Advanced medication management tools and automated patient-provider communications streamline prescription refills, reduce provider burnout, increase efficiency, and boost patient medication adherence.
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Editor’s Note: This article is based on a webinar titled “Automated Medication Compliance Tools for the Provider and Patient,” presented by Melissa Welch, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, and Jo Laucirica, PMP, Customer Success Operations Lead, both of Health Catalyst.
Healthcare provider burnout, a consequence of a system strained by inefficiencies and administrative redundancies, persists despite attempts to address it. A Medscape 2022 survey indicates that 60 percent of physicians attribute their burnout to these administrative inefficiencies. Moreover, Institute for Healthcare Improvement research reveals that 40 percent of clinical work is considered either redundant or a "wasted effort."
Manual procedures for medication management, which involve reviewing patient charts for renewal prescription information, are a prime example of such inefficiencies. These processes cause patients to wait longer for prescriptions, sometimes up to three times longer. They also lead to an increase in duplicate refill requests and create additional administrative tasks for providers.
Technology can help identify Rx renewals, standardize protocols, retrieve patient data, and reduce redundancy. However, developing and maintaining medication protocols from scratch using off-the-shelf tools is expensive and time-consuming. This puts a strain on information technology staff and stops many organizations from automating these processes.
A proven solution involves customizable technology tools to improve workflow efficiencies, reduce provider burnout, and promote top-of-licensure work while reducing patient prescription refill turnaround times.
An automated tool called Embedded Refills™ helps with prescription renewal by applying standard protocols and filling in important patient information. Embedded Refills utilizes an approved set of evidence-based protocol requirements at the time of a refill request. It analyzes patient charts and identifies compliance and non-compliance with the protocols, bringing the latter to the medical staff’s attention.
Protocols can allow non-physician staff to process common medication refills, reducing the need for time-consuming chart reviews. Also, by delegating tasks, providers can work at the top of their licensure. The tool also promotes consensus on clinical rules and workflow customization.
Twistle Patient Engagement by Health Catalyst™ software is a two-way secure messaging technology that integrates with Embedded Refills to promote medication adherence, identify care gaps, and streamline prescription refill workflows. Health systems use the tool to automate communications between providers and patients.
For instance, when a standardized protocol specifies that a patient is due for a lab test or routine doctor’s visit, the application sends a “Care Due” message via mobile technology, alerting medical staff and the patient, prompting patients to schedule an appointment. Automated patient outreach promotes medication adherence and reduces patient refill turnaround times, improving the patient experience.
Health systems incorporating these technologies have yielded significant results. For example, after implementing Embedded Refills technology, Martin’s Point Health Care reduced duplicate requests from pharmacies by 3.5 percent, found over 10,000 possible medical errors, and saved an average of 47 staff hours per month.
In addition, Credena Health experienced a 57 percent decrease in delivery arrangement time and a 4.4 percent increase in medication adherence after implementing the same technologies.
It’s not just about shaving minutes off tasks, experts say. Automating medication adherence protocols can have several benefits. It can reduce provider and staff burnout, bolster treatment initiation and adherence, and reduce the number of renewal requests requiring provider review.
As a result, healthcare professionals can rely on established prescription refill protocols and work at the top of their licensure, experiencing significantly streamlined workflows and freeing time for providers to focus on hands-on patient care. Indeed, deploying patient care management strategies such as this can enhance workflow efficiency, diminish staff burnout, and elevate patient care, benefiting providers, patients, and the healthcare system.
Melissa Welch, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer at Health Catalyst, highlights five pivotal strategies to unlock the full potential of automated prescription refill technologies:
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