Q: What products and services does BTW Solutions offer?
A: BTW provides support necessary for in-office dispensing of topical medications as well as select durable medical equipment. Inventory management, practice management integration, simplified dispensing and billing management are also part of BTW’s total solution offering.
Q: Is point-of-care dispensing a new concept?
A: Point-of-care medication dispensing has been around since physicians began practicing medicine, but a re-emergence as an industry began in the early 1980's with repackaged drugs being introduced into the market. In 1983, a nationwide campaign led by the retail pharmacy industry was introduced with the intent to eliminate the physician's rights to dispense. In 1985, legislation in Congress was passed in 46 states to secure the physician's rights to dispense FDA approved medications to their own patients. Since then, dispensing systems were developed to make the process fast, easy, and cost effective for the physician. As office costs rise while reimbursements continue to decrease, physicians are turning to ancillary services such as in-office dispensing to help increase their office revenue.
Q: Does the physician need a special license to dispense medications in the office?
A: Most states do not require anything beyond an existing State License in order to dispense medications. Some states require a designated dispensing license at a minimal cost.
Q: How will in-office dispensing benefit patients?
A: Convenience is the greatest benefit for patients - no longer will they have to wait in long lines at a pharmacy to fill prescriptions. Filling prescriptions from a physician's office is an added service to patients that saves them time and adds no additional cost. Additionally, you the provider are assured that the patient is getting the exact medication you want them to have.
Q: Is In-Office Dispensing legal?
A:In those states where dispensing is allowed, State and Federal law requires physicians to dispense only properly labeled and packaged drugs. Some states also require an additional dispensing license, which can be obtained for a nominal fee. Our dispensing consultants can provide specific guidelines for each state.
Q: Why is our program not in violation of the Stark Law or Anti-Kickback laws?
A: All of our services work on behalf of the physician. Therefore the physician is actually agreeing to pay us for the service we provide, not the reverse. We do not pay the physician for dispensing medications. Rather, we charge the physician a percentage of the collected funds as compensation for the Management Services that we provide on the physician's behalf. When physicians order medications from us, they are buying the medications. We are not providing them on consignment; rather we are selling them directly to the physicians. This is a legal requirement and not an option. Offering physician's medications on consignment and then paying them based on their dispensing would be in violation of the Stark Laws and/or state specific fee-splitting laws.
Q: Why do Work Comp Insurance Carriers pay us?
A: We bill the Work Comp Insurance Carriers on behalf of the physicians. We are representing the physician. We always bill at the specified fee schedule for the state involved, unless the physician has agreed to a reduced rate with the insurance carrier. The billing for pharmaceuticals is based on the medications' National Drug Code (NDC).
Q: How are the topical medications that BTW Solutions offers not considered compounds?
A: Compounds consist of a formulation of existing drugs, in bulk powder format. That is, one compound may consist of 4 or more prescription drugs that are combined into a custom formulation for specific patients. They are not mass produced but rather custom made for the specific physician. Our topicals are manufactured medications that have all been listed and registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with one single NDC.
Q: Typically, how long does it take to receive insurance reimbursement?
A: The reimbursement timeline varies by state, but most states pay within 90 days. Our collections team works diligently to collect as quickly as possible. Currently our national average on collections is over 85%.