How One to Two Seconds Can Improve Patient and Physician Lives

As a physician, I’m very familiar with this scenario. You see a patient and prescribe a medication. They show up at the pharmacy to pick it up only to learn they can’t afford it. The pharmacist calls you for an alternative. And you have to revisit the patient chart hours, sometimes days, after they’ve left your office, starting the whole process over again.

To help physicians, we compiled a short video series. In it I talk about how price transparency tools can eliminate rework and unnecessary prior authorizations—as well as sticker shock—by allowing you and your patient to quickly see out of pocket costs at the point of care.

The series includes four episodes on a number of topics, including:

• Using your EHR to choose the most affordable medication
• Using your EHR to talk with patients about drug costs
• Preparing for 2021 CMS price transparency requirements
• Avoiding burnout by eliminating rework

Since 10% of patients who abandon their medication do so because of cost, having a tool like Surescripts Real-Time Prescription Benefit that delivers patient-specific medication price transparency at the point of prescribing, is critical.

Spoiler alert: here’s how it works:

• Within your EHR, select the drug, dose, quantity and pharmacy
• Within 1-2 seconds, your EHR will present to you the patient’s direct out of pocket cost based on benefit design, deductible, and pharmacy chosen
• You’ll also see alternatives that may be lower cost and don’t require prior authorization

Watch the video series to find out how you can improve medication adherence and decrease patient out of pocket costs by working with your patients to make the most informed decisions, together, at the point of care.