It’s the end of a busy afternoon, and sweet Rufus—the 18-month-old Labrador retriever who’s charmed everyone in your hospital—is finally ready to go home. He’s happy, his tail’s wagging, his chart is wrapped up… and then you realize he needs a prescription you don’t carry in-house.
Cue the collective groan.
You look up the pharmacy’s number, navigate the automated menu, sit on hold, and finally get through to the pharmacist to go over the prescription. Then you hang up and type everything you just said over the phone into the chart so nothing slips through the cracks.
For just one written prescription, that’s 10-15 minutes lost to phone calls and double documentation. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Why Paper Is Still Slowing Down Prescribing
For many hospitals, written prescriptions are still surprisingly old-school. While everything else is digitized, sending scripts to third-party pharmacies often involves:
- Repeating information that already lives in the PIMS
- Long hold times and phone calls
- Duplicate documentation to keep records complete
- Delays at discharge that frustrate clients and tie up staff
In high-volume ERs and specialty hospitals, those steps can quickly snowball. When one team member is tied up on the phone with the pharmacy, the rest of the team feels it. Discharges get delayed, clients wait longer, and everyone’s left in limbo.
That’s exactly why we built Instinct EMR’s written prescription tools: to make managing outside prescriptions as smooth and stress-free for your team as possible.
A Smarter Way to Handle Written Prescriptions
A modern PIMS should make every part of prescribing easier—not just for medications you keep in-house, but for everything else your patients need. Instinct EMR was designed with that in mind, building written prescriptions into the same streamlined charting process your team already relies on every day.
With Instinct EMR, written veterinary prescriptions live right in the patient chart so you can create, document, and print in just a few clicks.
Here’s how it works:
📝 Prescribe Exactly What You Need
Use a curated medication list or enter a custom prescription for any medication. You can even toggle substitutions and leave notes for the pharmacy—like letting them know Rufus prefers beef-flavored suspensions.
⚡ Automate the Boring Stuff
Key details like provider name, license numbers, expiration dates, and (if toggled) DEA numbers populate automatically so you’re not re-typing the same info over and over.
🖨 Print on Your Terms
Generate a signed PDF immediately at discharge or batch-print later—whichever fits your team’s workflow.
🧾 Stay Compliant Without Extra Steps
Controlled substances include a required “Days’ Supply” field for reporting, and everything is logged in the chart for easy retrieval during audits.
Of course, prescription requirements—especially for controlled substances—can vary by state, so always confirm your local regulations.
The result is a simple, streamlined process that handles the documentation and gives pet owners the paperwork they need to get medications quickly.
A Smoother Discharge for Rufus
Back to our star patient. Instead of picking up the phone, you open Rufus’s chart, type in the prescription, and print a completed script in seconds.
The details are automatically logged in his record, the owner leaves with a signed prescription to fill at their pharmacy, and you can move on to your next patient.
Multiply that process across dozens of discharges each week and those saved minutes quickly add up. You’ll see fewer errors and smoother client handoffs, too.
Why This Matters for Your Whole Team
For decision-makers evaluating veterinary prescription software and PIMS prescribing tools, Instinct EMR’s written prescription workflow isn’t just a nice-to-have feature. It’s a small change that makes a big difference in:
- Efficiency: Less time on the phone means more time for patient care. Techs aren’t stuck repeating details and discharges can happen when they’re supposed to.
- Team Experience: Fewer interruptions and tedious steps mean less burnout and more focus. When the process is predictable, your team can keep cases moving smoothly during even the busiest shifts.
- Accuracy & Compliance: Automated documentation reduces transcription errors and keeps records clean. Everything is logged consistently in the chart so nothing gets lost or missed.
- Client Satisfaction: Faster, more seamless discharges leave a lasting impression. Pet owners can head straight to their pharmacy with everything they need in hand, which builds client trust and confidence in your hospital.
And because it’s built right into Instinct EMR, you don’t have to jump between systems to get prescriptions out the door.
See It in Action
Written prescriptions don’t have to be a headache. Instinct EMR gives your team a faster, easier way to manage them because it was built by people who get it. It’s one example of how Instinct makes daily practice easier for everyone on the team.
Want to see it in action? Book a demo today.
