Pharmacies have come a long way with the use of technology. From keeping better track of the medications being prescribed to patients, to called-in prescriptions, to safely identifying the medications, modern technology has helped this industry make huge strides.

As with any type of company that sends or receives personal information over the internet, many pharmacies are using multi-factor authentication or MFA solutions to protect access to their software and data, as well as make sure those using online services are who they are supposed to be. In this information age, keeping all information relating to prescriptions of medication secure is important.

Automate Prescription Services

As a pharmacist, you may have spent hours dealing with patients waiting in line to have their prescriptions filled. They would bring the paper prescription or the bottle noting the refill information and then you would have to go find the appropriate medication and dosage and the patient would wait for a period of time while you put it all together.

Now, however, many physicians call prescriptions into the pharmacy directly from their offices or send the order online directly to the dispensing pharmacy’s computer system as the prescription is being written. This gives the pharmacist time to gather and prepare the medication before the patient arrives to pick it up. In addition, patients can call in over the phone or online and with a few sweeps of the mouse or taps on the number keys, they can request a refill to be prepared within the next day or two.

Having doctors and patients remotely order medications helps druggists keep the workload more evenly spread out and helps keep things more orderly and calmer. Of course, not all patients have jumped on the technology bandwagon, but as more do, it will increase efficiency and security.

Improve Recordkeeping

One of the easiest improvements to see from the use of pharmacy software is the ability to keep records more quickly and accurately. Having information on a patient in the computer system helps when working with clinicians to get a new prescription ready for the patient and can help as far as entering information for insurance discounts. Keeping a patient’s information together can also help with discussing drug interactions and other possible issues. As this information is shared with other pharmacy databases, an overall picture can become available to the physician who works most closely with the patient. Working with secure software will help you keep private information safe.

Track Prescriptions To Prevent Abuse

Because more and more medications are dosed using technology, the database of drugs is increasing, and it is becoming easier for those prescriptions to be monitored. Physicians or their assistants can check patient histories and the prescribing systems can even flag potential problems or drug interactions. Refills can be monitored so that a patient can’t just go from one pharmacy to another and get refills. This can help to reduce overdoses and other issues and protect your pharmacy.

Use Telecare

Telecare use is on the rise in America. Many patients prefer to do office visits from home for a number of reasons. Perhaps the patient lives a distance from the doctor’s office or maybe they don’t like to be in waiting rooms full of patients who may be somewhat contagious. In many ways, it provides a very personalized visit that may be harder to achieve in a classic office setting. Telecare may be connected to online pharmacy dispensing and even delivery. As more physicians and patients opt for this type of care, more pharmacies may need to improve the type of pharmacy software being used to better accommodate the needs for medication to be ordered, dispensed and delivered. Additional IT support may be necessary to get things to a new status quo.

The bottom line is that secure information is important in a pharmacy setting. Working with IT specialists who understand the needs of a pharmacy can help druggists stay up to date. Taking advantage of the pharmacy software available may make things more secure for many pharmacists.