A new trend in medicine has appeared in the past few years. An increasing number of doctors are dispensing medications directly to their patients instead of sending them to pharmacists. This is not an attempt to reduce medication errors in Pennsylvania. Most doctors adopting this policy are trying to offset decreasing health insurance reimbursements by adopting an additional revenue source.

Various companies offer turnkey programs that give medical professionals such as doctors the ability to set up a miniature pharmacy in their offices. These companies supply tracking software, prepackaged medications and office storage facilities to their clients.

Supporters of this new trend believe patients will have better access to meds, more convenience, a greater use of less costly generic products and effective substitute therapies, as doctors become more aware of and sympathetic to patient's discouragement at the cost of prescribed drugs. Conversely, people opposed to the trend worry that medication safety may be compromised without the "second look" of pharmacists, along with a growing lack of regulatory oversight.

Some physicians and pharmacists are also uneasy about potential perceptions of conflict of interest when doctors both prescribe and dispense the meds, also earning a profit on the sale. Most states that allow this program carefully regulate the process or allow the procedure only under conditions of immediate need. Other states mandate that doctors qualify for a special permit or license to dispense medications.

Pennsylvania is a state without permit/license requirements for doctors to dispense prescribed medications. There are, however, state regulations that outline some requirements. The American Medical Association, in its Code of Ethics, takes the position that "Physicians may dispense drugs within their office practices provided such dispensing primarily benefits the patients."

How do you feel about this growing new trend? Do you view it as a potential benefit for you–or a source of concern about possible medical errors?

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, "Doctors- Not Pharmacists-Dispense Meds," March 13, 2012