A comparative analysis of different kinds of prescription forms with a bar code and prescription forms without a code was carried out and concerned: (1) data range, (2) data quality, (3) financial and organisational costs of implementation and use of such forms. Their advantages and disadvantages were described from the vantage point of persons (patient, doctor, pharmacists) and institutions (payer, service provider, pharmacies). The authors evaluated the use of the bar-code prescription considering the parties involved in the process of writing prescriptions, and obtaining on prescription, the drugs covered from public funds.

The analysis was based on the Ministry of Health directives of 2000-2003 on prescription forms and electronic data exchange between a pharmacy and a payer (holder of funds). Basing on these legal regulations, a payer could use two kinds of prescription forms with a bar code: regular forms and personalised coupons, in the regions using the Medical Service Register. An essential difference between the two kinds of prescription forms concerns their quality, and especially reliability of the mass data, provided to a payer in the electronic form, on which of the prescribed drugs have actually been obtained. The holder of a coupon is a patient, while in the case of a regular prescription form - it is a doctor. Without a patient’s knowledge and consent, the covered drugs cannot be prescribed on a coupon. Thus, a payer can be sure that the coupon data concern the entitled persons who witnessed prescription writing. In addition, unlike in regular forms, a payer obtains a patient’s ID number (PESEL) thanks to the bar code on a coupon. Thus, it is possible to connect the data about prescriptions with information on other services provided to a patient, e.g. doctor’s consultations, laboratory tests, hospitalisation. This improves the data quality.

The authors recommended the personalized coupon as the best solution to improve management of covering drug costs from public funds.