Renew Medication

Patient Requests Prescription Refill

  • Patient determines the need for a prescription renewal.
  • Patient requests a prescription renewal by phone, in person or by using the FollowMyHealth® portal.
  • Patient logs into the FollowMyHealth® portal using their credentials and navigates to the “Prescription Refill” section.
  • Patient selects the medication, dosage and pharmacy preferences for their refill request from the options available on the app.
  • The completed request is sent electronically to the provider team for review and processing.

Pharmacy Submits Renewal Request

  • Pharmacy submits the renewal request electronically to the provider’s EHR (TouchWorks).
  • Fields, such as patient name, prescription details and prescribing provider, are populated in the request.
  • Pharmacy faxes a duplicate request as a safety measure.
  • Pharmacy generates a fax version of the renewal request and sends it to the provider’s office to ensure the request is received.
  • A refill request task is generated for the providers in TouchWorks, and the renewal request is simultaneously received in the Cerner Message Center.

Provider Team Reviews Request

  • Faxed or electronic requests are retrieved and checked by the provider’s office.
  • Staff confirm the accuracy of the request by checking patient and medication details.
  • Providers access medical records through Cerner/TouchWorks to verify prescription history and determine eligibility.
  • Any discrepancies, such as outdated or missing information, are flagged for follow-up.
  • Verified requests are sent to the prescribing provider for review and approval.
  • Provider approves the renewal if no issues are found or flags it for additional follow-up, such as requiring a patient visit.
  • The decision is logged into the EHR, and the system generates a communication to the pharmacy.
  • Staff confirm the details, including medication name, dosage and quantity, before preparing the medication for dispensing.
  • Pharmacy informs the patient via phone, text or app notification that their medication is ready for pickup.
  • If the request is rejected, the patient is advised to follow the notes provided, which may include contacting the provider or scheduling an appointment to address the issue.
  • Patient can typically do this by calling the clinic or using messaging options available in the portal if supported.

Notification and Follow-up

  • Patient is not automatically informed of provider decisions about their medication requests. Staff or pharmacy must manually communicate with patient.
  • Patient receives emails confirming the status (approved or rejected) of their requests.
  • Approved notifications include pharmacy details and instructions for pickup.
  • Rejected requests prompt patient to contact their provider for clarification or further steps.
  • Approved refills are electronically transmitted to the designated pharmacy.
  • Patient-generated tasks are manually created as refill requests to document their needs, while pharmacy-generated tasks are automatically created as Rx renewals by the system.
View Technology Map

Step

Technology/Touchpoints
Patient Requests Prescription Refill
  • FollowMyHealth®
  • Call to Provider or Pharmacy
  • Pharmacy Medications Account
Pharmacy Submits Renewal Request
  • Cerner
  • TouchWorks
  • RightFax
Provider Team Reviews Request
  • Cerner Millennium
  • Surescripts Network Alliance®
  • FollowMyHealth® Messaging System
  • Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program
  • TouchWorks
Notification and Follow-up
  • FollowMyHealth®
  • Pharmacy Management System
  • Pharmacy Notification System

Step

Pain Points
Patient Requests Prescription Refill
  • Duplicate accounts and mismatched patient records hinder seamless login and navigation.
  • Poor training and inadequate user documentation result in patients misunderstanding portal functions, such as how to navigate the refill section or manage linked accounts.
  • Integration issues between FollowMyHealth and backend systems, such as Cerner, can cause discrepancies in the medications available for selection.
  • Requests sent electronically do not always reach the provider team as expected.
Pharmacy Submits Renewal Request
  • Electronic requests from pharmacies often fail to integrate seamlessly with TouchWorks.
  • Pharmacies send fax requests alongside electronic submissions, duplicating efforts.
  • Staff must manually retrieve and verify faxed requests, which is a slow and resource-heavy process.
  • Faxes are often duplicative of electronic requests, requiring extra verification steps.
  • Lack of clear tracking for requests. Staff often have to manually search for and verify the status of requests, slowing down the workflow.
  • Staff do not have access to pharmacy claims data in TouchWorks to identify prescriptions filled at other locations.
Provider Team Reviews Request
  • Providers must manually import all of the prescriptions or modifications prescribed.
  • Providers must manually verify prescription history, which is time-consuming.
  • Provider response times vary significantly, depending on individual workflows and workloads.
  • There are no real-time alerts within TouchWorks to notify staff of updates on medication renewal requests.
  • Providers encounter missing or outdated data when reviewing prescriptions, necessitating follow-up with patients or pharmacies. This is due to limited integration between Cerner, FollowMyHealth and other systems.
  • System failures, such as incomplete or inaccurate prescription details, mean pharmacies may need clarification from providers or may not receive prescriptions promptly.
  • Notes provided to patients about a prescription rejection are generic or vague, leaving them unsure of why the request was rejected or what steps to take next.
  • Ideally, the medication list should follow patients through transitions of care, but it is currently input manually without a single source of truth. Epic will address this at the health system level, but challenges will persist, particularly in the ED, leading to potential duplicative work.
  • No integration piece exists that could make this process more transparent unless all users are on the same Surescripts platform.
  • When utilizing Cerner within the hospital, staff must attach the encounter to a FIN to be listed as “outpatient,” so prescriptions do not go to DMH or SMH pharmacies.
Notification and Follow-up
  • The limited integration between FollowMyHealth and pharmacy systems causes confusion during pickup, as it doesn’t communicate with pharmacy applications.
  • The portal does not provide adequate functionality for urgent resolution, forcing patients to rely on phone calls or in-person visits to address problems.
  • Not all patients engage with pharmacy notification systems, such as texts or app alerts, and instead rely on manual communication methods.
  • The FollowMyHealth portal is underutilized by patients for medication renewals and communication.
  • Approval notifications from TouchWorks are sometimes delayed or lost in transmission to pharmacy systems.

Step

Thinking

Feeling
Patient Requests Prescription Refill

“I’m almost out of my prescription.”

“What’s the easiest approach to getting a refill?”

Irritated
Pharmacy Submits Renewal Request

“This request needs provider approval.”

Focused

Overwhelmed
Provider Team Reviews Request

“How long have they been on the medication, and when did I last see them?”

“I wish all the information I need was in one place.”

Focused

Frustrated
Notification and Follow-up

“This is taking a while. I hope I don’t run out before I hear back.”

“Who should I contact to understand the status of my request?”

Curious

Anxious

 

Step

Opportunities
Patient Requests Prescription Refill
  • Provide a one-click “Need help logging in?” link that prominently leads to a detailed FAQ and step-by-step password reset guide. Include screenshots to make the process intuitive.
  • Introduce a visual tracker to show the progress of a submitted refill request.
  • Implement a priority system that ranks requests based on urgency and patient-specific factors.
  • Explore solutions like HealthFinch when Epic is implemented (since it integrates well) to help validate prescription details, refill details and reasons for refilling the prescription, etc.
  • Integrate predictive analytics for pharmacy and medication selection.
  • Introduce an AI assistant to guide patients through medication and pharmacy selection.
  • Centralize patient account management across all systems to eliminate duplicate or mismatched records.
  • Add biometric login options, like facial recognition or fingerprint scanning, to enhance security and ease of access.
  • Explore ways to more clearly communicate Memorial Care’s 72-hour refill policy to help alleviate expectations and frustrations for prescription approvals on the same day.
  • Streamline two-factor authentication by eliminating the need to manually enter codes from the app into TouchWorks. With the addition of Bluetooth dongles in Epic, this process will be simplified, saving time per controlled substance.
  • On the informatics side, electronically prescribed controlled substance (EPCS) providers frequently struggle with the time it takes to receive the code, which is a major frustration. Providers are eager to know if this process will be faster and if they’ll be able to complete more tasks at once.
Pharmacy Submits Renewal Request
  • Implement a paper or electronic checklist for tracking duplicate requests.
  • Build a shared digital portal where pharmacies and providers can interact directly for all requests and updates.
  • Replace manual fax handling with an AI-powered system to digitize and interpret requests automatically.
  • Clinics could improve efficiency by directing electronic faxes from RightFax to their clinic email, rather than using the current system.
Provider Team Reviews Request
  • Use existing system rules to flag common discrepancies that can be resolved automatically, such as minor date mismatches.
  • Offer patients the ability to request a callback from the provider team directly through the rejection notification.
  • Develop a portal feature that allows patients to resolve rejections without needing direct provider intervention.
  • Use machine learning to automate the resolution of common prescription discrepancies.
  • Use AI-driven virtual assistants to manage and prioritize all incoming requests, including faxes.
  • Use natural language processing (NLP) tools to automatically interpret and prioritize electronic submissions based on content.
  • Use AI tools to provide real-time decision support based on patient history and prescription patterns.
  • Build a single dashboard where providers can access all relevant patient information, renewal requests and decision tools.
Notification and Follow-up
  • Customize subject lines to include patient name and request type for better visibility.
  • Embed a direct chat option in rejection messages.
  • Launch FAQ chatbot for common issues.
  • Implement a centralized escalation management system.
  • Use AI to optimize notification content, timing and delivery channels for maximum patient engagement.
  • Implement a notification system that uses multiple channels, such as SMS, email and in-app alerts.
  • Use automated tools to send tailored messages to patients based on provider decisions.
  • Develop a system that automatically schedules renewal appointments based on patient prescription histories.
  • Revamp the patient portal to include more intuitive navigation and interactive features.
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