Saturday 30 June 2012

Physician Dispensing Software: The Basic Facts

By Laura Gallagher


The physician dispensing software is a web-based system for dispensing drugs. When health care providers make prescriptions the providers of this service act as vendors for the drugs and dispense the medication. The software may be used in consultation rooms, nursing homes and bariatric centres.

The software applications are easy to use. Typically, it takes one to two hours for one to become proficient. Most providers of the service also provide customer support and training. They remain available to answer questions related to the programs even after the health provider starts using it.

To use the application, one must have a user name and password. The user name allows them to log in, then select their patient of interest and then select the drugs to be dispensed. This information is fed into a printer which produces a label that is later stuck on the bottle of medication. All the entries made are stored as records. Drugs that can be dispensed using these systems include injectables, vitamins, topical agents, nutraceutical products, vaccines and other over the counter drugs. Orthotics as well as other medical equipment can also be dispensed.

These programs have a number of advantages to both the patient and the health provider. Patients get their medication without necessarily going to the pharmacy. This saves them both time and money. Chances of making errors have also been observed to be much less compared to manual dispensing. Since they are linked to the web, health care providers can also update drug information so that it is as recent as possible. Lastly, research has established that drug compliance in patients managed using these applications is greatly increased.

The healthcare provider is able to see more patients per day due to reduced interruptions. Dispensing medication will also provide a source of revenue for them. By using the web based solutions, the physicians as well as other staff are able to view patient information such as eligibility, insurance plans, co-pay requirements and so on.

Different models of physician dispensing software can be designed to be used by centres which specialize in work comp, adjudication, non-work comp and cash and carry practices. Most providers do not usually ask the health care providers to pay from their pockets if they wish to incorporate the program into their practice. They bill and collect claims on behalf of the healthcare providers.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment