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How to Add Missing Prescription Expiration Dates

If prescription expiration dates were not added when a patient's prescription or order was entered into Otto, they can be added at any time to put a stop date on automatic order processing.

 

"Re-Orders Valid Until" = Rx Expiration Date

The Re-Orders Valid Until field should reflect the expiration date of the patient's prescription. We HIGHLY recommend you always add the Expiration Date it the "Re-Orders Valid Until" field.

This date controls two important workflows:

  • Automatic Order Processing: If a patient's prescription is still valid, Otto can automatically process their online reorder (if enabled). If no expiration date is entered, the patient will be able to order into the future with no stop date on the automatic processing.
  • Exam Recall: Otto will automatically remind patients approximately one month before their prescription expires to schedule their next eye exam.

Note: Automatic processing can be enabled or disabled under Settings → Preferences → Automatically process patient re-orders where the prescription is still valid.

Option 1: Monitor Upcoming Refill Reminders
If you'd like to gradually update expiration dates as patients become due for refills, monitor the Upcoming Refills Due section in the top-right corner of your Dashboard. 

For each upcoming patient:

  1. Locate the patient in the Upcoming Refills Due section.
  2. Right-click the product name beside the patient's name and choose Open in New Tab.
  3. Locate the Re-Orders Valid Until field.
  4. Add the prescription expiration date if it is missing.
  5. Click Save Changes.

This allows you to ensure upcoming refill reminders (being sent in the next 30 days) are tied to valid prescriptions before they are sent.

Option 2: Export Patients and Prescriptions
If you'd like to update all missing expiration dates, exporting your patient and prescription data is the fastest approach.

 

Export Your Data:

  1. Go to Patients.
  2. Click Export in the upper-right corner.
  3. Select Patients and Prescriptions.

This export includes:

  • Patient ID
  • Patient information
  • Assigned products
  • Prescription parameters
  • Expiration dates
  • Exam dates
  • Prescribing doctor

Find Missing Expiration Dates
Once you've opened the export in Excel or Google Sheets:

  1. Create a filter- filter the Expiration Date column to display only blank cells.
  2. (Optional) Sort by Created Date to prioritize recently added prescriptions.

This creates a working list of prescriptions that still require expiration dates.

Quickly Open Patient Records in Otto to add an Expiration Date:
The export includes each patient's Patient ID. To quickly navigate to a patient's profile:

  1. Open any patient profile in Otto.
  2. Replace the Patient ID in the URL with the Patient ID from your spreadsheet.
  3. Press Enter.
  4. Add the prescription expiration date
  5. Click Save Changes.

Otto will automatically open that patient's record, allowing you to update the expiration date without repeatedly searching for each patient.