February 8, 2012

How Pharmacies Help You Track Your Medical Prescriptions

MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 27: A pharmacist sh...
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The medical field has many specialists: cardiologist, endocrinologist, dermatologist, internist, oncologist, and neurologist just to mention a few. As you age, you may need the help from several of these different types of professionals.

Aging causes many aches and pains and physical ailments and your general family doctor may recommend a specialist.Sometime the specialist prescribes medicine that helps you with the health problem you are experiencing.

If you have more than one ailment, you are referred to more than one specialist.Each specialist then prescribes medication to alleviate that ailment. Many times, the specialist isn’t aware of other medications that you are taking.

Sometimes complications arise when different medications are taken simultaneously. It is very important that you keep accurate records of the prescriptions and medications that you are taking.

Many pharmacies now help you keep track of your prescriptions. If you visit the same pharmacy for all of your prescriptions, the pharmacy uses a software program that keeps record of your medications. The software lists which prescriptions you have, which doctor ordered the medication, and the dosage of your prescription.

Every time you visit the pharmacy, the pharmacist can print up this list of your prescriptions. He can also print out a report on the medications and how they interact. The reports tell the side effects of taking the medications and give guidelines on when you should call your doctor if complication arises. These reports assist you in maintaining optimal health while taking your prescribed medication.

Sometimes a pharmacy is located within a store that sells general merchandise. If you regularly visit these pharmacies to get your medication, the pharmacy offers gift card programs. Every time you get a prescription filled with the pharmacy, you earn a reward point. After you have earned ten reward points, you receive a gift certificate for ten dollars that you may then use to purchase merchandise within the store.

Be sure to check with your pharmacy to see if they have the software program that provides these reports. Keep all reports they may give you. Also see if they offer reward points.

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Why Pharmacies Make Mistakes

Faculdade de Farmácia - Pharmacy faculty
Image by Rui Nunes.. via Flickr

It’s clear that when it comes to your personal health there is no one you trust more than your doctor. They have the knowledge, the training, and the familiarity with you to make sure they are always giving you the best treatment available. So when you go in for something as simple as a respiratory infection or some sort of bacterial virus and the doctor gives you a prescription you often pay the prescription no mind because there is no way that your doctor made a mistake. So assuming that he didn’t make a mistake, what is to say that the pharmacy didn’t?

We take pharmacies to be on top of their game but that isn’t always the case. Pharmacies are dealing with a lot of things at once so it begs the question, why aren’t you watching your pharmacy more? When you drop off your prescription there is always a system in place to verify that your medication will be filled correctly but that doesn’t mean it will. There are a number of factors that can account for mistakes.

Pharmacies get rather busy. Some stores fill over 600 scripts a day and in the middle of that they are answering questions for patients, dealing with customer service issues, talking to doctors offices, dealing with the insurance companies, and then still taking in inventory and speaking with drug reps. It’s not right when accidents happen but it certainly understandable. There is nothing worse than a pharmacist who is busy. Things get messed up.

Other times it’s a simple err in judgment. Your doctor might write something down but then the pharmacist thinks they read something different. The miscommunication can occur in the drug itself or the strength, quantity, or directions. There is more than a few reasons why you can have a pharmacy mix up when it comes down to handwriting. If the pharmacist thinks they don’t understand they will call the office but sometimes they think they read it right and they don’t. So next time you go into your pharmacy make sure you are watching closely.

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Seeing the Cost of Medication

Nowadays the number 1 thing to keep in mind when filling a prescription is not what the doctor thinks of it, but rather what your insurance companies think of it. The most important thing to remember is that most insurance companies run their companies by strict rules and so there is little to no flexibility to get things covered but occasionally you do. If you are not in the habit of keeping in contact with them about the changes in your policy you could easily find yourself getting the short end of the stick when it comes to getting your medication filled.

When you are deciding to go see a doctor it’s usually because something is bothering you or your doctor wants to talk to you about something. If you have an inkling of what medication you might be taking or looking into then give your insurance company a ring and see what they can tell you. They can always tell you how much something will cost or if it’s even covered. Take a few minutes and write down a couple of the cheapest drugs they have in that category and they may be willing to even send you a coupon too.

If you don’t call your insurance company then tell your doctor you want generic. There is no way of knowing if they will cover it but you should be able to guarantee that they cover generic far more often than they will for brand drugs. It’s your best for getting anything covered.

Once you are at the pharmacy you can ask them to play with the medication. A lot times pharmacists will not only run that medication through but other medication to what is covered and what is the cheapest price. Understand that occasionally they are not able to access that information and it’s no fault of their own. But if they find something that is cheaper for you they will always call the doctors office for you and see if they can get the medication changed.

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