Overview | Before You Begin | Responding to a Refill Request | Patient Demographics mismatch warnings | Viewing Refill Request history | Follow-Up Refill Requests
Overview
Pharmacies send refill requests electronically through DrChrono. These requests appear in your Message Center, accessible via the envelope icon in the upper-right corner of your DrChrono account.
Once you open a request, you can review the prescription details and choose to approve, replace, or deny it.
Height and weight are included in the prescription sent to the pharmacy, but are not required fields.
Before You Begin
Before responding to any refill request, confirm the following information is recorded in the patient’s chart:
- Patient’s complete address
- Date of birth
- Gender
Responding to a Refill Request
Open the refill request from your Message Center to view the full prescription details, including pharmacy information, prescriber details, patient details, and medication information. Select one of the three response options below.
Approve
Use this option to approve the refill as originally prescribed.
- Adjust the Total Fills field if needed.
- Optionally add a note for the pharmacy (up to 70 characters).
- Click Approve to submit.
Replace
Use this option to substitute the original prescription with a new medication.
- Select Replace.
- Enter the new prescription details, including medication, SIG, dispense quantity, and total fills.
- Click Preview Prescription to review.
- On the next page, click Send Prescription to complete the request.
Deny
Use this option to decline the refill request.
- Select Deny.
- Enter a Denial Reason (required).
- Click Deny to submit.
Patient Demographics Mismatch Warnings
When DrChrono detects a discrepancy between the patient’s current chart information and the details in the RxRenewal request, certain response options will be restricted to protect patient safety.
Case 1: Demographic Information Has Changed
If any of the following patient demographic fields have been updated in the patient’s chart since the original request was sent, the Approve option will be disabled:
- First name
- Last name
- Date of birth
- Sex
- Address
You will see the following warning
The Approve button will be grayed out and unavailable. Review the patient’s chart to resolve the discrepancy before proceeding.
Case 2: Date of Birth Mismatch
If the patient’s date of birth in DrChrono does not match the date of birth in the RxRenewal request, both the Approve and Replace options are disabled. Only the Deny option remains available.
You will see the following warning:
Date of Birth doesn’t match the patient details in the RxRenewal request. You can only deny this request. Please send a new prescription after denying.
Both the Approve and Replace buttons will be grayed out and disabled. To proceed:
- Select Deny and provide a denial reason.
- After denying, create a new eRx prescription for the medication directly from the patient’s chart.
A date of birth mismatch typically indicates that the patient’s demographic information was updated in DrChrono after the original refill request was received. Always verify the patient’s chart before sending a new prescription.
Viewing Refill Request History
You can track all refill activity in the Renewals & Refill Requests section within the patient’s chart via Medication > Renewal & Refill Reques.ts
The Status column reflects any Replace or Deny actions taken.
To navigate back to the original refill request in your Message Center, click the envelope icon next to the relevant entry.
Follow-Up Refill Requests
Pharmacies may send follow-up refill requests if an initial request has not been responded to. These appear in your Message Center alongside the original request. The Request Log within each request shows when the original and any follow-up requests were received.
