Can e-Prescribing Make Physician Dispensing Better?

Why do dispensing physicians place such a high value on good prescribing habits? The answer can be found in the fact that good prescribing habits are directly proportional to efficient and safe treatments. It also lowers medical expenses by taking the shortest and most direct route to the patient’s recovery.

Critics of physician dispensing have a lot to say; most are particularly concerned that the prescribing process can result in medication errors. Doctors may lack pharmacological knowledge. Pharmacists, on the other hand, are likely to face trouble with the medical side of things. But what if we told you that e-prescribing could put an end to all such troubles? Before we begin talking about how e-prescribing can help you, let us learn about what it is.

What is e-Prescribing?

In simple words, e-prescribing is the method of computer-based transmission and filling of an individual’s prescription. It is a common enough phenomenon for pharmacists to be unable to read doctors’ handwriting on paper prescriptions. You might not have realized it, but this is actually a serious issue that often leads to medication errors. An e-prescription takes care of this hiccup by allowing the prescriber to electronically transfer the patient’s medical information to the computers at the pharmacy. This style of prescription information is even more efficient when an in-office pharmacy is involved.

e-Prescriptions are revolutionizing the medical industry; paper prescriptions are on the brink of being entirely replaced by computerized transmissions. One would expect pharmacists to embrace e-prescribing with open arms, given its many benefits but, sadly, many remain hesitant to this day.

In this blog post, we are going to discuss the various advantages of e-prescribing as noted by dispensing physicians.

Advantages of e-Prescribing for Dispensing Physicians?

Patient Safety

The prevalence of e-prescriptions has significantly boosted the legibility of prescriptions, ensuring that errors in medication are cut down. Not only does it deal with preventing medication errors, but e-prescribing also lessens the time taken for the medication to complete its life cycle from prescribing to dispensing. A recent research study held by a reputed organization introduced e-prescribing to 12 community practices, all 12 of which saw a staggering decrease in prescription error rates from anywhere between 42.5% to 6.6%.

Effectiveness

Introducing e-prescribing also accounts for a remarkable rise in the efficiency of the whole prescribing process from start to finish. Even though we discovered that entering a new prescription into the system takes about 20 seconds longer per patient than when the same prescription is manually written. However, don’t be fooled by that. In the long run, you will be saving a lot more time once pharmacies stop calling back for clarifications. Besides, if you are guaranteed safe medical transactions with an extra 20 seconds, then so be it.

Improved Cost Saving and Medication Adherence

A patient’s recovery is made infinitesimally easier by coupling e-prescribing and physician dispensing. Apart from improving cost savings, it also makes it easier for the person seeking treatment to stick to medication therapy, in other words, better medication adherence. Last we checked, there was a 10% in filled prescriptions when e-prescription was brought to the scene.

Are you one of Oklahoma’s dispensing physicians? PD-Rx Pharmaceuticals can help you with that! Visit our website for more information on our medication dispensing systems and prepackaging pharmaceuticals.

**Disclaimer: The information on this page is not intended to be a doctor's advice, nor does it create any form of the patient-doctor relationship.