The Benefits of Dispensing Medication at Urgent Care Clinics

In-office dispensing can help urgent care clinics provide faster, more thorough, and more convenient care to their patients. Six-hundred new urgent care clinics are opening every year, according to some estimates. The growth of urgent care facilities is happening rapidly because they fill a demand for quick and affordable healthcare. Integrating point-of-care dispensing can increase the quality of this care while saving patients time and money.

About 29% of all primary care medical visits (about 89 million visits per year) are handled by urgent care facilities. Many of these patients will need some form of medication. They can avoid going to a pharmacy if their urgent care clinic provides medication dispensing.

Not only is in-office dispensing beneficial for patients, but it also provides a valuable extra income for clinics. Traditionally, these profits would go to pharmacies. Clinics can use these profits to increase staff wages, update their technology, and improve the comfort and aesthetics in their office.

Speed Matters to Urgent Care Patients

One of the reasons why urgent care clinics have grown in popularity recently is because they provide faster service than a traditional doctor. When patients need to see a doctor quickly for an unexpected injury or illness they can go to an urgent care clinic instead of waiting for an appointment with their primary care doctor or a specialist.

Speed sets urgent care clinics apart from traditional primary care doctors. Dispensing medications from the clinic allows patients to save time. With in-office dispensing, patients can get their medications and treatments immediately, before they even leave the clinic. This means that patients can get started on their treatment right away.

In-office dispensing also means that patients can avoid a visit to the pharmacy. Urgent care clinics see patients who don’t have the time to go to a traditional healthcare provider. These patients often don’t have the time to go to the pharmacy, as well. The traditional pharmacy method means patients have to wait for their prescription to be filled, drive to the pharmacy to pick it up, and also potentially wait in a long line.

In-office dispensing can get patients their medications immediately without having to make time in their schedule to take a trip to another location.

Medication Dispensing Can Save Patients Money

Patients often go to urgent care clinics as a way to avoid an expensive trip to the ER. Urgent care clinics have done a great job taking care of patients’ needs, as only 3% of them end up being sent to the ER. By some estimates, the average ER visit costs about 40 percent more than the average American’s monthly rent.

The average ER visit can cost a patient $750, while the same treatment at an urgent care facility generally costs only $200.

Another way that in-office dispensing can save patients money is due to the price of the medications themselves. Some pharmacies mark up medication prices to increase their profits. Physicians who dispense medication in-office have the option to sell medication at whatever price they want. In some cases, clinics can even charge less than the pharmacy to save their patients money.

Stock Commonly Prescribed Medications In-Office

Patients often visit urgent care clinics with fevers, rashes, muscle sprains, vomiting or diarrhea, cuts that may need stitches, or injuries from a fall or accident. Most of the time they need antibiotics, pain medication, or other standard medication to treat their ailment. Clinics can make their patients’ lives a little easier by providing these medications during their visit.

The most commonly dispensed medications from urgent care clinics include: Amoxicillin, Cephalexin, Clindamycin, Ibuprofen, Lisinopril, Omeprazole, Penicillin, Promethazine, Triamcinolone, Acetaminophen, Benzonatate, Ciprofloxacin, Cyclobenzaprine, Levofloxacin, Meloxicam, Ondansetron, Prednisone, Tramadol, and Zolpidem.

Urgent care offices can keep all of these and more in stock by starting an in-office dispensing program. They can even sell them for a fair price to save their patients even more money while the clinic still makes a profit. Urgent care clinics in some states may even be able to dispense controlled substances.

Get Started with Dispensing Medication In-Office

Patients can save time and money by visiting urgent care instead of a traditional doctor or emergency room. Urgent care clinics can save their patients even more time and money by offering point-of-care medication dispensing. The convenience of in-office dispensing will make patients want to return to the clinic that provided them with such quality care.

Clinics interested in providing medication dispensing can do so easily with the help of a reputable health services company. They will also need to consult their local board of pharmacy to make sure they follow all local regulations. Forty-six out of 50 states allow medication dispensing, so most urgent care clinics can easily start their own medication dispensing program.