Voicemails prompt patients to pick up medicine
11 Apr 2007
A message system that enables pharmacists to leave an automatically-generated voicemail for patients whose prescriptions are ready for collection is to be offered by a major pharmacy systems supplier.
Message Dynamics has reached a heads of agreement to integrate its messaging system with Cegedim Rx’s Pharmacy Manager and Nexphase.
The agreement covers two Message Dynamics products: the Repeat Rx prescription reminder and the MUR [medicines use review] Reminder.
Message Dynamics director, Richard Jackson, explained that the system’s facility for leaving voice messages on both landline and mobile phones made it particularly useful.
Text messaging to communicate with patients is getting more common - and Message Dynamics includes this function - but Jackson points out: “The main users of the service are over 65 and most don’t have mobiles. Those that do tend to keep them for emergencies and don’t use SMS text messaging very much.”
The voicemail facility is expected to bring immediate benefits but should be especially useful in helping to keep patients in the loop when Release 2 of the Electronic Prescription Service starts to make the paperless prescription a reality later this year.
“Under Release 2 the doctor will automatically send repeat prescriptions to the pharmacy. Patients may be less sure of what will happen next,” Jackson explained.
An automatically generated message from the pharmacist's system will aim to make the process work more smoothly by reminding patients that their medicines are ready and saying which pharmacy they need to go to.
From the pharmacist’s perspective, the number of uncollected prescriptions – many containing expensive medicines - should be reduced. The MUR reminder should also help to cut the number of reviews forgotten by patients.
Message Dynamics says that the service is available in 47 languages, manages patient consents for use of the service and maintains accurate and up-to-date details. Using secure servers and PIN access patients can maintain phone numbers, PIN, contact times and preferences.
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