Hospitals and clinics use EMR systems to streamline patient record management. The same goes for pharmacies. As for the latter, you must choose a pharmacy EMR system with features and functionalities specifically intended for improving pharmacy operations.
Here is a roundup of this year’s best EMR solutions for pharmacies.
What is EMR system?
EMR systems are applications or software used by hospitals to electronically store, manage, and secure medical records and patient information.
Top 5 Pharmacy EMRs for 2024
1. Epic
Epic Systems is a full-featured EMR system that connects with pharmacies and offers advanced functions for continuing care, practice management, billing, provider collaboration, population management, and more. It provides software for both inpatient and outpatient pharmacies. Many healthcare institutions use Epic for its extensive features and integrations with third-party software applications.
Features:
- HIPAA-compliant
- Verify, prepare, and dispense Rx orders
- Check prescription benefits in real time and send the information to patients
- Get the medication dispense history of patients
- Integrates with Arrive Health, Bamboo Health, CenterX, CoverMyMeds, DrFirst, and more
- Receives outpatient medication orders from external sources, such as other EHRs
2. NextGen Office
NextGen Office is a cloud-based EMR/EHR platform that offers a wide selection of tools and options for billing, telehealth, e-prescriptions, and more. It won the 2018 White Coat Award for Highest Accuracy in electronic prescription, making it a top EMR in pharmacy solutions. The platform is best for ambulatory care practices of all sizes.
Features:
- HIPAA-compliant
- Approve and deny Rx changes and refills
- Cancel electronic Rx orders
- Electronic Prior Authorization (EPA) hastens the prior authorization process and alerts you when authorization is needed
- Electronic prescription of controlled substances (EPCS)
- Access to around 40 state and local Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) databases
3. Practice Fusion
Practice Fusion is one of the best pharmacy EHR systems with advanced e-prescribing capabilities. This cloud-based EHR/EMR allows you to connect with more than 98,000 pharmacies using any internet-connected device. The cloud-based patient portal also lets you follow up on treatment plans with patients and send medical information to them.
Features:
- HIPAA-compliant
- Up to date with e-prescribing regulations, including ECPS
- Send e-coupons to the pharmacy
- Drug-drug and drug-allergy interaction checks
- Approve or deny refill requests in only two clicks
- Quick drug and retail pharmacy search
4. CharmHealth
CharmHealth is a web-based practice management platform with billing and e-prescribing features. Its e-prescription module provides a clean interface that connects you to over 70,000 U.S. pharmacies. You can use this module to send electronic medical prescriptions, receive refill requests, search for drugs by name, and filter drug results.
Features:
- HIPAA-compliant
- Send prescriptions
- Patients can identify their preferred pharmacy
- Search and filter drugs
- Drug library with instant alerts on drug-to-drug, drug allergies, and drug-to-food interactions
- Receive new Rx requests and check their status
- Android, iPhone, and iPad support
- Role-based access controls
5. AthenaOne
AthenaOne was among the ten 2020 Surescripts White Coat Award winners in prescription accuracy. Rated as one of the best for mid-sized practices, AthenaOne offers an EMR pharmacy platform that allows physicians or staff to fulfill prescription requests quickly.
Features:
- HIPAA-compliant
- Approve or deny Rx requests
- Fax prescription documents to the pharmacy
- Retrieve, add, or modify prescriptions
- Retrieve changes to prescriptions
- Request substitutes for prescribed drugs
- Renew or refill prescription orders
- Reassign prescription documents to any username
- Retrieve a patient’s prescription history
Key Features to Look for in Pharmacy EMRs
There are a lot of EMR systems that include prescription and refill management. However, choosing the best ones requires careful consideration of specific features, which include:
- Electronic prescription: For an EMR to be suitable for pharmacy use, there should be options for issuing prescriptions electronically.
- Prescription management: The best EMR for pharmacies should allow better prescription management with options for automating tasks, issuing e-prescriptions, and refill monitoring.
- Stock management: There should be tools to help maintain optimal inventory levels and identify expired medications to ensure safe dispensing.
- Integration: A pharmacy EMR must support easy integration with other healthcare applications, facilitating easy and quick access to laboratory tests, patient charts, and other medical data.
- Business Associate Agreement (BAA): The pharmacy EMR provider must be willing to enter into a legal agreement outlining their duties and responsibilities to help ensure and maintain compliance with regulatory laws such as HIPAA.
Integrating Fax With Pharmacy EMR Systems Is Easy With iFax
iFax offers HIPAA-compliant online fax solutions that make faxing prescriptions and other health records a breeze. Its programmable Fax API lets you fax directly from a pharmacy EMR system without switching platforms. It takes away the hassle of faxing, especially now that you can fax using any computer or device that connects to the Internet.
Whether it’s Practice Fusion or NextGen, you can fax efficiently and confidently.
With iFax, you can:
- Fax to any number worldwide without a fax machine
- Set up a toll-free number for receiving faxes
- Put up a dedicated company fax page with your custom branding
- Automate fax workflows and fax high-quality documents
- Broadcast, monitor, and organize faxes in large volumes
- Ensure safe and secure fax transmissions with military-grade encryption
Request a free demo to learn how to integrate iFax with your pharmacy EMR.
