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At the end of this short article, our readers would understand what benefits physician dispensing can offer rheumatologists and gastroenterologists and their patients alike.
But first, let’s understand the terminologies:
Rheumatology is the diagnosis (detection) and therapy (treatment) of rheumatic diseases (systemic autoimmune conditions and musculoskeletal diseases) such as clinical problems involving soft tissues, joints, autoimmune diseases, heritable connective tissue disorders and vasculitides – one of the most popular rheumatic diseases being rheumatoid arthritis.
On the other hand, Gastroenterology specializes in the study of the functions of and diseases that affect gastrointestinal organs such as the esophagus, small intestine, stomach, colon and rectum, gallbladder, pancreas, liver and bile ducts.
Gastroenterology entails a proper understanding, diagnosis and treatment of common and important conditions like colon polyps and cancer, gastroesophageal reflux (heartburn), hepatitis, peptic ulcer disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), colitis, nutritional problems, gallbladder and biliary tract disease, and pancreatitis.
Simply put, the study of Gastroenterology encompasses all normal functions and diseases of the digestive organs.
The “thing” with these diseases is the severe pain they cause is largely unpredictable and gets worse until treatment is administered to the patient. What this means is a patient could be perfectly fine the minute they leave the hospital and just as they get in their car, the pain kicks in.
But the good news is, the number of oral therapy options and self-administered injectable treatments for these rheumatic and gastric diseases has increased rapidly in recent times, and to that end, there may not be a better time than now for rheumatology and gastroenterology practices to consider adding a point of care dispensation to their operations.
With in-office dispensing also known as a point of care dispensation and physician dispensing, physicians would be able to give their patients key oral and self-injectable therapies which could, on the one hand, serve as first aid should the patient suddenly feel any pain at any time. On the other hand, POC dispensing opens a potential stream of revenue for practices and practitioners.
Along with the aforementioned benefits of physician dispensing mentioned above, here are four reasons rheumatology and gastroenterology practices need to include physician dispensing:
1. The establishment becomes a one-stop shop
Adding an in-office pharmacy or dispensary gives a medical establishment and their practitioners the ability to provide patients with a full range of treatment options in one place. So it doesn’t matter if the patients are receiving intravenous therapy or filling a prescription for oral or self-injectable medications, the patient would be able to easily access these therapies from a team of health professionals they already know and trust. And the best part is they don’t have to go to a separate pharmacy for this purpose.
With POC dispensing, patients have the convenience of leaving the doctor’s office with their medications.
2. An in-depth approach to patient care
When patients receive their drugs in a practice setting, the clinical staff at the practice would be there to address any questions, concerns about compliance or issues such as side-effects and this gives the practitioners a holistic view of their patient’s recovery process.
Furthermore, a patient can be taught how to self-inject medications when they receive their therapy directly from the health care providers who carry out the diagnosis and understand their full treatment program.
And if it is necessary to adjust a dosage or medication, it can be done easily in the office, instead of going back-and-forth with an external pharmacy.
3. Patients have peace of mind
The importance of “patient experience” cannot be overstated, especially in a world that is moving towards providing personalized and more efficient health care services. By offering self-injectable and oral medications at a practice, physicians would be enhancing their patient’s satisfaction and this by extension means that the level patient adherence would be significantly improved.
When a patient is dealing with a condition as debilitating as rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn’s disease, having all their medical needs provided in one place would reduce the stress of running around from hospital to pharmacy.
Having an in-office dispensary like BPRPharmaceuticals means the physician and the pharmacy work hand in hand to provide lower costs, better coverage and patient assistance, thus bringing the patient and physician closer to the pharmacy.
4. Patients get the support they need
For gastroenterologists and rheumatologists seeking to add an in-office dispensary to their establishment, it is important to note that while this service offers several benefits, including a new stream of revenue, developing any new business model can be a daunting task. The easiest way to get a head-start would be to hire professionals that are specifically focused on creating and optimizing a POC dispensary or pharmacy that can offer support in that respect.
BRPPharmaceuticals is a qualified vendor that would readily provide assistance with technology, distribution, contracting, performance and compliance analytics thus ensuring that your practice not only makes the most of their services but your patients also get the best healthcare services available today.
For these four reasons, there is no better time than now for both rheumatology and gastroenterology practices to add in-office dispensing.
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