Lithuania Updates Prescription and Dispensing Procedures to Improve Healthcare Services

Strategic Insights -

The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania has announced the update of procedures for writing prescriptions and issuing medicines, aiming to simplify and improve the quality of healthcare services. The new procedures, set to come into effect in November, incorporate several innovations that will enhance the availability of medicines and promote rational prescribing and use of medicines. According to Deputy Minister Daniel Naumovas, the changes will facilitate prescription writing and dispensing without posing a risk to patient health and ensuring safe and effective treatment.

Key Takeaways:

  • The updated procedures will allow patients to collect medicines or reimbursed MPPs in installments, without a valid prescription, and on demand, promoting the rational use of medicines.
  • Personal healthcare professionals will be able to prescribe medications marked "As needed," which will be valid for up to six months and can be used whenever the symptoms occur.
  • E-Health will introduce the ability for personal healthcare professionals to adjust prescriptions, saving time and reducing errors.
  • New classifiers will be implemented in E-Health, providing real-time information about drug supply disruptions, reimbursed medicines and reimbursed MPPs, and changes in reimbursement conditions.
  • Patients will have access to relevant information related to the safety of their medications through E-Health, and will be able to submit reports about adverse drug reactions.
  • The Ministry of Health aims to reduce the use of paper prescriptions, encouraging the electronic management of patient medical documents for more accurate and effective treatment.

Statistics:

  • The updated procedures will come into effect in November.
  • The advance validity of a prescription will be seven days, allowing patients to plan the purchase of medicines and reimbursed MPPs more conveniently.
  • Dispensing (selling) medicines and reimbursed MPPs in parts will be useful in cases where the pharmacy does not have as many packages or in such a quantity as the patient has been prescribed.
  • Orders for compound medicines prescribed in electronic prescriptions will be filled with individual active ingredients.
  • Patients will no longer need to constantly keep a stock of medication at home, as prescriptions marked "As needed" will be valid for up to six months.

Sources:

  • Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania
  • SAM Lietuva (https://sam.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/farmacine-ir-kita-su-tuo-susijusi-veikla/vaistu-kompensuojamuju-mpp-mp-optikos-priemoniu-ir-ortopedijos-priemoniu-skyrimo-israsymo-ir-isdavimo-pardavimo-reikalavimai/)
  • SAM Communication Department (https://sam.lrv.lt/lt/struktura-ir-kontaktine-informacija/kontaktai-ziniasklaidai/)