Dr. Jeffrey Hyman, Chief Medical Officer at eMDs, was featured in a recent MGMA podcast about price transparency in EHR solutions and why having conversations about affordability with your patients is critical. Dr Hyman and his fellow panel members of industry experts weighed in on the importance of prescription affordability and having transparent conversations.
As Dr. Hyman points out during the podcast: “Some of my diabetic patients, especially during COVID-19, are choosing between medication or rent or food.” When it comes to patient care, it’s important to consider every aspect of their care. It’s important to diagnose a condition, and develop a treatment plan, but it’s equally important to consider if that treatment plan is feasible for the patient. With the ability to see price in your EHR, you can help your patients make informed decisions about their care. During these trying times in the world especially, it’s important to have access to this information.
Pricing can be an uncomfortable conversation for patients to have, and oftentimes, they won’t know how to approach it or if there are other options available to them. Care management is oftentimes a long-term process, meaning that it isn’t a one time purchase, but a recurring cost. By having the pricing information readily available during the patient’s visit, not only can providers begin the conversation, but they can readily access alternatives to figure out what will work best for the patient. Part of the conversation is how pharmacies charge different prices for the same medication – something patients aren’t always aware of – and how going through their insurance clearinghouse can be the more cost-efficient option. These tools provide a great opportunity for patient education as well as informed prescribing.
Learn more about why having pricing information in EHR solutions is important for patient care and how to navigate the price conversation by listening to the podcast, which can be found here.
