site.btaMedication Dispensing Errors Drop by Over 98% after Digital Prescriptions Rollout

Errors in dispensing medications funded fully or partially by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) have dropped by over 98% after the rollout of the automated reporting system for filled prescriptions by pharmacies and online prescription monitoring, Head of Health Insurance Systems at Information Services Georgi Nedev said during the Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Days 2026 conference in Borovets.

According to the data, prior to digitization, experts at the regional health insurance funds were recording an average of over 22,000 errors per month in the dispensing of medicinal products, while that figure is less than 2% after the digital reform.

With the introduction of real-time controls and the automated reporting system, the administrative burden has been lifted, and the risk of financial penalties for pharmacies due to technical errors removed, Nedev added.

There has also been a significant improvement in the prescription process. Incorrect prescriptions are identified as soon as the medicinal products are dispensed, which saves a considerable amount of time and money for both pharmacies and patients, who no longer need to return to the doctor to have their prescriptions corrected. Over 2,400 pharmacies across the country are currently using the new system, processing more than 3.4 million medication dispenses each month.

In a declaration issued by the Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union (BPhU) on their website on June 22, pharmacists are calling for regulations governing the establishment of pharmacies, electronic prescribing and dispensing of all prescription medications, as well as a separate law for pharmacies. The pharmacists' demands were outlined during the organization's Eighth National Congress on June 21 in Borovets.