Compliance Doesn’t Have to be Scary with BestRx
Posted on Sep 24, 2024
If you’re like most independent pharmacies, you probably have an involuntary shudder every time the topic of compliance comes up. With industry regulations constantly being added or changing, we get it. Constantly adjusting your workflow to account for new requirements can feel like a daunting task. That’s why BestRx makes it a point to stay informed on the latest compliance-related requirements and proactively add automated tools to assist pharmacies in our software. With BestRx, compliance doesn’t have to be scary, thanks to features like:
Automatic PDMP Checks and Reporting
As you probably know, the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) tracks prescriptions for controlled substances using an electronic database. It was developed to help identify patients who may be at risk of an overdose, alert clinicians when an intervention may be needed and assist with care transitions.
While PDMP is an important tool to support patient safety, without a streamlined process in place, checking it and reporting controlled prescriptions can quickly become time consuming. Fortunately, BestRx integrates with the PDMP registries for all 50 states. That way, pharmacies can quickly check a patient’s controlled medication history from their software. Plus, a detailed report can be generated for controlled medications that are filled, making it easy to upload the required information to the PDMP registry at the frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) dictated by the state.
Auto Refill Programs
Utilizing auto refill programs offers many benefits for patients and pharmacies alike. It simplifies the pharmacy’s workflow by automatically adding scripts to the refill queue when they’re due to be filled and enables pharmacies to better predict their prescription volume for a given day. It also reduces the risk that a patient will forget to request a refill, which ensures they stay on track with their medications.
However, many states require pharmacies to take some additional steps when enrolling patients in an auto refill program, which can be cumbersome if they’re being managed manually. Luckily, BestRx has added automated prompts to the system to ensure each required step is taken. This includes obtaining and storing patient consent for each individual script that is being enrolled in auto refills. Plus, the system will remind the pharmacy to confirm the patient wants to continue to use auto refills on an annual basis and offers patients the ability to opt out of the program at any time.
Prescription Warnings
Another way that BestRx makes it easy to avoid compliance-related issues is with a variety of automatic prescription warnings. These warnings prevent pharmacies from performing certain activities, such as filling scripts before they’re eligible for a refill, or when a prescription is expired. Instead, pharmacy staff is alerted to the issue and provided a list of actions they can take to rectify it. This reduces mistakes made due to human error and protects your pharmacy in the event of an audit.
Integrated DSCSA Compliance Solutions
The latest compliance requirement that’s top of mind for pharmacies is the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). While some track and trace requirements have already been implemented, the most significant changes for pharmacies will go into effect later this fall. Moving forward, pharmacies will need to ensure they are verifying their trading partners, reconciling products using their unique identifiers, investigating suspicious products, reporting (and removing) illegitimate products from their inventory and storing T-3 data for a minimum of six years. Sound like a lot of work? It doesn’t have to be.
BestRx has been proactively working on ways to assist pharmacies with these new requirements. Not only have additional fields been added to the inventory report to account for the new data being requested, but the software is integrated with comprehensive third-party DSCSA compliance solutions as well. This way pharmacies can cover their bases without adding a bunch of additional tasks to their plate.
The bottom line? With the right tools in place, compliance doesn’t have to be scary. Request a free demo and learn all the ways BestRx can help you eliminate manual steps from your workflow and ensure you’re staying up to date on the latest industry requirements.