and monitoring the behavior of your patients will go a long way in preventing doctor shopping. You can use these detailed records to identify trends and address inconsistencies or suspicious behaviors. If you notice something unusual, dig deeper and consider notifying law enforcement.
Collaborating With Other Healthcare Providers
Communicating with medical professionals in your area is a great way of preventing doctor shopping. While you must use appropriate privacy safeguards, you can share limited patient information to determine whether someone is trying to obtain a prescription for illegitimate purposes.
Utilizing Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs)
Prescription monitoring programs (PDMPs) are electronic databases that keep detailed records of controlled substance prescriptions. Several states have launched PDMPs as part of their anti-doctor shopping laws. If your state has a voluntary PDMP, enroll in it and use this monitoring system to help guard against illegal substance use.
The Role of Physician Dispensing in Preventing Doctor Shopping
In-office dispensing is one of the best tools for reducing doctor shopping and keeping patients accountable. As the name suggests, physician dispensing is the process of issuing and filling prescriptions directly in your office. Patients will no longer have to head to the pharmacy to obtain their prescription but can instead go down the hall and leave with their medication in hand.
Physician dispensing also makes it easier to monitor patient behavior and pick up on concerning trends. Take a closer look at how in-office dispensing can help you prevent doctor shopping.
Direct Dispensing Reduces Multiple Prescriptions
If you and your team implement an internal dispensing program, you can ensure patients receive the exact dosage and quantity of medication needed. You’ll also have records of what they’ve received, meaning they won’t be able to obtain multiple prescriptions for the same substance.
Enhanced Monitoring and Control
Physician dispensing gives you better control over medication distribution. You can closely track all dispensing processes and easily identify any irregularities.
Additionally, teaming up with one of the leading physician dispensing companies can take your monitoring and control capabilities to the next level. Proficient Rx provides user-friendly software solutions that you can use to track prescriptions, conduct audits, and protect your reputation.
Improved Patient-Provider Communication
The physician dispensing process can promote better communication and information sharing between you and those you treat. You can directly address any concerns patients have, educate them on the risks of taking certain medications, and facilitate informed decision-making.
Best Practices for Implementing Physician Dispensing
Launching your own physician dispensing program can seem daunting. However, you can successfully navigate this process while transforming your practice into a more modern and patient-friendly entity by following a few best practices, including the following:
Ensuring Compliance With Legal and Regulatory Requirements
Familiarize yourself with state laws and federal regulations that govern in-office dispensing. For example, you’ll need to register with your state’s board of pharmacy. You’ll also need to obtain a registration number from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) if you intend to dispense controlled substances in your office.
Training Staff on Proper Dispensing Procedures
Ensure your staff knows how to dispense medications and properly use record-keeping software. Maintaining detailed, accurate records is critical for maximizing patient safety and reducing the risk of doctor shopping.
Using Technology to Monitor Prescriptions
Don’t rely on manual processes. Use modern prescription tracking tools to automate recordkeeping processes and reduce the risk of human error. The top dispensing solutions will provide detailed records of who received what medications, which team members provided them, and what your current inventory levels are.
Success Stories
Dozens of physician’s offices and clinics have implemented Proficient Rx software with stellar results. Our technology helps healthcare professionals launch successful in-office dispensing programs, ensuring compliance and promoting patient safety. By pairing our technology with a well-designed policy and skilled staff, you can launch your program effectively and do your part to combat doctor shopping.
Lessons Learned and Best Practices
Creating a successful in-office dispensing program requires the right tools, staff, policies, and resources. Pairing our software with dispensing machines can promote a fast, efficient process that enhances the patient care experience.
When you get the right medications into the hands of patients, you can see better outcomes at every level of treatment.
Prevent Doctor Shopping With Proficient Rx
Doctor shopping has a negative impact on both patients and the healthcare field as a whole. But by adopting proactive solutions like in-office dispensing, you can help curb and prevent this concerning practice.
Want to learn more about how to stop doctor shopping with in-office dispensing? Check out our complimentary guide, or contact Proficient Rx today to find out how our technology solutions play a vital role in promoting transparency in physician dispensing.