AUSTIN—Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation published the policy perspective Physician Dispense Makes Sense.

“Forty-five states allow physicians to dispense medications out of their offices to some extent, while Texas only allows the practice in limited situations,” said Jennifer Minjarez, policy analyst with the Center for Healthcare Policy. “Physician dispense can make prescription-filling more convenient and increase medication adherence by allowing patients to skip the trip to the pharmacy. It’s a safe and effective policy for Texas.”

Key Points:

  • Allowing physicians to dispense medications will expand physicians’ ability to provide care, improve patients’ experience, and reduce the underuse of medications.
  • Texas law currently authorizes physician dispense in limited situations and should expand this capacity broadly to all physicians in Texas.
  • Physician dispense does not require patients to purchase their drugs at their physician’s office, but merely makes the option available to them, allowing them to shop for the best price and make tradeoffs between price and convenience.

To view the paper in full, please visit:
https://www.texaspolicy.com/physician-dispense-makes-sense/