Question

Angie is a new patient at Dr. Vander's office. She has an ear infection and the practitioner is prescribing an antibiotic. The medical office uses an EHR system and wants to transmit her prescription directly to Angie's pharmacy. She filled out the standard patient information sheet, but unfortunately, she cannot remember the name or phone number of her pharmacy. What should Dr. Vander's office do?

1) Tell Angie to go home, find her pharmacist's name and number, and come back.
2) Document that the prescription could not be given due to lack of information.
3) Print the prescription from the EHR software.
4) Write the prescription by hand on a piece of scrap paper.
5) Refuse to provide the prescription.

Answer 1

Dr. Vander's office should print the antibiotic prescription for Angie from the EHR software, allowing her to take it to any pharmacy, thereby ensuring timely treatment for her ear infection.

Step-by-step explanation:

When Angie, a new patient with an ear infection, is unable to recall her pharmacy information, Dr. Vander's office should not let this hinder her treatment. To ensure that Angie receives her antibiotic prescription swiftly, the most appropriate action would be to print the prescription from the EHR software. Angie can then take the printed prescription to any pharmacy of her choice, or the medical office can assist her in identifying her usual pharmacy using other methods, such as checking past prescription records, contacting Angie's insurance company for pharmacy details, or asking Angie for any additional clues that could help in identifying the pharmacy.

By doing this, Dr. Vander's office ensures continuity of care, adheres to professional standards, and helps to prevent any delays in starting Angie's treatment for her ear infection. Documenting the inability to prescribe due to lack of information or asking the patient to return home for the details would be less efficient and could adversely affect the patient's health outcomes.