Brittany Isaacs
Jul 5 2022
Reading Time: 3 minutes
By: Brittany Isaacs, MSN, RN, IgCN, Customer Success Manager, CitusHealth
When it comes to medication refills, time-consuming processes can lead to frustration for patients, their families, and staff.
In many use cases, home infusion pharmacies that don’t use CitusHealth or any other kind of engagement platform must call patients or family caregivers to inquire about medication side effects, prescription changes, whether bloodwork is complete, etc. This approach often leads to a vicious cycle of voicemails and phone tag, causing frustration and potentially delaying critical medication.
It’s not uncommon to have a running list of patients that you can’t reach. Or when you can reach them by phone, it turns into a half-hour conversation when it should only take five minutes. Refilling medication, coordinating shipping, and processing the claim should be a much simpler process—the good news is technology can help.
Streamlining communication for refill coordination
With CitusHealth, form customization allows staff to create assessment questions that are as in-depth and complex as needed. They can give patients or family caregivers the opportunity to provide feedback, note prior hospitalizations, update insurance information, and schedule medication deliveries. Patients receive these forms electronically via the CitusHealth platform and can fill them out at a time that works best for them. Once complete, staff receive the submitted forms electronically and in real time—no more voicemails or phone tag, unless any further information is needed for the pharmacy.
For staff, the process of sending and receiving the forms happens in a matter of minutes. They simply select their form, select the refill for the specific drug or disease group, select the patient (or multiple patients at once), and send. For all staff with permissions, there is greater visibility into refill data once these forms are completed. The shipping department can see preferred delivery dates, and pharmacists can ensure any questions are answered—all in one place.
While it’s a more streamlined process for staff, it also gives patients and family caregivers the autonomy to be self-sufficient. No longer hassled with phone calls, they can use the app-less link or in-app form at their leisure—filling out refill questions in minutes, or even seconds. Once complete, the data on these forms as well as when it was sent and returned, is saved in the patient record.
When medication refills are managed poorly, critical prescriptions can be delayed and care can even be cut short. But with the right digital solution, pharmacies can get refills scheduled on time along with needed insurance claim verifications.
Learn how CitusHealth can simplify your medication refill process. Schedule a demo to see for yourself how our custom Forms Center can save staff time and create more streamlined communication.