At our office, AboutSkin Dermatology, we dispense Rx products and also sell topical cosmeceuticals. We have 6 dermatologists in our group, and we really feel that dispensing in the office helps ensure patients are getting the formulations and products that we believe are right for them and their skin-care goals.
With our more recent addition of Rx product sales in the office, patients find this convenient for them (avoiding a trip and lines at the pharmacy and prior authorization delays) and our staff also appreciates this (also avoiding prior auth hassles and helping with efficiency).
Many patients have told us that their overall compliance is better with Rx products purchased in our office, as they get the product without delay and start using it while their instructions are fresh from their appointment (instead of having prescription instructions sit in the purse/wallet or forgetting to pick something up that was sent by EMR to the pharmacy). In addition, in many circumstances’ patients can use their health savings account to purchase these in-office Rx products.
From the physician perspective, we know that our patients are getting the right medication, the one that we specifically recommended to them, and not a generic (which is often made in another country where factories may not be up to US standards). Furthermore, the prescription products that we sell are specifically made at an FDA-approved US facility — having passed the rigors of that credentialed certification.
— Joel L. Cohen, MD
Director, AboutSkin Dermatology
Director, AboutSkin Research
Greenwood and Lone Tree, Colorado
