The Do’s and Don’ts: A Pharmacists Guide to eCare Plans
Posted on Sep 24, 2024
The way pharmacists interact with patients has changed significantly over the years. In addition to sharing vital prescription information, pharmacists are now providing a variety of services that enable patients to achieve optimal health. However, many independent pharmacies still struggle with how to efficiently document patient interactions, share the information with other healthcare providers and be reimbursed for their time. One of the easiest ways to accomplish all three of these things is using eCare plans.
We sat down with Amani Memon, a pharmacist on staff at BestRx, to put together a list of do’s and don’ts to help pharmacies successfully incorporate eCare plans into their workflow:
DO decide what purpose your eCare Plans will serve upfront.
This will determine how you proceed. For example, if you are looking for a way to be reimbursed for some of the advanced services you’re providing, you’ll need to register with the CPESN network first. On the other hand, if you’re simply looking for a way to keep track of your patient encounters, you can begin creating eCare plans in BestRx, storing them for documentation purposes only.
DON’T rely on manual methods to document your patient interactions.
Creating an eCare plan from scratch for every patient can be time consuming, and in some cases, downright redundant. Instead, Amani recommends creating eCare templates in your BestRx software for each of your common encounter types, like for diabetic and hypertension education. By having all the universal information already populated, you can focus on adding patient-specific details when needed to create thorough documentation in a matter of minutes.
DO train your staff.
It’s important that all pharmacy employees understand when and how to use eCare plans and templates. That way, you can ensure each patient encounter is captured consistently. When setting up your templates, Amani also emphasizes the importance of using a naming convention that is easily recognizable for everyone.
DON’T make your templates and the associated descriptions super-specific.
The key to creating an effective template is to think about what information is given to every patient in that situation. For example, you’d likely spend some time educating patients on how to monitor their blood sugar levels at home during an initial diabetic encounter, so that would apply in most situations and be appropriate to include in the template. Common treatment goals are also appropriate. Keep in mind that while your template may be intentionally vague, you will be able to add patient-specific notes to an eCare plan later on.
DO collaborate with patients.
In addition to adding your own observations and planned interventions, Amani suggests engaging patients in the planning process by incorporating some of their unique goals too. This will help to drive compliance and identify additional interventions and supplemental resources that can help patients work towards their goals at home as well.
DON’T forget to share your eCare documentation.
Whether you’re using them for reimbursement purposes or not, eCare plans are a fantastic way to communicate with other members of the patient’s care team. Sending the electronic plans to other healthcare providers creates better continuity of care, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and has access to the latest information.
Amani’s Bonus Tip: If pharmacy measures a patient’s vitals, administers point of care testing or a vaccination during an encounter, don’t forget to document it – and the results if applicable.
While adding any new process can feel overwhelming, BestRx has tools and resources that make implementing eCare plans a breeze. Request a free demo to learn more! Existing BestRx pharmacies can also watch our training videos for step-by-step guidance on creating eCare plan templates for common encounter types.