Digging into a Health Information Technology press release I noticed an update on a HIPA compliance topic referred to as NCPDP Telecom D.0 (NCPDP D.0).
It took some research but this little bit of news reflects significant changes in the way that doctors, pharmacies and health insurance companies communicate with each other.
Specifically, it requires pharmacies and insurance companies to interact using real time communication standards rather than the previous batch information standards.
I know this sounds like esoteric stuff. Yet, think about your typical interaction with a pharmacy over the past year as compared to a few years ago. I deal with a very large regional drug store chain so they may be ahead of the curve.
1. If you need a monthly prescription refilled many pharmacies proactively call you to tell you it is ready. At worst, one need just call a number on the bottle and request a time to pick it up.
2. Annual updates or anything requiring your physician’s involvement can most often happen over the phone within 24 or 48 hours.
3. For the most part there is little or no involvement that is required between the patient and the insurance company regarding prescription drug processing.
4. I am also told that Drug Enforcement Agency work in conjunction with Pharmacies has been greatly improved. Unfortunately, due to the increase in prescription drug abuse this technology enhancement has been vital.
There are certainly still outlier scenarios but the vast majority of pharmacy/physician/patient interactions have become faster, better, and cheaper for all parties involved thanks to real time communications. Go to MarketLaunchGroup.us for more information on these topics.
Patrick Murphy
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