Outpatient Pharmacy Streamlines Prescription Ordering Process

In an effort to reduce long lines of patients waiting to drop off and pick up prescriptions, the Outpatient Pharmacy last year developed a new Web-based system that benefits patients and physicians.

Led by Leslie Bucey, RPh, and Tom Cooley, RPh, the Outpatient Pharmacy worked with Information Systems to redesign its 10-year-old software program, streamlining the prescription drop-off process. In collaboration with Kala Danca and a team of IS professionals, they modernized the software to allow the electronic transmission of prescriptions from LMR directly to the Outpatient Pharmacy. This works similar to the way that CPOE links to the Inpatient Pharmacy.

“This much needed outpatient pharmacy service had overgrown its capacity,” said Bill Churchill, MS, RPh, director of Pharmacy. “The collaboration between pharmacists, physicians and IS led us to solve a really tough problem.”

Prior to the new process, patients would deliver the written prescription from their physician to the drop-off window in the Outpatient Pharmacy. Many prescriptions were incomplete or illegible, and the pharmacist reviewing the prescription had to track down the physician to clarify before entering the data into the computer system.

Now, prescriptions from physician files in LMR are available immediately in the pharmacy. The prescriptions appear on the screen in a pending order queue, eliminating confusion due to illegible handwriting. The pharmacists review the prescriptions and then fill them.

“Many physicians are getting positive feedback from patients,” Churchill said. “Patients have far fewer complaints, and the lines are usually nonexistent or move very quickly.”

The efficient Web-based process is especially crucial in light of increased patient volume in the Outpatient Pharmacy: from 2002 to 2005, the volume increased by 50 percent.

The new software has another benefit; it allows for a seamless transition to filling prescriptions covered under Medicare Part D. The software accommodates patients who fill prescriptions under the plan, making the process relatively easy for pharmacists.

The Outpatient Pharmacy is now working to make the process even more efficient by automating the prescription pick-up process.