Approximately 12%-15% of U.S. physicians currently dispense pharmaceuticals to their patients. These doctors come from every clinical perspective: student health centers, urgent care clinics, occupational medicine clinics, surgery centers, family practice, weight management practices, worksite clinics, pediatrics, podiatry, orthopedics, dermatology etc. Dentists, MD’s, DO’s, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Assistants are authorized to dispense at the point-of-care in most states and the trend is growing as patients demand more convenient access to care, health costs continue to increase, and medical practitioners feel the downward pressure on revenue while the patient load continues to increase.
Physician dispensing is a mechanism for providing convenience to the patient and improving medication compliance while supplementing practice revenue. Physician dispensing is also a proven way to generate revenue in a world of shrinking reimbursements. Many clinics charge nominal fees for dispensed medications and offer a variety of prepackaged pharmaceuticals in counts ranging from 6-50 pills per bottle. Doctor dispensing, a tool for all types of physicians to better serve their patients while growing their practices.
