We just made up a prescription for "one touch test strips, one bottle of 100". True, it does not codify, but we refill prescriptions off the current med list which works, codified or not.
This may reflect a philosophy difference in our practices; we very rarely refill prescriptions without a visit, and are liberal about number of refills allowed when we do refill. Consequently, we do not respond to refill requests from a pharmacy, and perhaps this is where the difference lies and why we do not have this problem.
We also do not respond to pharmacy fax requests; most of the time, the patient already has an upcoming appointment before their meds run out and the pharmacy is just auto-sending requests. Most all of our patients have 3+ chronic diseases that require a consult every 3 months. For diabetic supplies, we type in the brand and it is sent via fax (verified with several pharmacies). If you notice when you have a codified med, it says "eligible for e-RX" or something similar under the notes section. If you do not have a codified RX, it will send via fax. Here is an example of our glucometer RX for new non-insulin diabetics or those whose glucometer breaks:
Med - One touch ultra glucometer
Sig - test fasting glucose daily before breakfast
#: 1
RF: 0
Notes: Dx: 250.00
Test Strips:
Med - One touch ultra test strips
Sig - test fasting glucose daily before breakfast
#: 100
RF: 0
Notes: Dx: 250.00
The sig may seem redundant, but it cuts down on newly-diagnosed diabetics calling into the office with questions about testing frequency and time of day. Depending on the number of oral antidiabetics they are on, it could be twice weekly to daily. The note concerning ICD-9 code is for some pharmacies that require it to bill Durable Medical Equipment. We are able to refill prescriptions for testing strips, safety lancets, insulin syringes, diapers, gloves, etc. that are not codified like any other drugs at office visits.
