OmniSYS Provides Free Resource to Help Pharmacies Operationalize COVID-19 Testing

Following the Department of Health and Human Services' announcement to allow licensed pharmacists to order and administered novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) tests, OmniSYS has announced offerings to assist pharmacies in operationalizing COVID-19 testing. 

According to a company press release, OmniSYS is providing all pharmacies free access to the OmniSYS Training Center™, a resource used to help guide pharmacists through all aspects of the process to operationalize COVID-19 testing, including required waivers, enrollment, documentation, medical benefit coverage, and billing. In addition, all existing customers of the OmniSYS cloud-based pharmacy electronic health record (EHR) will receive immediate access to COVID-19 testing encounter forms to support automated documentation, reimbursement (where permitted), and care plan communication at no additional cost. 

“During a national emergency like COVID-19, it’s essential for everyone to do what they can to support each other. We are uniquely positioned to support clinical services at pharmacies, and we want help ease the burden for pharmacists on the front lines by sharing our expertise on how to operationalize COVID-19 testing encounters without pharmacies having to worry about the cost,” said John King, OmniSYS chief executive officer, said in a statement. “We have always been passionate about building solutions that enable pharmacists in their role as providers, and we’re thankful that we have an opportunity to offer our support to pharmacists during this difficult time so they can continue to focus on serving their communities.”

Because a pharmacist assumes the role of a provider in clinical encounters such as COVID-19 testing, there are documentation and reimbursement requirements for the pharmacist that are similar to the requirements in physician encounters. The OmniSYS Training Center provides contracting, credentialing, documentation and reimbursement guidance for pharmacists in their role as providers of care. 

The complementary COVID-19 resource section within the OmniSYS Training Center provides step-by-step guidance for pharmacists to start administering COVID-19 testing including how to order tests, apply for the required state licensing, administer the nasal swab, bill for the encounter with a payer, submit positive cases and share the results with the patient’s other care providers.

“As a pharmacist, yesterday’s announcement by HHS was an important step in acknowledging the critical role that pharmacists can play in public health. Most of the pharmacists I know, myself included, chose this career not just to improve outcomes through medication but also to provide hands-on, clinical care,” said David Pope, PharmD, CDE, OmniSYS chief innovation officer, in a statement. “Pharmacists already provide essential clinical services every day including immunizations, medication therapy management, point-of-care testing and diabetes education. Formalizing approval for COVID-19 testing to be administered by pharmacists was a logical next step to help increase access to a critical public health resource during this time of crisis.”

To request access to the OmniSYS Training Center, please visit omnisys.com/covid-19-testing.

References:

1. OmniSYS Provides Free Resource to Help Pharmacies Operationalize COVID-19 Testing. News Release. PRWeb; April 9, 2020. https://www.prweb.com/releases/omnisys_provides_free_resource_to_help_pharmacies_operationalize_covid_19_testing/prweb17042281.htm. Accessed April 13, 2020.