Patient Prescription Notifications

athenaClinicals, athenaCommunicator

Enable settings to send timely prescription notifications to patients via SMS text messages.

 

Timely prescription text messages help you to engage with patients about their medications. When patients are informed, they are less likely to abandon prescriptions and are more likely to adhere to prescription regimens. With patient prescription notifications, you can notify your patients via SMS text message when their medications or durable medical equipment (DMEs) are electronically prescribed.

Advance prescription awareness with text notifications

When enabled, a HIPAA-compliant text appears for eligible patients on their smartphones each time a medication or DME is ePrescribed for them. In accessed notifications, patients view:

  • Pharmacy contact and location details.

  • An option to set prescription reminders.

  • The medication, strength, and quantity prescribed.

  • Drug cost estimates, discounts, or coupons if available from the drug manufacturer.

  • Additional medication information and videos, if available from the drug manufacturer.

Prescription notifications

HIPAA-compliant SMS texts

Patients enrolled for prescription notifications receive HIPAA-compliant text messages from rxinform.org each time a prescription is ePrescribed or refilled.

The message includes a link to the patient’s prescription information and identifies the prescribing provider.

Patient authentication

Upon selecting the link in the notification, the patient is prompted to enter their date of birth to verify their identity. The patient taps View Prescriptions to continue.

Key prescription information

Patients view the pharmacy location and details for the medication prescribed. Patients can also access discount information, coupons, and educational content from the drug manufacturer if available.

If a medication includes a discount card from the manufacturer, this also appears. Patients can text the card to themselves or show the card in the notification at the pharmacy.

Note
Drug savings are contingent upon the pharmacy dispensing the medication. Not all pharmacies may honor drug discounts or coupons.

Note
Drug discount and educational content are available in notifications if provided by the drug manufacturer. Not all notifications will include discount or educational content.

Practice notification preferences

Check the Prescription Text Messages box in global user settings to send prescription messages from providers to eligible patients by default.

Note
You must have administrative privileges to enable global user settings.

  1. Access the User Preferences Admin page.

    • On the Main Menu, click Settings .

    • Under ADMIN, click Clinicals. In the Task Bar, under PRACTICE LINKS — Chart/Encounter, click User Preferences.

  2. Scroll down to Prescription Text Messages. Check the Send text messages to eligible patients box.

  3. Click Update. When selected: athenaOne sends notifications to eligible patients each time their provider ePrescribes medications or DMEs for them.

Note
If a provider deselects their text notification setting in User Preferences, patients with medications prescribed by that provider will NOT receive notifications, regardless of whether the practice-level setting is enabled. See Provider notification preferences. When deselected: athenaOne will NOT send prescription notifications for providers in your practice unless individual providers opt in. See Provider notification preferences to configure.

Note
If a provider enables their text notification setting in User Preferences, patients with medications prescribed by that provider will still receive notifications, regardless of whether the practice-level setting is deselected. See Provider notification preferences.

Provider notification preferences

If your practice has prescription notifications enabled, the system automatically sends notifications to eligible patients when providers prescribe. No configuration is required. Perform the following to:

  • Opt-out: As a provider, deselect the following user preference to prevent notifications from sending when you prescribe.

  • Opt-in individually: As a provider, enable the following user preference to send notifications when you prescribe, even if the practice-level notification setting is not enabled.

  1. As a provider, access the User Preferences page.

    • On the Main Menu, click Settings .

    • Under MY CONFIGURATIONS, click User Preferences.

    • In Use default layout, select My User Preferences.

  2. Scroll down to Prescription Text Messages. Check the Send text messages to eligible patients box to enable messaging or remove the selection if texts are not desired.

  3. Click Submit.

    • When selected: athenaOne sends prescription notifications each time you ePrescribe, regardless of whether notifications are enabled on the practice level.

    • When deselected: athenaOne will NOT send prescription notifications when you ePrescribe, even if notifications are enabled on the practice level.

Patient eligibility and participation

If eligible, patients receive notifications automatically but can opt out at any time. The provider prescribing for the patient must also have notification settings enabled. See Provider notification preferences.

Eligibility requirements

To receive prescription notifications, patients must:

  • Have a valid smartphone number in the system, either entered during registration or in the patient portal.

  • Consent to receive text messages, either at registration or within patient portal settings.

  • Be over 18 years of age.

  • Not be receiving drugs from 340B programs.

Patient opt-in

If eligibility requirements are met, patients receive text notifications automatically each time their provider ePrescribes a medication or DME for them.

Important
Patients can configure notification preferences themselves in the patient portal or you can enable this for them during registration. However, they must meet all other requirements as well to receive texts.

Note
If your practice does not use athenaCommunicator, athenahealth's patient portal application, disregard the steps that follow and configure prescription notification settings for them during registration. See Configure prescription notifications without athenaCommunicator enabled.

To configure:

  1. As a patient, log into the patient portal.

  2. In the portal, click the arrow next to your name in the upper right and select My Profile > Notification Settings.

  3. In Notification Settings, select:

    • Include text Messaging as a contact option

    • I have read and agree to the Terms and Conditions

    • Under Prescription Notifications, select Text Message.


  4. Scroll down and click Save.

Note
Patients who had previously opted out of receiving text messages must have both their consent to text and privacy information updated before they can receive prescription text messages. You can configure these options for patients who have trouble updating these settings for themselves in the portal.

Update a patient’s consent to receive text messages: In the search bar in the upper right of the Main page, enter the patient’s name. Press ENTER. In Find a Patient, click Quickview to the right of the patient’s name. Scroll down to the Contact Details & People with Portal Access section and click Edit. In Contact Details, under Consent to receive automated, set Texts to Yes and click Save.

Update a patient’s privacy information to allow text messages: Click the Menu icon . Select Quickview and go to Registration -> Privacy Information. On the Privacy Information page, under Communicator Automated Messaging Preferences, locate Prescription Notifications. Check the Text Message box. Scroll down and click Save.

Patient opt-out

Patients can opt out of receiving messages by performing one of the following actions.

  • Opt-out by smartphone: Patients text ‘stop’ or ‘unsubscribe’ in reply to a prescription notification message.

  • Opt-out from the patient portal: Patients log into the patient portal and remove the Text Message selection in Notification Settings.

Opt-out for specific prescriptions

Patients may not want to receive text notifications for specific medications prescribed.

During their encounter, ask the patient whether they wish to receive a text message for the prescription. If they don’t wish to receive a text, remove the selection from Send patient text messages for this prescription in the prescription review page prior to sending. When deselected, the patient will not receive a text notification for the specific prescription but will still receive text notifications for other medications prescribed.

Configure prescription notifications without athenaCommunicator enabled

If your practice does not use athenaCommunicator, athenahealth's patient portal application, you can still configure prescription notification settings for new or existing patients. Update this setting at patient Check In. At Check In:

  1. In Verify & Edit Registration Information, locate Privacy.

  2. In Consent to prescription text messages, select Yes to enable or No to disallow notifications.

  3. Scroll down and click Save.

From Quickview: In the search bar in the upper right of the MAIN page, enter the patient’s name. Press ENTER. In Find a Patient, click Quickview to the right of the patient’s name. Scroll down to PRIVACY. In Consent to prescription text messages, select Yes to enable or No disallow notifications. After completing registration, scroll down and click Save.