A lot of the times, after performing a medication review with us, you will find out that you could actually save money on your prescription drugs. This is how:
Miss. MM is 70 years old low-income Parkinson’s disease patient. All her life she was told to save her money where possible as “money does not grow on trees” as everybody knows. This is why she was filling her prescriptions drugs in one of the big box wholesale supermarkets every three months. She knew she was paying the lowest prices on her prescription drugs as the dispensing fees were the lowest in the market. She didn’t mind waiting in line for long minutes just to drop off her prescription. And she remained calm when she was told that the wait time would be a few hours in order to get them ready. Sometimes she even had to come back the day after when the pharmacy was very busy. Yep. She was willing to bear with a lot to get the best deal on her prescription drugs.
Until one day, after visiting her doctor at the specialist clinic, she decided to drop by our pharmacy and see what it is all about. A neighbour she knew recommended the place and she was curious to check it out for herself.
“I know I am paying the best prices on my prescription drugs” she noted, “So what else can you offer me here?”
After reviewing her meds which she was stable on and was taking for years, it turned out that one of her meds was not covered by Pharmacare. Which was a surprise at first. Although she was in effect eligible for that drug under the special authorization program, nobody told that. And for those who don’t know, Pharmacare restricts certain drugs (usually the more expensive drugs) and requires the doctor to send a special authorization request and explain Pharmacare why this drug should be a benefit and hence be covered for that specific patient. The problem with that is A. the doctor should recognize the drug as a special authorization drug and know the criteria for it; B. have the time to fill out the forms and send it to Pharmacare.
In reality, as we all know, things get overlooked! And so Miss MM used to pay the full price of the drug for years, out of pocket without even knowing she was paying for something she should actually be covered for.
To make a long story short, after filling the special authorization forms and an accompanying letter that was sent to the doctor. As well as following up with doctor’s office and afterwards with Pharmacare. A special authorization was granted to the patient which means that drug would be counted towards her deductible and be covered under fair Pharmcare at some stage. Which means, depending on her yearly deductible, personal max and family max, she would spend less on her prescription drugs now.
As a side note, now that she meets her deductible quicker with the same meds she used to take, she prefers to have her drugs packaged in a monthly convenience pack (blister pack), which means no more forgetting to take her meds on time or struggling with vials of three months supply. And all that at a lower cost than before. terrific!
Give us a call today and find out how we could improve your health while saving your money. 778-545-3700.