Why Point-of-Care Medication Makes Healthcare More Efficient

Point-of-care medication dispensing addresses the many flaws in the current way patients pick up their medication. Point-of-care pharmaceutical dispensing refers to a system of dispensing medication on-site or nearby the medical/physician’s office. Point-of-care drug dispensing also saves patients an extra trip.

Beyond being very convenient, point-of-care pharmaceutical dispensing has various advantages. Point-of-care solutions can come in one of three formats. The in-house pharmacy offers patients access to a pharmacy in the same building as the medical/physician’s office from which they receive their care and contains a pharmacist onsite.

The other two types of point-of-care formats are the pharmacy kiosk and the dispensary. The kiosk dispenses drugs through a free-standing prescription dispensing machine, and patients communicate with a remote pharmacist through a phone receiver and a monitor.

Finally, the dispensary style of point-of-care medication dispensing is a small pharmacy located in a brick-and-mortar building located onsite and that functions through a physician/clinic-dispensing model. Moreover, this style does not include an on-site pharmacist.

Regardless of the format, one of the immediate advantages is that the pharmacy services’ proximity gives patients immediate access to their medication. When the physician is close by, the doctor can explain the medication (including side effects), discuss how it should be used, and address any concerns their patient might have. Finally, it is an opportunity for patients to ask the doctor questions.

Point-of-care dispensing also has benefits in generating income. Patients are more likely to get their prescriptions re-filled at a point-of-care facility if they have a good experience, which includes convenient access to personalized service.

Outside of personalized service as a draw for patients returning to get their medication refilled, some experts state a physician can increase earnings without having to increase the patient load. Depending on the type of point-of-care format used for dispensing medications, dispensing medications in or near the physician’s/medical office can translate into extra earnings between $50,000 and $200,000.

Additionally, point-of-care medication dispensing opens up retail opportunities for physicians in terms of providing ancillary services. Ancillary retail services usually involve selling medical products, for example, eyeglasses, to patients.

In terms of patient safety, point-of-care prescription dispensing reduces the chance that patients make mistakes due to harmful drug interactions when taking their medications. One figure estimates that 70 percent of pharmacies fail to explain how prescribed drugs should be taken resulting in harmful drug interactions.

Point-of-care dispensaries, alternatively, dispense drugs in prepackaged medications that provide clear drug interaction information. In addition, the physician can print other drug interaction information to give to the patient from the software the point-of-care provider gives to the physician’s office.

Furthermore, this style of dispensing prevents patients who are taking more than one drug from mixing up their medications. Because the medications are prepackaged, pills are stored separately in pouches according to the way the manufacturer packages them.

Also, prepackaged medications cut down on cross-contamination. From the pharmacy to the patient, many people handle medications while preparing them. Both pharmacy technicians and pharmacists can pass germs onto the medications, which is prevented when the drugs are prepackaged. Further, prepackaging companies have to follow rigid state and federal guidelines regarding cleanliness, reducing the incidence of contamination.

Ultimately, point-of-care drug dispensing also translates into a streamlined, more efficient office with office staff only needing to learn how to use the point-of-care software the company provides the medical office.

Usually, prescriptions are filled through a web portal, which allows the medical office to send claims at the same time. For example, these web portals make filing worker’s compensation and billing a lot simpler.

via WordPress https://ift.tt/E1IzNdJ