Digital Prescription Software Bolsters the Efficiency of Clinical Workflows

Contents

Anyone who has ever gone to a doctor has been prescribed medication or tests. Unsurprisingly, many doctors have handwriting that is often hard to understand. Pharmacists can read the prescriptions most of the time, but sometimes they make mistakes. Medication mistakes can cause minor side effects or something serious, leading to hospitalization depending on the patient’s condition. This is especially true for patients with chronic diabetes or heart disease. Digital prescription software has proved to be a good way of preventing such incidents.  

The last decade has seen the medical industry adopt digital solutions for many clinical and administrative activities. Many healthcare providers have sworn by those solutions since they help speed up workflows and improve revenues. One of the biggest benefits of e-prescribing software is that it eliminates or greatly reduces the chance of medical errors and avoids the need for physical paper-based prescriptions. So, it is more convenient for doctors, patients, pharmacists, radiologists, and pathologists, and it is also good for the environment in the long run. This is because several million paper-based prescriptions are discarded each year, and only a small fraction of them get re-cycled.  

We will explore how this type of software works and its benefits in the long run.  

2. How Does This Type of Software Work?

Electronic prescribing solutions avoid the need for writing a physical paper-based prescription and serve as digital platforms for writing prescriptions. Doctors can open the application, prescribe medications or tests, and send it directly to pharmacies or testing laboratories. In this section, we will explore how this type of software works.

HIPAA-compliant electronic prescription solutions can be used on desktops or mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. Moreover, recent advancements in cloud computing in healthcare have led to the development of cloud-based e-prescribing systems that need not even be installed on-premises in a hospital or a private practice. Those can be accessed with a device and an internet connection.  

A. Accessing Health Plans

The medical staff first verifies the patient’s health plan whenever a patient goes to a doctor for consultation. Later on, after the consultation has been completed, the doctor can use the electronic prescription software to check if the drugs necessary for the patient are covered by their insurance plan. This information is accessible with a few clicks, which helps the doctor see the drugs and all the alternatives suitable for the patient’s condition. Based on this, the provider can prescribe a drug through the application, and the prescription will be sent to a pharmacy.  

In addition to viewing the drugs covered by the health plan, doctors can also access the patient’s prescription history. This helps the doctor better understand the patient’s condition and get a better picture of the treatment history.    

The digital prescription software can also reveal if there is more than one drug store where patients can pick up their prescriptions. This lets the patients choose the most convenient one. Since the pharmacy would have already received the prescription before the patient leaves the clinic, they can keep it ready long before that patient arrives at the store. This prevents long queues at drug stores and makes things faster and more convenient for everyone.   

B. Prescription Refills

The pharmacy will notify the treating physician if the patient needs a refill later. The doctor gets the request at the end of the prescription software and can either approve it or deny it based on the necessity.  

With an e-prescribing system, the patients only have to go to the pharmacies and pick up their medication, and there is no need for a physical prescription. Additionally, integrated healthcare solutions featuring prescription software and electronic health records working seamlessly lead to patients’ medical information being stored more accurately. This is important as a person’s medication history might tell doctors about their condition and response to certain drugs.     

In other words, software solutions for digital prescription improve workflows and make things easier for doctors, patients, and pharmacists as they can serve their customers better. It is a win-win for all the stakeholders involved, especially the patients, as there is a lesser chance of prescription errors.   

3. What are the Benefits of Using an E-Prescription System?

We have discussed how a digital prescription platform works and how it brings convenience to everyone involved. It is also important to know how such software can benefit the activities in the healthcare workflows. This section will explore the major benefits of using digital prescription software.

Medical software solutions have grown to become a massive industry by themselves within the broader software industry. The last decade and a half have seen billions of dollars invested in health tech development. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of software solutions in the industry, and things have been going from physical to digital wherever possible. Prescriptions are no exception. From broad healthcare management platforms at hospitals to customized practice management solutions for smaller clinics, e-prescribing software has been increasingly integrated with other medical solutions.  

Let’s see some of the benefits of using this type of software for prescriptions –   

1. Eliminates Prescription Errors

It is no surprise that a doctor’s prescription often contains illegible handwriting. Most people cannot make out what is written. But pharmacists can understand doctors’ handwriting most of the time. However, there are times when even pharmacists might mistake what’s prescribed for something else. Moreover, if two or more drugs have similar names, bad handwriting can lead to medication errors. This might be especially dangerous for people with serious diseases. But a digital platform eliminates any ambiguity from prescriptions. Since it is on a digital interface, along with the drug that the patients’ plans cover, there is little to no chance of prescription errors.  

2. Patients’ Prescription History

Electronic medical records are extremely important for doctors to know about their patients before deciding on treatment. A digital health prescription can easily be attached to a patient’s existing health records to let doctors know what was prescribed to the patient. This is necessary as knowing a patient’s medication history sheds light on their condition and also the type of treatment that would be most appropriate.   

Additionally, some people might be allergic to drugs or have adverse side effects because of a pre-existing condition. This data is readily available for doctors to view through electronic prescription platforms and see if they can prescribe alternatives to patients who might experience adverse effects. The seamless electronic data exchange between the prescription software and electronic health records makes this possible.   

3. Prescription of Covered Drugs

Not all the drugs’ patients require might be covered by their health plans, which adds a layer of difficulty for both the doctors and the patients. But with electronic prescribing for doctors, all it takes is a few clicks on a screen to see the list of drugs the patient’s insurance plans cover. Additionally, doctors can also view all available alternatives covered by the patient’s health plans and prescribe those.   

Patients, too, can know the pharmacies with the required drugs in stock and go to the nearest one to pick up their prescription. This is a win-win for both the providers and the patients.  

4. Tracking of Controlled Substance Prescriptions

Controlled substances are used to treat specific health problems and must be taken exactly as physicians prescribe. But hundreds of thousands of instances of people getting addicted to and abusing these types of drugs. Abusing controlled substances can lead to health problems like hormonal imbalances, strokes, depression, anxiety disorder, heart attack, and severe withdrawal symptoms.   

But software for digital prescriptions makes it easier to track patients’ prescription history and know when and how many controlled drugs they’ve been prescribed in the past. This is an important consideration as many people are prone to visit multiple doctors just to get prescriptions from all of them to support their addiction. This is called doctor shopping. But if a prescribing doctor can see a patient’s previous prescriptions, they won’t be able to access controlled substances to fuel a habit.   

This makes e-prescribing software a vital tool to fight against the abuse of controlled substances, which is becoming a medical crisis in the country.   

5. Better Efficiency at Pharmacies

Pharmacists across the United States make hundreds of thousands of calls to doctors seeking clarification about prescribed medications and their dosages. Not only is this inconvenient, but it also hampers the productivity and speed of day-to-day operations of pharmacists. It also results in long queues for patients who need to wait until the staff can clarify. But with an electronic prescribing app, pharmacists can know exactly what a doctor has prescribed, the dosage, and any refills. All of this information is available on a screen with a few clicks.  

So, the staff at a pharmacy need not make calls to physicians, who, along with other medical staff, need not waste time clarifying prescriptions, and the patients need not wait long. In other words, using an electronic prescribing app is a win-win for pharmacists, physicians, and patients.  

6. No Hassle of Losing Prescriptions

Paper-based prescriptions are easy to lose. A person might forget them in their car or workplace, or just forget where they kept them. So, they would need to re-visit a clinic and have the doctor re-write it. Sometimes, a patient might lose a physical prescription on their way to a pharmacy, for which they’d need to have the pharmacists call the doctor to confirm the prescription. But electronic prescribing technology removes this problem, as pharmacists can pull up a person’s prescription on their screen and fill it up.  

7. Help in Medication Management

An electronic prescribing app lets providers know if a prescription was filled at a pharmacy. This is important as it enables them to better advise patients on managing their medication schedules. Sometimes, a prescription would need to be refilled, which can also be tracked. From the time of the first prescription to its refill, doctors can know if patients have been regularly taking their meds based on the number of days it took for refilling. Based on this, it is possible to know if a patient hasn’t been regular and make them understand the importance of timely medication.   

This is important as people suffering from chronic diseases must be very strict and regular with their medication. Additionally, doctors can monitor filling prescriptions for controlled substances to identify a patient who might be drifting towards potential substance abuse. This also acts as a type of patient engagement system that improves doctor-patient interaction.    

In addition to the benefits mentioned above, there is the added advantage of reduced paper usage. Without electronic prescribing in hospitals and clinics, there would be hundreds of millions of physical paper-based prescriptions in the United States alone. When people are done with their course of medication, a prescription becomes a scrap of paper thrown in the bin. The amount of paper needlessly wasted, the number of trees that need to be chopped up for it, and the piling up on landfills will all be reduced significantly.   

So, using e-prescription solutions ultimately prevents the wastage of paper and helps the environment.  

4. Important Features to Look For in e-Prescription Software

Many companies offer several healthcare software solutions for clinical and non-clinical activities in medical organizations. This includes a wide range of electronic medication prescribing software. Although their features are bound to differ, some important ones are worth considering. Let’s look at some essential features every prescription software must have.

If you are a doctor at a small clinic or an administrator at an urban hospital looking for prescription software, there are some things you must look out for. Multiple companies sell such software, but it might become difficult to know which one is best suited for your organization. So, let’s talk about some of the important features that every medical prescription software must have –   

I. Adverse Drug Interaction Monitoring

Not everyone has the same kind of experience with medications. Depending on a patient’s existing medical condition, they might get better, suffer from some side effects before getting better, or have some type of adverse reaction to a drug. An electronic prescription software with a feature to determine drug interaction would be able to notify physicians of potential adverse reactions to drugs that some patients might experience.  

This is possible since the patient’s entire prescription and medication history would be accessible to the physician. Based on this information, the digital prescription solution can determine the effectiveness of certain drugs on certain patients, according to the patient’s condition and the dosage. So, doctors could determine if certain people would respond badly to certain drugs and change accordingly.  

II. Interoperability

Needless to point out, any software for prescriptions needs to work seamlessly with other medical systems, especially electronic medical records. Healthcare interoperability would be vital if prescription software is used to its fullest extent. Furthermore, working with other solutions like medical coding, billing, and medical informatics helps clinical and administrative activities function smoothly.  

III. Patient Education

As mentioned earlier, people might react differently to a drug depending on their health situation, medical history, or genetic predisposition. While drug interaction is an essential part of the care journey, it depends on how the people stick to their medication regimens. A lack of medication compliance is responsible for worsening health, especially for people suffering from chronic conditions. It is also one of the biggest reasons for re-hospitalizations and costs healthcare billions of dollars annually.    

IV. Appropriate User-Interfaces

Prescription software is not only used by doctors but also by pharmacists. Moreover, patients might also try to access them through relevant patient portals. So, all of these are different users who have to fulfill varying functions with the prescription software. Doctors use it to write prescriptions and access patient history; pharmacists use it to prepare prescriptions for patients to see if they need to refill and when. Each of these users needs to have dedicated dashboards for their purposes.  

V. Prescription Coverage

As mentioned earlier, knowing if a patient’s plan covers a certain drug helps the doctor and the patient avoid lots of hassles. It removes one level of administrative burden for the providers. Doctors can find out which drugs are covered by an insurance plan and which pharmacy they are available, further helping patients. The task would take less than a minute with prescription software. 

VI. Tracking of Prescription Status

A doctor writing the prescription is one thing, but the pharmacy needs to prepare it and hand it over to the customers. Only then can it be confirmed that the patient has taken the prescribed medication. Once the pharmacy has indeed verified that the customer has picked it up, the same needs to be notified to the physician through the prescription software. This helps in preventing over-medication.  

Moreover, a feature for patients to view their refills and look up their prescriptions must go hand-in-hand with prescription status notification. Patients must be able to do this with a smartphone application or a patient portal.   

This has been touted as a good way of implementing population health management tools for public health.   

VII. Adequate Security

Any healthcare solution operating any medical information must also feature data security measures. Not only is this important from a legal perspective, but also a patient safety one. As mentioned above, viewing a patient’s medical history makes it easier for doctors to make informed decisions about medications to avoid adverse reactions to certain drugs.   

5. How Does Digital Prescription Software Improve Clinical Procedures?

We have already seen the benefits of using such software at large hospitals and smaller clinics. While it is true that prescription software optimizes administrative workflows and makes things easier for doctors and patients, it also impacts medical activities. In this section, we will explore that in further detail.

Medical workflows need not only include surgeries or procedures done after hospitalizations. It would also include things as simple as doctors prescribing medications and patients taking them diligently to improve. In light of this, it is important to note how using a digital prescription platform helps improve the overall clinical outcomes for patients.  

As mentioned earlier, illegible handwriting and prescription errors are estimated to cause between 5000 and 10000 deaths yearly. This is especially impactful for patients who suffer from diabetes or heart disease, those who are recovering after a major illness, elders in retirement homes, and others whose health might be delicate. Such people are especially vulnerable to adverse medication reactions, which could majorly worsen their health, hospitalization, or even death.   

Software for prescriptions eliminates the possibility of mistakes due to bad handwriting or any other ambiguity regarding prescriptions. Moreover, since a doctor can view a person’s medication history through such an application, they can know the drugs previously taken by a patient and their impact on the patient’s health. Moreover, doctors can also find out if the patient is allergic to any drugs.  

This information becomes extremely important during medical emergencies or when patients can’t communicate properly with their doctor. Their prescription history can reveal significant amounts of information about their personal medical history. During such times, doctors can achieve better clinical outcomes with the help of patients’ medication history.   

In addition, there is the benefit of searching for alternative drugs covered under a person’s health plan. As we have already mentioned before, one of the major advantages of using prescription software for doctors and patients is knowing beforehand if patients’ insurance covers a certain drug. Many people don’t even take the necessary medication if they know their insurance won’t cover them. Also, many people under-medicate because they can’t afford a refill of a drug not covered by their plan. This will lead to poor medical outcomes. But prescription management software avoids this problem by showing the doctor a list of alternative drugs that the patient will be able to afford.  

To sum it up, the ability to view prescription histories and alternative medications available, an electronic prescribing app goes a long way in improving the clinical outcomes for patients.

Challenges of Implementing Software for Electronic Prescriptions

The benefits of using a digital platform for prescriptions are obvious, and many healthcare providers at hospitals and ambulatory care centers have already implemented them with great results. However, there are some things to consider when using this type of software at your organization. This section will discuss some of the challenges of implementing an e-prescribing app for physicians.    

While using e-prescribing software might be beneficial, various problems are associated with implementing it. Let’s have a look at some of those –   

a.Lack of Smooth Interface

As the medical industry continues to go digital, there are bound to be software solutions available for most of the workflows at hospitals and clinics. If they can’t work with each other, it will only increase the administrative burden and be detrimental to productivity, defeating the very purpose of using software in the first place. So, scheduling appointments must work efficiently with another solution verifying peoples’ insurance plans. In the same way, software for prescriptions must be able to work efficiently with other medical solutions, with a keen emphasis on electronic medical records.  

This is a major concern since the software solution for each activity might be developed by a different company. Ensuring a seamless interface is paramount.  

b. Existing IT Framework

An organization’s IT infrastructure is essential to run any everyday operations digitally. The health system at a hospital with multiple medical solutions working together would need a robust server capacity, bandwidth, and rapid recovery after downtime. Although this might be an issue at smaller clinics, they make a difference in large hospitals. Multiple doctors using prescription software to access medication history, check if their patients’ health plans cover the drugs, order tests, scan scans, retrieve results, and so on are activities that need a functional IT system.  

c. Cybersecurity

 This is an ever-present danger to just about every type of medical software in any organization. Cyberattacks are frequently growing, and the people who carry them out have grown ever more audacious. Good cybersecurity measures are necessary for the efficient use of prescription software.  

d. Maintenance and Support

All kinds of software are prone to malfunctions or downtimes. However, what makes a difference is the vendor’s availability of support and maintenance on short notice. This is one of the major considerations for hospital administrators before spending money on prescription software. Some companies selling such software would have their resources for support on hand, while many others would have them established overseas through outsourcing.   

In the latter case, a hospital must adjust to the time zones to provide the required support remotely. Then there is also the question of maintenance and timely upgrades from the software company. The company needs to be prompt about the upgrades and not charge a large sum of money.    

e. Staff Adoption

The prescription software must be easy enough for the hospital staff to use. So this becomes a question of the interface. The doctors must get acclimatized to the software and its functionalities daily for every patient they see. This is necessary as there are many benefits to using such an application, as mentioned before. Also, it would better justify using such software in the first place. 

f. Integration with Telehealth

Telehealth is one of the hottest buzzwords in the healthcare industry. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of virtual care across most of the world. So, it becomes necessary for an electronic prescribing app to be able to integrate with a platform for telemedicine. This would be an essential factor in the quality of care when it happens virtually. The doctor must be able to write prescriptions, access patients’ medication histories, and provide care remotely.   

6.Individual Prescription Software Vs. Integrated Prescription Software

Prescription software must work with other medical solutions at hospitals and clinics. But sometimes, that might not be necessary. An individual standalone software for prescriptions would be enough to cater to the clinic’s needs while enabling them to offer quality care. In this section, we will weigh the pros and cons of developing prescription software as a standalone and integrating one into existing hospital systems.

A pharmacy management system developed specifically to meet the needs of a particular hospital or clinic would have its own set of positives and negatives when compared with a pre-built one that is integrated into existing systems. It is worth exploring which ones would meet your budget and, most importantly, your requirements. As the name probably indicates, developing customized, standalone prescription software is highly likely to cost more than getting a pre-built one and integrating it into existing hospital systems.  

But there might be upsides to having one such platform built specifically for your needs. Let’s weigh the benefits and problems of developing separate software for prescriptions –   

Development of Individual Prescription Software   

This software platform would be developed to be used individually without being integrated into other health systems.   

Benefits

Pitfalls

Integration of Pre-Built Solution

Needless to point out, buying and integrating an existing solution into existing health systems is significantly faster and more convenient. But let’s look at some of the pros and cons in greater detail –  

Benefits

Pitfalls

7. Choosing the Right Firm for Integrating Digital Prescription Software

Having a reliable partner when undertaking any type of IT project is important. This includes the integration of software for electronic prescriptions. This is important as it will determine the efficiency and functioning of a hospital system. In this section, we will discuss the things to consider when looking for a company to integrate prescription software.

Having a single, comprehensive, consolidated software platform to manage hospitals’ administrative and clinical activities is known to be beneficial for all stakeholders involved. With the increasing amounts of investments and a growing number of innovations in health tech, it is necessary to have a robust IT framework to remain relevant. To ensure this, partnering with the right company is crucial as integration is central to productivity.   

Let’s look at some factors that a hospital would need to consider when looking for a company to handle the integration of prescription software –  

1. Track Record of the Company

We rely on brand name when purchasing things like smartphones, cars, shoes, laptops, etc. Similarly, it is important to ensure that the company you hire has a good track record in the healthcare technology industry. This includes its portfolio of products and services, clientele, customer reviews, and so on. It is a good sign if the company has developed and integrated compliant medical applications for the business-to-business or business-to-consumer space.   

This phase might take some time as there are likely to be many companies that fit this bill. But it is worth taking the time to do background research and know about the company before committing. This might involve going to an organization that uses the company’s product and seeing for yourself what you’re going to be paying for. This kind of market research will pay off in the long run.  

2. Understanding Requirements

The integration depends upon what is already there and what needs to be integrated into it. This involves understanding the existing structure and deciding on the tools, APIs (Application Programming Interface), and the necessary technology stack. This step is best carried out by an IT expert who has experience working in this sector and has developed applications. Such a person might be an individual consultant or someone from the company you’re planning on partnering with for the integration.   

This is good not only from a technical standpoint but also from a cost perspective. Smooth integration is vital for effective workflows and engenders better hospital medical records management. 

3. Support

Software platforms are bound to run into trouble at some point in their operations. In light of this, it is important to have reliable support. This is especially important for healthcare solutions at hospitals. It is also one factor that must be considered when deciding upon a company to handle the integration of prescription software. As the years pass by, newer technological solutions will emerge, leading to the adoption of novel technologies. So, the chances of some kind of downtime are likely as the industry undergoes digitization.   

Some companies offer on-site support, while some others offer it remotely. The remote support could be outsourced to another country in Asia to save up on the costs, in which case time zones have to be taken into account when relying on the support. On the plus side, remote support is generally cheaper than on-site support.   

8. Developing E-Prescription Software

Like every other type of software, e-prescription software also involves its developmental process. Needless to point out, it will involve some features and functionalities that will be vital for day-to-day medical and administrative operations. This section talks about the steps involved in building software for medical prescriptions.

Here are the stages involved in the development of a prescription management system –   

Strategizing

Any type of project begins with formulating a strategy for the actual process of development. In this stage, there is some research about the prevailing market conditions for such an application and knowing which ones to include. This phase also involves deciding the technology stack and forming a team to take on this project, coupled with having a cap on the budget.  

Add Features

The previous step involved conducting comprehensive market research and determining this software’s requirement. Doing so invariably leads to the software’s features that need to be included. Here again, it depends on the client for whom this application is being developed. The features might vary slightly in the case of medium-sized ambulatory clinics, small practices, or large hospitals.   

Let’s have a look at some of the features that are essential for this type of software –  

A. Patient History

This is one of the most important features of this type of software and also something that benefits doctors and patients. When doctors can access a patient’s medical history, they can know what treatments they have undergone, the medications they’ve consumed, allergies, history of substance abuse (if any), demographic information, previous diseases, and any drugs presently consumed, and so on. This enables them to make an informed decision about prescribing new drugs to prevent any side effects from harming the patient.  

B. Drug Database

This is another key feature that brings home the advantages of using prescription software. Doctors can use it to search for any drugs they need to prescribe and select those by making some clicks on a screen. Coupled with the ability to verify patients’ health plans, doctors can find out if a drug is covered for the patient and search for alternatives if it is not.  

C. Sending Prescriptions

The whole point of prescription software is to share prescriptions and avoid written ones. The written prescriptions pose the risk of medication errors due to illegible handwriting or drug mixing at pharmacies because of similar names. Doctors need to be able to share digital prescriptions with pharmacies, pathology labs, and radiology centers.  

D. Changing Prescriptions

Unsurprisingly, prescriptions would need to be changed in light of some new information or a new development about a patient’s condition. In such cases, doctors need to be able to cancel the old ones and prescribe different drugs, and this feature needs to be simple to use and easily navigable.  

E. Medication Information

This is one of the features aimed at patients. It enables them to check the details of their prescribed medications, including the time, dosage, alternatives, and costs of those alternatives.   

F. Manage Orders

This is a feature for pharmacists. It is no surprise that pharmacists need to handle several daily orders for dozens of patients from multiple doctors. So, a feature to handle those orders is a must-have for pharmacies to serve patients better.  

These basic features need to be included in just about every kind of prescription software, whether the client is a small clinic or a large hospital.  

G. Platform Selection

Platforms for running prescription software include smartphones and computers. The needs of the client are what will determine this decision. In the case of small practices, a smartphone will be enough, but large hospitals would require them to run on a computer.  

H. Coding

After the features have been finalized and the platform selected, it is time to begin coding the software. After deciding upon the technology stack and allocating a team, this step is done.  

I. Testing & Debugging

Testing is essential for the development of any kind of software solution. Testing must be performed under certain criteria to ensure the solution works as intended. If any bugs are discovered here, they are fixed.  

J. Deployment and Support

After the software has been developed and tested for bugs, it is time to install it on the client’s systems. This is accompanied by timely support for upgrades and fixing errors.  

Prescription software has grown to become an indispensable part of healthcare. Not only does it make things convenient for doctors, patients, and pharmacists, but it also indirectly impacts improving medical outcomes. It has gone from being a novelty to becoming a must-have for providers. 

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