A recent study of 35,000 patients nationwide found that the number one complaint among patients is customer service received in the physician’s office. Even more staggering, nineteen of every twenty patients surveyed reported disorganized operations and poor communications made them post harsh reviews.
Patients are happy with the clinical treatment they receive. What makes them unhappy is how the practice is being run. What should be the easiest functions are turning out to be where patients are showing dissatisfaction.
The good news? This problem is very fixable. Streamlining office practices can be done quickly, ensuring the office operates more effectively. Below are a few of the ways your office can use prepackaged medication to streamline practices.
What is Prepackaged Medication?
Many physicians are wisely choosing to dispense medications at the point of care. They do this by using prepackaged medications. Prepackaged medications are ordered from an office dispensing company, who after receiving medicines from the manufacturer, use extreme safety measure to properly package medications.
With prepackaged medications, you only order and pay for medicines you need, no extras. The medicines are separated and labeled for easy use.
StreamlineComputer Capabilities
The software program that accompanies prepackaged medication sets your office staff up for streamlining success. It makes the entire process of prescribing, filling, and even billing simple and accurate.
The software program is installed by the company’s technician, who is also available around the clock for technical support.
With this software, you simple enter the data on a patient, print a label to adhere to the prepackaged medicine, and deliver to your patient. And with a push of a button, you can send a claim directly to the insurance company. It really is that simple.
Streamline the Prescription Process
In just a few minutes, patients can receive their filled prescriptions and begin treatment immediately. This is not the case when they are required to go to the pharmacy. At the pharmacy patients usually wait an hour or longer to receive their order.
Prepackaged medications can be streamlined for quick delivery because there is no compounding, mixing, or sorting that needs to be completed. The medicines are ready before the patients even need them.
You and your staff simply enter the prescription information into the computer. Next you print the label, retrieve the prepackaged medicine from the locked cabinet, adhere the label and deliver package to your patient.
Just a few steps to complete the entire process, improving operations to be organized and simple.
Streamline Claims Submissions
In-office dispensing of prepackaged medications makes it easy to streamline communication with insurance companies. The software technology that accompanies prepackaged medication is set up to include direct contact with the claims departments of all insurance companies.
There are no more copying insurance cards and faxing to insurance companies. All information is entered into the computer data bank. With a simple click of a button, your office billing staff can send claims directly to the claims department.
Furthermore, payments can be made from the insurance company directly to your account. This means you no longer must wait on checks in the mail. You can receive direct payments in a timely manner.
Streamline the Refill Process
Ordinarily, when a patient needs a prescription refill, they are instructed to call into the physician’s office, speak into a recording stating their name, date of birth, the prescriptions needing refilled and contact information.
When the nurse or other office staff has time to review the recordings, they do so and then consult the doctor to renew the prescription. They then contact the patient to pick up their refill prescription. Or, they send the renewal directly to the pharmacy.
The nurse then contacts the patient to tell them their refill has been renewed.
With prepackaged medication, once the data has been entered in the software, you will be alerted to any refills that need to be renewed. Notifications will automatically be sent to your office staff via the computer system.
This system is also in place for renewing medicines you keep in stock. The software will notify you when your supply of prepackaged medications is running low. It can also send a re-order request to the dispensing company.
Before you know it, your replacement supply arrives, and you can restock.
Prepackaged medications systems offer many benefits to physicians who dispense medications at the point of care. Each benefit helps you stay organized for efficiency and accuracy when caring for your patients.