Smarter Week

How to automate it

How to automate “send refill requests and clarifications to prescribers and chase replies”

Here are 2 ways to spend less time on this, best first. Each comes with steps you can follow today.

45 min
typically, every day
55%
of the time can be automated
Easy
to set up

Fix 1 of 2

Software featureBest fix

Use electronic refill, change and transfer requests instead of fax and phone

Most prescribers can receive electronic renewal (RxRenewal), change (RxChange) and cancel requests through Surescripts, and many pharmacy systems support electronic transfers. Fewer faxes to send, retype and chase.

Typically saves about 40% of the time1 h to set up
  1. 1Check that electronic renewal, change and transfer requests are turned on in your pharmacy system.
  2. 2Send refill requests electronically by default; fax only prescribers who cannot receive them.
  3. 3Work the pending-response queue once or twice a day instead of chasing each one.
  4. 4Keep a note of prescriber offices that respond faster to a particular route.
  5. 5Only use tools your organization has approved and covered by a HIPAA business associate agreement (BAA) for anything with patient information.

Tools: Surescripts RxRenewal and RxChange · Your pharmacy system (PioneerRx, PrimeRx, Liberty, BestRx or similar)

Fix 2 of 2

Process fix

Move chronic patients to medication synchronization

Med sync lines up a patient's chronic prescriptions to one pickup day a month. Refill requests go out in batches days ahead, filling is planned, and calls and partial fills drop.

Typically saves about 30% of the time2 h to set up
  1. 1Turn on the med sync module in your pharmacy system.
  2. 2Enrol patients on three or more chronic medicines first.
  3. 3Call each patient a few days before their sync date to check changes, then send prescriber requests in one batch.
  4. 4Fill sync orders in a planned block of the day.

Tools: Your pharmacy system's med sync module

Quick wins

Have you tried…

Are your chronic patients on medication synchronization with one pickup day a month?
Med sync lines up all of a patient's regular medicines to one date, so refill requests and fills are planned instead of one at a time.

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Roles in our library that list this as one of their common tasks. Each guide covers the rest of that role’s week.

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Other common tasks for Pharmacy technicians