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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Double Checking the Pharmacies Work

How can you make sure you are getting the right medication from your pharmacy? We want to believe that pharmacies never make mistakes but if you have watched the news or talked to some of the people around you you will find that people who work in pharmacies make mistakes all the time. Sometimes, and most of the time, they are minor errors like spelling or perhaps a miscount in the pill quantity, but occasionally they are bigger errors that can result in dispensing harmful medication to people who can suffer fatal outcomes if not caught early enough. So how do you assure that your medication is one of the medication that is filled correctly.

Before you even arrive at the pharmacy make sure you speak with the doctor about the brand and the generic name of the drug they are putting you on. Ask why they are putting you on it and what is it for. If you can do that and write it down then you are way ahead of the game. Once you have taken care of that it is on to the pharmacy. Once you get there review the prescription with them. Ask them simply what does it say as far as the drug and see if what they are reading matches up with what you have. If it doesn’t then you may have to politely ask them to speak with your doctor. The pharmacist cannot take your word for it. They must be clear with the doctor themselves.

Once you have come back to pick up your medication make sure you take a moment to take a look at the pill bottle. Too many times people pick up medication and don’t spend the five seconds it takes to look at the bottle. Just a simple double check to make sure that there was nothing that got mixed up during the filling or labeling process will do you a world of good. If there is then bring it to the attention of the pharmacist and they will be more than happy to correct it.

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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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