How to get in and out of a pharmacy....faster and cheaper

I was working in a pharmacy on January 2 with a giant line of unhappy customers in front of me. It was also a day of “new insurance cards” and “deductibles” that shocked some of those same long waiting patients. I realized how much I just wanted to help my patients to have a better experience by sharing some simple insight.

How to prevent waiting in line (or reduce the wait time). Pharmacies are pretty busy places, but some times are worse then others. For example, the day after a holiday (January 2) or weekend is always busier then the other days of that week. When possible, get your prescriptions filled on other days. There is also a daily cycle of work. When the pharmacy first opens up in the morning, although you don’t see customers there, prescriptions have been forwarded electronically or telephonically all night. You can bring a prescription in and sometimes get quick service, but consider instead coming at 10 am or between 2:30 and 3:30. Sometimes the evenings after 6:30 are slower as well, but there is often reduced staffing so please be patient. If you have a recurrent prescription that you can call in at least two days before you run out of medicine the prescription is likely to be ready when you come in to pick it up. Each pharmacy is unique, so find one that you like and ask the staff there what the best time for short waits is. (FYI: Bad times that I discourage visiting include 11:30-1,4:30-6, avoid Monday if you can.)

Lower out of pocket expense by understanding your insurance. In a perfect world your doctor prescribes a medicine, you go to the pharmacy with your insurance card (yep, that is your responsibility, make sure you are carrying your current card), the medicine is mostly paid for by the insurance and you go home with no problems. It doesn’t always work that way. Most insurance has a deductible period where you have to pay more out of pocket at the first part of the insurance year, then full coverage kicks in. If your medicine is expensive that first deductible can be high, so consider saving or being prepared for that expense.

Insurance companies also have formularies. They will cover most of the cost for generic or cheap medicines on their “first tier” and will require you to pay more out of pocket for brand name drugs or more expensive alternatives (often the drugs you see advertised on commercials). Talk this over with your doctor and let the doctor know that you prefer lower cost drugs when appropriate. Since your doctor does not know the “formulary” for your insurance company consider printing a copy to bring with you for office visits.

Check for online coupons for brand name drugs (These are not always available to those one Medicare or Medicaid). Finally, there are some drugs that can be cheaper when you don’t use insurance and many people who don’t have prescription insurance. Consider checking the pharmacy discount list (most pharmacies have programs like Walmarts $4 list that charge less for some medicines) or look online for discount coupons. (We have had good luck with Good Rx, but check to make sure the pharmacy will accept those coupons before bringing them in). If you want to check prices do it online instead of calling the pharmacies. It is very difficult to give you an accurate price quote without knowing your insurance coverage. Also try using mail order pharmacy for recurring prescriptions if your insurance offers a discount and you can remember to “re-order” your prescriptions in a timely fashion. Mail order is not appropriate if your mail is exposed to extremes of temperature (freezing or summer heat) for several hours at a time.

As with your doctor, a good relationship with your pharmacy can ease an often stressful situation. Remember that the pharmacy wants nothing more then to sell you the appropriate medicine to help you out. If you feel that you have to wait too long or pay too much make sure to have a conversation that can help you to avoid any future problems.