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We are facing a massive primary care physician shortage. AAMC numbers project a primary care physician shortage of between 17,800 and 48,000 physicians by 2034. At the end of 2020, Congress acted to address the shortage by adding 1,000 new medicare-supported graduate medical education (GME) positions, spread out over a five-year period. While it is a step in the right direction, adding GME positions at this rate will do little to dent the PCP shortage
A study performed by Columbia University Mailman Schools revealed that patients, doctors, and pharmacists agree that pharmacists are primed to help with the PCP shortage and that most people trust pharmacists to play a greater role in providing care.
Pharmacists are in the best position to fill patient care gaps, but one major hurdle keeps them from doing so. The average community pharmacist is inundated with filling prescriptions– so much so that they barely have time to address the needs of current patients.
Embracing digital healthcare is a way for pharmacists to streamline pharmacy workflow, seamlessly tracking and connecting with patients. Digitizing these processes gives pharmacists more time to connect with patients and provide clinical care in a telehealth setting.
With more time to spend one on one with patients, pharmacists can develop protocols with physicians to manage chronic medical conditions. This allows patients to get the care they need without flooding urgent care and emergency facilities, despite the PCP shortage.
Digital healthcare doesn’t just give pharmacists more time to spend with patients. Integrating all aspects of the healthcare experience so that data is centralized helps doctors, pharmacists, and insurance companies better serve the patient.
Let’s say a patient was diagnosed with ADHD by their doctor. They provide a prescription for Vyvanse, but this drug is a lot more expensive via the patient’s insurance plan than the alternative, Adderall. Using the Rx Delivered Now app, the pharmacist can communicate with the patient directly and inform them of their options and provide any neccessary advice. The platform integration assists pharmacists with communication, logistics and delivery but also arms them with metrics, historical information, and up to date drug information so they can personalize patient care for their communities. Digital healthcare connects all aspects of the patient experience, providing pharmacists and physicians the data and tools necessary to optimize patient care.
In reality, it takes a lot for most people to go to the doctor. A good number of people would rather wait until they truly need help than visit regularly as a preventative measure. Digital healthcare makes the whole process of discussing preventative measures and possible treatment plans with doctors and pharmacists a lot more convenient. If we make preventative healthcare easy for patients, we have a better chance of keeping them healthy.
We all have a part to play in making healthcare easier, more accessible, and more effective for everyone. By going digital, community pharmacists can devote more time to patient treatment and preventative care.
RX Delivered Now strives to fill the gap between pharmacists and patients to create the best possible patient care experience. Request a demo to find out if our tech is a good fit for your business needs.