A Small Rant about RX Home Delivery...

[Dax]

I have decided to start using RX home delivery as it will save me a lot of money.

I sent in the new RX...of course it was birth control. 3 weeks go by, and nothing. I call them, come to find out that they had to call my doc about the RX. So I call the doc, and she says they hadnt called her. So I call the RX company again, and tell them the doc is avail if they want to get it fixed. They finally do. They tell me that the order will be shipped within the next few day. This was on the 20th.

Well I check the website today, they JUST Shipped it TODAY!!!!!! UPS overnight. I was ticked. They say I should get it tomorrow...and the worst part is I cant track the package, as they put the wrong number in the package tracking system....

All this to save money...It costs me 25 bucks for a 3 mo supply of medicine this way, or 25 a month going to the pharmacy...GRRRR

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for.

 

[DocRafiki]

Originally posted by CJMickeyMouse
I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for.

You took the words right off the tips of my fingers.

 

[janette]

I've used mail in services for years. Really prefer it for regular prescriptions. I've had trouble with new services sometimes but in general the benefits more than make up for any hassle. Once the prescription is set up it is really easy. Usually if it is a new prescription I get a 30day to fill right away and a 90day to mail in so I don't have to worry about delays.

 

[chell]

Hopefully you won't have any other problems out of them. We had this service available through my last job and I never had any problems with them. It was much easier to do it this way. Just make sure your next RX has all the info the ask for. The first time I was going to use them I didn't have the DEA number on the RX, but luckily a friend at work warned me first. I think ours had to have that number and our social written on the back of the RX.

Sending you a PM too.

 

[rdrjj5]

I tell my parents everytime they call me to complain about mail order-- you get what you pay for. There is always a problem with at least one prescription( the doctor's order did not get there etc...) and then they have to get the doctor to call in to the local pharmacy to get some to hold them and still pay the copay for a small amount!

 

[NHAnn]

Originally posted by CJMickeyMouse
I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for.

Well, I agree...but the point is, when you are talking about brand name BCP -she is getting the EXACT same thing ..paying $25/month OR $25 for THREE months, right??? SO the question is...is it worth $200 a year to hassle with the for-profit mail order drug programs?? As janette says, it's usually new programs/prescriptions that can be problematic. You're not getting anything better/different from the pharmacy for 3X the price...except convenience perhaps .
Just went through this when my employer changed carriers...needed all new prescriptions for my 1 mail order prescription, DH has 2, DD has 1. But you learn to play the game...get the scrips written properly by the doc, keep copies of them and the order forms, make sure you have enough through samples from the doc or a 30 day pharmacy scrip to tide you over til the mail order thing is set up.

It is a pain, but imagine if you didn't even have the insurance program!!

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Originally posted by NHAnn
You're not getting anything better/different from the pharmacy for 3X the price...except convenience perhaps .

I have to disagree here.

Mail order does not provide patient counseling. Nor do they know their customers.... or care to know them. Do they check for drug interactions? Are you sure? How about allergies? If you have a question in the middle of the night, can you call them? What about an emergency? Can they check symptoms and give advice as to whether a trip to the Dr. is necessary? Do they know who you are?

I could go on and on.

If mail order becomes the norm, then the brick and mortar pharmacies will :

1) No longer exist..... or

2) Charge you an arm and a leg for emergency services you can't get from mail order.

 

[janette]

Originally posted by CJMickeyMouse
I have to disagree here.

Mail order does not provide patient counseling. Nor do they know their customers.... or care to know them. Do they check for drug interactions? Are you sure? How about allergies? If you have a question in the middle of the night, can you call them? What about an emergency? Can they check symptoms and give advice as to whether a trip to the Dr. is necessary? Do they know who you are?

I could go on and on.

If mail order becomes the norm, then the brick and mortar pharmacies will :

1) No longer exist..... or

2) Charge you an arm and a leg for emergency services you can't get from mail order.

Mail order does provide the same patient counseling as I get from the local pharmacy. Usually a print-out, occasionally I've been asked by a pharmacist about certain medications for my youngest DD since she is allergic to Penicillin and there are other antibiotics that can cause a reaction also. These are not prescriptions I'd be getting from mail order anyway since they are not long-term.

The Mail order pharmacy keeps the same allergy information as my local pharmacy.

I wouldn't call my pharmacy in an emergency for a medical opinion. A nurse line or ER clinic would be more appropriate.

Most of the mail-order pharmacies are branches of the brick & morter stores. The neighborhood pharmacy as it once was is pretty much out of business already. They are very few in number, mail order is not the reason but the pharmacy chain stores and insurance contracts.

Mail-order is a very good option for people who are on maintenance medications. My youngest DD takes 4 different medications daily to control her asthma. Just the co-pays are $100 a month if I filled the prescriptions locally instead of mail-order. I'm not going to spend $800 more a year to help support a local store. For someone who changes prescriptions more often they aren't as good. My DH has medications daily but they are monitered every 6mths by the Dr so we don't do those mail-order since they have more of a potential for change.

They are not and don't try to be a replacement for the local pharmacy.

 

[NHAnn]

Originally posted by CJMickeyMouse
Mail order does not provide patient counseling. Nor do they know their customers.... or care to know them. Do they check for drug interactions? Are you sure?How about allergies?

I think this is a very good point. ...but I use the mail order for the maintenance long-term drugs. I get the same type of printed-out sheet from the local pharmacy as I do from the mail order as far as information/possible interaction/etc. At the pharmacy AND at the mail-order, I have to provide information as to regular medications taken and allergies..presumably entered in a database...but buyer beware on either one...I read the information proveded by either very carefully.

If you have a question in the middle of the night, can you call them? What about an emergency? Can they check symptoms and give advice as to whether a trip to the Dr. is necessary?

If you have a pharmacy ...or a doctor for that matter...that provides this service for free or a reasonable fee you are LUCKY !!

Do they know who you are?

No. But most DOCTOR's don't either anymore...unfortunately

 

[Serena]

My doctor talks to me about my meds and the side effects when he prescribes them. He does all that stuff, I just send in the script to the mail order place and they send it to me within 2 weeks. If I need some immediately, he gives me another script for the drug store.

And the mail order place does check for interactions, they send information about the meds to me as well with each order. They also have a website that I can look up just about anything on and I do often.

I'm very happy with mine.

 

[DocRafiki]

Originally posted by CJMickeyMouse


If mail order becomes the norm, then the brick and mortar pharmacies will :

1) No longer exist..... or

2) Charge you an arm and a leg for emergency services you can't get from mail order.

I think this is the most important point, and one that most consumers think "isn't their problem." Of course I deal with this on a bit of a different scale, but our clients keep on bypassing us for their meds, and they keep complaining when our fees increase because of it.

Oh, and I do think you're more likely to have an error in your Rx if you do this, mainly due to the increase in middle-men. But, if you're careful about monitoring it yourself, I can't really blame anyone for doing it to save hundreds of dollars. It's the people who do it to save $5 that I don't get.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Originally posted by DocRafiki
I think this is the most important point, and one that most consumers think "isn't their problem." Of course I deal with this on a bit of a different scale, but our clients keep on bypassing us for their meds, and they keep complaining when our fees increase because of it.

Oh, and I do think you're more likely to have an error in your Rx if you do this, mainly due to the increase in middle-men. But, if you're careful about monitoring it yourself, I can't really blame anyone for doing it to save hundreds of dollars. It's the people who do it to save $5 that I don't get.

I agree, and I too work with this from "the other side of the counter". We regularly service people who are furious with their mail order company.

And we also regularly unlock our store on holidays for a hospital release, or in the middle of the night for a child with an ear infection. There are people that are very appreciative, and there are others that are mad they had to wait for us to get out of bed to service their needs at 2:00 in the morning.



Back on subject... if you are a mail order customer and we have to give you a "few to get by" until the mail comes.... and your insurance won't pay...... it's going to be expensive! LOL

 

[janette]

Originally posted by CJMickeyMouse
And we also regularly unlock our store on holidays for a hospital release, or in the middle of the night for a child with an ear infection. There are people that are very appreciative, and there are others that are mad they had to wait for us to get out of bed to service their needs at 2:00 in the morning.

There is no pharmacy that provides this kind of service that I know of in this town. I would need to find the closest 24 hr pharmacy, been there done that.

Originally posted by CJMickeyMouse

Back on subject... if you are a mail order customer and we have to give you a "few to get by" until the mail comes.... and your insurance won't pay...... it's going to be expensive! LOL

I have to manage my medications either way, if I won't get the prescription in time I can get a 30day from the Dr to fill locally. The insurance will only not cover overlaps.

There is no increase in middle men for these prescriptions. The only difference is the facility they are distributed from. Vet prescriptions are usually distributed by the vet so mail order would add a person / company and there have been questions about certifications of those that distribute pet medications. There are no such questions on these mail-order pharmacies.

I would and do encourage anyone to use mail order that is taking regular prescription medications. I certainly will continue to do so.

 

[Dan Murphy]

We use both the local pharmacy and mail order, depending on what the Rx is. Maintenace drugs are mail order, short term Rx are local. Works well, both are great.

 

[Rajah]

My parents have gone to mail order for over half of their presriptions. And have had almost nothing but hassle at least every 3 months. In their case, they had no choice on their old insurance. As soon as they changed to an insurance that still covered B&M pharmacies, they switched back for all of my mom's (since the mail order never could get hers right on the first try ) and some of my dad's.

I never have gone to mail order, and will resist as long as possible. May cost me more in the long run, but I like the personal service of the in-person pharmacy. DH does mail order for most of his, though.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Originally posted by Rajah
In their case, they had no choice on their old insurance.

THIS is a good point to bring out. Many people have insurance that forces them to use mail order. It should come as no surprise that, in many cases, the insurance company operates the mail order pharmacy.

Can you say closed system?

 

[Cindy B]

Well since my prescription plan at work is FREE yes FREE mail order I do the long term drugs (ie allergy medicines, etc... for a 90 day supply)

It was a little bit of a pain setting up for everything, the phone calls the calls to the doctor, but once it was set up, its has been wonderful.

I know it takes about a week for the RX to come so I plan accordingly.

If its something Ineed to take long term, I will ask the doc for samples until the mail order goes in.

I just spent a hour and a half at CVS , so I would love a point and click method.

My short term drugs cost is fairly low as well, but I would almost always do FREE than $6.

 

[anniet]

Mail order plans not only save YOU money, they help keep the fast rising costs of insurance premiums down as well.

I suggest if you don't like the cost of your drugs or the hassle of having to use mail order to keep costs down you should write a letter to congress and ask them to do something about the large profits the pharmaceutical companies are making.

 

[always quiet]

We have been using a mail order company for years. We have never had any problems with them. DH meds cost literally in the thousands of dollars (thank goodness for health insurance! ) and they are always shipped promptly. The meds that need to be kept cold come Fed Ex, shipped in stryafoam coolers, packed in ice packs. Others come by the postal service. The only time it takes about 2 weeks to fill an order is when it is the initial prescription. In that case, we have the doctor give him 2 scripts. One for a 30 day supply to be filled locally and the other for the 90 day. My father also uses the same company as we do. We are quite happy with medco health.

Also, if you like the information sheets you get from your local pharmacy and do not receive them with the mail order company, simply go to www.webmd.com . You will find all the same information there as the pharmacy prints out.....if not more info!!