COVID-19 has presented a lot of challenges for clinical care, particularly for patients who are at very high risk of complications if they contract the virus. Many of these patients are foregoing even necessary care for chronic health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure because they are concerned about going to a clinic where they might be near patients who have the coronavirus. The right technology can improve your practice’s ability to continue providing necessary care without exposing patients to more risk. One of the areas that you can use telehealth for better care is through e-prescribing.
What is E-Prescribe Software?
E-prescribing is a telehealth service that allows patients to request medication refills using a portal or other online service through a pharmacy. For many patients, this can eliminate the need to go to a doctor’s office before each refill. The physician and members of the staff can review the patient’s medical information and the request for a refill, then send the order electronically to the appropriate pharmacy for pickup or mail delivery.
Benefits for High-Risk Patients
Patients who can get prescription refills easily through an online portal won’t feel like they need to schedule an appointment to see a physician. They can also get their critical medications filled on time, even if they can’t contact your office during regular business hours to request a refill by phone (a common method for medication refills in many clinics). You can send medication refills to a pharmacy for curbside or drive-thru pickup, or even to mail-order pharmacies that will save patients from any high-risk contact.
When you combine e-prescribing with other technologies, such as telemedicine, it can reduce the need for in-person clinic visits further, even for patients that need an appointment or checkup before they can get a medication refill.
Other Benefits for Your Clinic and Staff
In addition to the benefits it provides to your patients, e-prescribing also has several benefits for staff and physicians. It reduces the number of patient appointments on your schedule for something as simple as a medication refill, freeing up more time to see other patients who require immediate care or to see more new patients in your clinic.
It also reduces the risk of exposure for staff members if fewer people are coming in for appointments related to things that could be done electronically. Finally, it reduces the number of phone calls your staff has to handle for medication refills and allows you to quickly and easily send orders to the nearest pharmacy with no phone tag to reach patients or pharmacists.
To learn more about e-prescribing and find out how easy it can be to make it available to your patients using tools from AdvancedMD, contact us today.
