Home Forums Handling fax requests from pharmacies

Hello everyone,

I am struggling to figure out the least time consuming policy on handling fax requests from pharmacies. I do not have e-prescribing. Should I sign, fax back, scan and keep everything as outgoing correspondence or sign, fax back, shred and document refill as a message saved in the chart? Both ways seem to be counterintuitive. I am sure there are better ways to handle this, I just can not overcome some mental block.
Thank you.

I fax back and update the drugs in the med list. We use Paperport and trap faxes on the computer so I can computer sign and delete, no paper.

My MA does it. Unless it is a narcotic or an antibiotic, she takes the PDF, stamps my name on it (with a transparent stamp), types in the amount and date and faxes it back. We don't even update AC. It is usually in there.

Sometimes we use type on there, "have the patient call us."

Literally, it takes about 30 seconds. This assumes you have Fax to PC and PC to Fax. If you don't, please see 100 other discussions on here about that.

I just ignore the FAX form and go into the patient's meds list and refill it/FAX to pharmacy from there.

That is another very good option.

Request for refill could come from different sources - it can be patient or pharmacy. Aren't we supposed to document incoming/outgoing correspondence?

If you want to. Sometimes, I just delete it.

When a patient calls requesting a refill my staff asks them to have their pharmacy to fax us a request. Keeps my staff off the phone and we can then do the refills at our convenience. It also lets me know when the patient last refilled the medication. I have sometimes discovered that patients are refilling scheduled drugs at different pharmacies by different doctors. When an out-of-state mail order pharmacy faxes a refill request but then demands an "original" signature, I have a Short Keys macro which states "I am not licensed in your state. The state I am licensed in does not require an original signature. Therefore, if you require one you must send me the original request by mail along with a SASE". Same with all the faxes for DME or diabetic supplies for Medicare patients.

Leslie

In Indiana there is also the state's INSPECT. Allows you to enter patient data and download a list of scheduled drugs dispensed: where, by who, how paid (cash?). Very useful.

We use a Brother Fax and also keep the faxes on the computer. The front office takes the request and sends me a message of the meds requested and which pharmacy (fax #).
I open the refill tab and refill the prescriptions in Amazing Charts and then fax the new prescription to the pharmacy. For the Navy Pharmacy we just print out the prescriptions on paper and the patient picks them up.

Greg

We give every patient enough refills to get to the next appointment. This eliminates the need for refills done outside of the exam room. This saves staff time and generates more money and less liability for your practice by ensuring follow up. We receive our faxes via pdf through a brother efax machine and just drag the requests into a "refill request" folder, but typically do not respond for the above reason.

AJ

AJ,

Thanks for the information. It sounds like a great idea. But, I am going to bet my house and car that you are either FP or Internal Medicine and, since there doesn't seem to be many IMs on here, I am guessing FP.

I get faxes on paper and just open charts and send 1 refill and then generate letter or e-mail to staff to call and schedule fu appt. Has been great to allow me to easily find out when I last saw them, need to see again. I just shred incoming faxes after that. Can speed through pile really fast.

I don't usually document that information. It's too much to do.
My MA's refill most Rx's automatically. BP/DM/Lipid drugs.
If they are uncertain if DEA scheduled med, they always ask.
If pharmacy Rx, they print them onto paper (yes wasteful but an acceptable cost for my time savings), then I sign these in batches, they fax to the pharm.

We refill everything for one year (unless DEA scheduled), typically this correllates to their annual physical. If they have chronic disease management requirements (BP/DM), then we just see them in the interval times cutting the need to deal w/ Rx refill requests every appointment.

We write for one month with no refills, but then Mainecare only gives them 15 pills. Go figure.

By the way, if you seen a script to a pharmacy without the number of refills on it, will they automatically assume none?

In Maine they assume no refills unless indicated some number or PRN. PRN will allow them to fill for 1 year.

So in general, since we are allowed to fax scripts without a signature, one could just turn around and fax it back without doing anything else and it would cover one month.

Whether or not they would call it a digital signature would be questionable, but since they faxed it to you, one would assume it would be hard to dispute it came from you.