If your pharmacy is not offering these services plus a whole lot more then you should find one that does. These services are a selection of some of the services we offer from our first 2 blogs.

1. The Fastest Pharmacy Service: You should not have to wait what seems like an eternity for your prescriptions to be filled. If you are waiting on average more then 20 minutes then you need to look for a new pharmacy. What most patients don’t realize is that with insurance coverage your copay will be relatively the same no matter what pharmacy you go to. So if you are going to a “Big Box” pharmacy and waiting forever for your medications because you think it is cheaper, then you have been wasting your time.

2. Keep your medications in stock: If you have a reoccurring prescription then your pharmacy should always have your medication in stock. Using their computer system your pharmacy can set it up to always keep your medication in stock. If you call for a refill and your pharmacy tells you they have to order the product in then you should think about switching to a pharmacy that will have your medicine readily available every month.

3. Free Pharmacy App: Most pharmacies now have a smart phone app available for download. Most of the apps on the market today make reordering your prescriptions a lot easier. Instead of calling in or even going online all you have to do is open the app on your phone and either type in the RX number or scan the barcode on the bottle. Utilizing an app with take something that use to be a hassle and make it literally a “less than 30 second” process.

4. Sync: I know, What the heck does that mean. If you are on multiple medications or you take care of someone who is then I don’t have to ask you how many times a month you go to the pharmacy to pick up medications. What we refer to as “Sync” is where we fill all of your or your family’s medications at the same time each month. We assign you and your family a specific staff member that you will specifically interact with each month. This will cut down the number of trips to the pharmacy and help make dealing with your medications a little easier. If your pharmacy doesn't offer this service or says they do but it never works out then I would consider switching pharmacies.

5. Compliance Packaging: Okay so this one is gonna be hard to understand. If you or a loved one takes multiple medications a day we can package them in what I like to describe as a pre-filled med planner. We first “Sync” your medications then we package them based one date and time. This packaging can help manage medication and increases compliance. This description did not do this program justice so please visit our website www.economypharmacy.com for a more complete picture.

6. How do you want to be notified: Pharmacies now have the ability to notify you when your prescriptions are ready in many different ways. Phone call, text or email. The newest way being via text message. Utilizing this service can really cut down on wasted trips to the pharmacy to see if your medications are ready. Let you pharmacy know how you want to be contacted. If your pharmacy doesn’t offer any of these services specifically “Text notifications” then I would consider switching to a more technologically updated pharmacy.

7. Beware the CHEAP or $4 Generics: Pharmacies that offer cheap or $4 generics to get you in the door will make up for the low cost on those medications by charging you WAY to much on everything else they sell. Also generics are rated by the FDA and the only generics that we dispense in our pharmacies are what is called A/B rated. Anything lower than that is not good enough for our patients.

Chris Schiller, PharmD!