Pharmacy communications with physician offices to clarify prescriptions

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Prescription clarification is a common communication process between community pharmacies and physician offices.
• Electronic prescribing has increased the complexity and frequency of these communications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize prescription clarification communications between community pharmacies and physician offices.
• To describe pharmacist interventions and determine the time frame for prescription clarification prior to dispensing.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study was conducted in five independent community pharmacies.
• Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians documented the type, reason, and resolution of prescription clarifications.
• Data on prescription transmission methods and communication resolution rates were collected.

Main Results:

• New electronic prescriptions most frequently required clarification (74%), often for prior authorization (32%) or missing information (16%).
• Resolutions included dispensing different strengths (11%) or drugs (10%).
• Telephone communication achieved an 80% resolution rate, significantly higher than fax (55%).

Conclusions:

• Person-to-person telephone contact is more efficient for resolving prescription clarifications than fax.
• Improving e-prescribing interfaces with pharmacy systems can reduce clarification burdens.