Getting a prescription filled

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Pharmacy alternatives

Prescriptions - how to fill; Medications - how to get prescription filled; Drugs - how to get prescription filled; Pharmacy - mail order; Pharmacy - internet; Types of pharmacies

Your health care provider may give you a prescription in different ways, including:

• Writing out a prescription that you then take to a pharmacy
• Calling or e-mailing a pharmacy to order the medication
• Submitting your prescription electronically, which means a computer at your provider's office--most often an electronic medical record (EMR)--will send the prescription to your pharmacy

You also need to find out whether your health plan will pay for the medicine your health care provider prescribed. Certain types or brands of medication may not be covered.

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Once you receive a prescription from your health care provider, you may buy the medication from various sources.

LOCAL PHARMACIES

The most common place for filling a prescription is at a local pharmacy. Some pharmacies are located inside of a grocery or large "chain" store.

Qudstions to consider when choosing a pharmacy include:

• Is the location easy to get to? Are there many stores near you?
• Do they check for drug interactions?
• Are the pharmacists friendly, helpful, and willing to answer questions?

It is best to fill all presciptions with the same pharmacy, so they have a record of what drugs you are taking or have taken in the past. This allows your pharmacist to easily check for drug interactions that could be harmful or decrease the effectiveness of your medications.

Your health plan may require you to use certain pharmacies. This means they may not pay for your prescription if you do not use one of these pharmacies.

• You may call your health plan to find out where you can go. Look on the back of your insurance card for a phone number to call.
• You may also ask the pharmacy whether they have a contract with your insurance plan.

To help the pharmacist fill the prescription:

• Make sure the following information is clearly printed on the prescription: patient's name, address, phone number, and health care provider's name. A sloppy prescription may not include all of this information, or it may be impossible to read.
• Bring your insurance card the first time you fill the prescription.
• When phoning the pharmacy for a refill, the following information is helpful: prescription number, name of medication, and patient's name.