A Digital Call to Action Picks Up Where the Paper Prescription Left Off

In the transition from paper to pixels, e-prescribing solved many problems but inadvertently created a new one: the loss of a tangible reminder. When a patient leaves an appointment without a slip of paper in their hand, the psychological prompt to visit the pharmacy vanishes.

This loss is one of many contributors to a sobering reality: one in four new prescriptions goes unfilled, according to IQVIA. Prescription abandonment can lead to poor health outcomes, more emergency room visits, and higher readmission rates.

DrFirst Chief Medical Officer Colin Banas, M.D., M.H.A., explains how a well-timed text message can restore that lost momentum.

“When we removed the piece of paper from prescribing, we removed the call to action,” he said on a recent Health Innovation Matters podcast. “So when a text message provides a reminder and connects the patient to additional information, like what the medication is, where the prescription was sent, as well as additional educational material and cost-saving opportunities, the data shows it makes a real difference.”

A peer-reviewed study published in PLOS Digital Health demonstrates that this digital nudge leads to quantifiable improvements:

• Congestive heart failure patients who interacted with SMS nudges had 19% higher odds of filling prescriptions.
• The same group had 6% lower odds of being readmitted to the hospital—a key Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) quality metric tied to reimbursement.

Aggregate data from DrFirst shows an adherence improvement of up to 10% and a 15-25% drop in prescription abandonment after notification. Additionally, the solution garnered a 95% patient satisfaction rate from over 20 million patient ratings.

Closing the Loop on Clinical Intent

The moments immediately following a provider’s order are the most critical.

“I’ve set out on a mission to drive what we call a closed-loop experience,” says Jenna Hagan, VP of Product Marketing at NextGen Healthcare, who joined Dr. Banas on the podcast to talk about the companies’ partnership to tackle prescription abandonment and optimize medication adherence. “We are driving valued integration that balances the patient, staff, and provider experience to provide more meaningful care and better outcomes.”

Physician practices using NextGen Enterprise EHR now have access to the DrFirst prescription engagement solution to deliver a secure text message within minutes of a prescription being written, providing a modern call to action.

The message requires no new passwords or app downloads, allowing for frictionless engagement that addresses three primary causes of abandonment:

• Sticker shock: Cost remains the single largest barrier to adherence. As reported by IQVIA, 98 million new prescriptions were abandoned in 2023. Their data shows that when out-of-pocket costs reach $250, the abandonment rate climbs to 55%. The DrFirst solution delivers manufacturer coupons and cost-savings to mitigate sticker shock before the patient reaches the pharmacy.
• The education gap: Patients often fail to fill scripts because they are concerned about side effects or may not realize why the medication is important. Prescription engagement messages can connect them with curated educational material when it’s most relevant.
• Logistics: Life often gets in the way, and patients simply forget the details of their prescription. A mobile reminder reinforces the medication name and pharmacy location on the device they hold every day.
  
  

Operational Excellence Without Extra Burden

Administrative burden continues to be a source of frustration, and adding to that burden is not an option.

“Historically, when providers look at new technology or new workflows, they think, ‘Gosh, you’re changing what I do and how I do it. You’re going to tell me how to practice.’ They’re very averse to that,” Hagen said. “But what’s been really great about this technology is that there is no change management.”

Because this solution is natively integrated into the EHR, it counters provider burnout by requiring zero workflow disruptions:

• Automated workflow: Providers write prescriptions exactly as they always have, with no extra clicks or manual messaging required.
• Reduced call volume: More than half of calls to practices are about appointments or medications. By proactively answering “where is my script?” via text, practices can lower phone volume significantly.
• Staff efficiency: Automating patient touchpoints allows clinical staff to focus on high-value care rather than tracking down information.

“Wouldn’t you want technology that helps empower your patients to get on and stay on the prescriptions you want them on? And you don’t have to do anything additional?” Dr. Banas asks.

Bridging the Gap Between Intent and Action

Every prescription is a blueprint for better health, but that plan only succeeds when a patient takes their medications as prescribed. By optimizing the critical moments following a provider’s order, health systems can ensure patients have the financial and educational support needed to start and stay on their medications.

How to Keep Patients On Track With Their Medications will show you how DrFirst patient engagement helps:

• Increase first-fill rates by up to 10% across all therapeutic classes

• Improve patient engagement, with 83% of recipients interacting with secure messages

• Boost satisfaction, with 95% of patients reporting a positive experience