Hospice should be a place where people find solace and comfort at the end of life. As part of this vital care, providers administer medications to manage pain and alleviate challenging symptoms.
Unfortunately, outdated manual processes for medication requests and approval can create inefficiencies. This can lead to medication delays that cause unnecessary suffering for people living in hospice. These delays can also add stress to the patient’s family and loved ones.
Solutions like BetterRX and WorldView address these challenges and prevent troubling outcomes through advanced technology. Hospice agencies that adopt these solutions can give better care to patients by preventing medication delays and, in turn, easing the emotional burden on families.
In an ideal world, all hospice patients would have quick and easy access to the medicines their doctors prescribe. In reality, however, several bottlenecks make the journey to getting medication slow and inefficient. Many of these bottlenecks are the result of legacy operations that have not yet adopted advanced technology for medication approval.
Many hospices rely on manual medication requests and approvals, which slow down processing. These outdated processes can further fragment communication between hospice staff, pharmacies, and prescribers. The result is delays in routing requests to the right person, who then makes sure patients get the medication they need.
Not using technology can also result in documentation errors that may lead to prescription rejections or delays in dispensing medications. This can create confusion and frustration among well-meaning professionals inside and outside the hospice as they struggle to track medication status. Meanwhile, patients may not get the medications they need.
Two technology solutions can help resolve these medication bottlenecks in hospices to improve patient care and client satisfaction.
BetterRX is a solution exclusively built for hospice. The real-time ePrescribe platform enables hospice providers to submit medication orders quickly and accurately. With a focus on local pharmacy connections, BetterRX simplifies the medication delivery process.
WorldView is proud to have BetterRX as one of its many integrations. WorldView has a suite of document automation solutions specifically designed for hospice operations. These solutions eliminate bottlenecks in physician approvals and order tracking. The result is patient-centered care unimpeded by administrative delays.
With BetterRX and WorldView, hospice staff can focus on serving patients while relying on a connected, efficient system that reduces errors and improves response times.
Medication access is an essential service hospice agencies may offer to enhance patient comfort and peace of mind at the end of life. To support medication access, agencies can consider implementing a few operational changes:
Prioritize real-time medication tracking to monitor order status. This lets staff know whether there are issues with a medication order so they can fix the problem right away.
Use ePrescribe solutions to eliminate faxing and manual input errors. By getting rid of manual entry, there’s less risk of medication delays due to miscommunication or data entry mistakes.
Automate documentation approvals to speed up processing. Automation can eliminate delays caused by pharmacies or hospice staff waiting for necessary authorizations before acting on a medication order.
Ensure smooth communication between care teams, prescribers, and pharmacies. Tools like BetterRX and WorldView make it easier for all members of care teams to collaborate on medication needs and to convey those needs to the people who approve and dispense medication.
These practical steps are made easier with the right technology solutions. By getting rid of manual processes, hospices can improve patient care and reduce administrative burdens on staff, whose time might be better spent on working with the people they are entrusted to look after.
Medication delays do not have to be the norm. With the right technology, hospices can improve procedures and elevate patient care. Hospice patients do not have to endure pain or distress because of delays in receiving prescribed medications.
The right solutions can make medication ordering simpler and less prone to errors, minimizing delays and rejections.
The partnership between BetterRX and WorldView is a valuable tool in this endeavor. These solutions work together to provide real-time medication tracking and workflow automation so hospice agencies can focus on quality patient care instead of paperwork.
Connect with the WorldView team to explore hospice technology solutions and how they can benefit your agency.