Telepharmacy in medical care started to take shape in early 2000 when the North Dakota State Board of Pharmacy reported the loss of community pharmacies in 26 of the state’s rural communities and warned that more were at risk. Consequently, the board set up pilot rules for telepharmacy in 2001. Intending to help the state’s medically underserved remote rural communities restore and retain pharmacy services virtually.
The very next year, the North Dakota State University (NDSU) College of Pharmacy, against a federal grant, implemented a statewide telepharmacy program and tested for the new telepharmacy pilot rules. These successful pilot rules induced the state’s board of pharmacy to set up permanent rules so that telepharmacy could be practiced on a larger scale.
In 2008, a study conducted by NDSU reported telepharmacy as a safe, secure, and most effective way to deliver pharmacy services in areas without full-time pharmacists. This prompted other states to change and revise their lawsuits to permit telepharmacy. However, the use of telepharmacy was not embraced by all states then. If the figures are concerned, 16 states, or can say one out of three, didn’t permit the use the telepharmacy or the pursuit of telepharmacy alternatives.
However, after a long wait of 11 years, a substantial change was witnessed in the figures of states that approved the use of telepharmacy. In early 2019, Drug Topics reported that 45 states allowed telepharmacy with different rules and regulations for its use on a large scale.
Since then, telepharmacy has kept growing in its usage with the onset of COVID-19 in 2020. As the federal government quickly promoted telepharmacy as a way for pharmacists and patients alike to mitigate their chances of exposure to the novel coronavirus. Also, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services developed several initiatives to promote telepharmacy and telehealth services among people and healthcare service providers.
What is Telepharmacy?
Telepharmacy in healthcare can be understood as delivering pharmaceutical products and care to patients in distant places through telecommunications and information technologies. Here are some of the services patients can avail of with telepharmacy.
For a much better understanding, telepharmacy is an offsite pharmacy team that connects and consults with another pharmacy team, patients, or doctors at a central state through audio and video technology. It supports sharing patient records electronically, and staff works with the connected pharmacy information systems to help provide services remotely.
Other than this, telepharmacy in medical care provides services like training, education, and management services to pharmacists through videoconferencing in the pharmacy world.
Why is Considering Telepharmacy Good for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians?
Here are six significant reasons that advocate why pharmacists and pharmacy technicians should strongly consider telepharmacy or becoming telepharmacists.
Massive Growth in Telepharmacy
As of now, telepharmacy-specific data is unavailable. Though, going through the vast telehealth data, we can analyze a tremendous growth in telepharmacy. As per the Fair Health report, telehealth claim lines observed an increase of nearly 3,600% nationally from August 2019 to August 2020. Rising from 0.2% of medical claim lines in August 2019 to 6.1% in August 2020. At the same time, the McKinsey report reveals an increased use of telehealth services among U.S. consumers from 11% in 2019 to 46% in August 2020. These records clearly showcase a potential growth for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in telepharmacy if they pursue work as telepharmacist. Telepharmacy, no doubt, has a bright future with great potential.
Highly Supportive to Patients
Telepharmacy in medical care is a highly efficient and effective way to help patients. With telepharmacy software, pharmacy professionals can easily make a difference in patients’ lives. They can support patients with reduced access to care (e.g., rural communities) and vulnerable populations. For vulnerable populations, telepharmacists can deliver services without letting them leave their homes. Other than this, they can also provide them with comprehensive medication management.
Convenience
While some telepharmacy specialist organizations lay out an area for their telepharmacists to work out of, others grant their telepharmacists to work from a distance for certain provisos. Telepharmacists should have the option to offer types of assistance and solidly catch patient information. The American Pharmacists Association expresses, “similar HIPAA prerequisites exist for medical services suppliers, whether they manage patient consideration face to face or by best telehealth platforms.
Electronic documents should be put away safely, and additional insurance should be taken to guarantee that the two sides of the telehealth conference (i.e., both the drug specialist’s and the patient’s surroundings) are private.” Assuming drug specialists can meet these prerequisites in any place they expect to give telepharmacy administrations, then filling the job of a telepharmacist ought to be basic and helpful.
Flexibility
Although telepharmacy specialist co-ops might anticipate that their telepharmacists should meet a few legally binding necessities concerning administration conveyance (e.g., number of hours or patients upheld in seven days/month), telepharmacists frequently have adaptability concerning their plan for getting work done. This adaptability likewise implies drug specialists and drug store specialists might have the option to “try out” the experience of filling in as a telepharmacist for restricted hours and afterward investigating the valuable chance to extend their job or potential obligations in the event that they find the experience fulfilling and beneficial.
Supplemental Income
Because drug store experts with full-time positions might have the option to require hours before or after their movements and on days off, telepharmacy in medical care can be an extraordinary way for drug specialists and drug store specialists to procure supplemental pay. Telepharmacy specialist co-ops might be searching for drug store experts able to work short — or at times lengthy — shifts constantly and on the entire days of the week.
Foster New Skills and Strengthen Existing Skills
While numerous telepharmacy administrations are additionally given face-to-face, drug store experts might be presented to new administrations through their telepharmacy work. For instance, measurements show that most 50-60% of patients get post-release prescription compromise (MRP) regardless of its demonstrated advantages of reducing preventable readmissions. Drug and drug store specialists that become telepharmacists might perform MRP interestingly or substantially more regularly.
There’s always one question remains in consideration that how to convey virtual consideration encounters successfully, so telepharmacists figure out how to become better communicators. Video connections have their elements. Telepharmacists figure out how to successfully tune in and investigate the camera while talking with a patient or guardian. With additional administrations going virtual, creating or improving these abilities will demonstrate the importance in the short and long haul.
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