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| Units > 65th Medical Group > Pharmacy |
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What services are provided in the pharmacy?
A. The Main Clinic Pharmacy fills new physician-ordered prescriptions from MTF Providers, all refill prescriptions, and prescriptions written by civilian providers outside the MTF. We will also transfer prescriptions from any DOD MTF.
Q. Who is Eligible to use the pharmacy?
A. All TRICARE eligible Active Duty, Retirees, DOD civilians, DOD contractors and Dependents properly registered in DEERS.
Q. Why are my prescriptions not ready when I come to the pharmacy?
A. First, we do not fill any medication for a patient that is not present. If we filled every medication when a doctor ordered it, there would be many medications left at the
pharmacy and never picked up. Filling these items would only increase the wait times for the patients that are actually here. Thus, until the patient has checked in, the medication is not prepared. All prescriptions called in before 9 a.m. will be ready after noon the same day. All others will be ready after noon the following duty day.
Q. What's going on back there?
A. There are many steps to maintaining our nearly 100% accuracy rating! Prescriptions go through a quality check in each step of the process.
· Step 1: Patients are served by order of arrival to the check-in window. If there are concerns or missing meds, often the doctor will have to be contacted.
· Step 2: Labels are then reviewed for accuracy. The technicians make many edits and corrections every day to make medication instructions as understandable as possible.
· Step 3: Filling a medication is more than just "slapping on a label!" Each printed label is compared to the original prescription for accuracy. If the prescription is for a controlled substance, it must be counted by hand, and then re-counted by a separate individual to ensure count accuracy.
· Step 4: The last step is the pharmacist verification. If the pharmacist has additional patient safety concerns, the patient's medication history will be reviewed. The provider may be contacted for more information or to discuss alternate therapies.
· Step 5: Once all safety checks are complete, the medication is ready for dispensing and the patient is notified by the over head intercom system.
Q. How can I make my trip to the pharmacy more successful?
· Be informed. Know what you need, what it's for and who your doctor is.
· Be proactive. Do not wait until your medication has completely run out to call in your refill. Prescriptions can be called in after 75% usage of the medication (e.g. after 23 days with 30 day-supply and after 68 days with 90 day-supply). Walk-in refill requests will not be accepted, except in the direst of circumstances, and only at the discretion of the pharmacist.
· Be ready. Have your ID readily available and terminate your cell phone calls prior to approaching the pharmacy window--this is for your safety. If turning in a hand-written prescription, ensure all required information is printed on the form:
o Patient's Name/Date of Birth
o Allergy Information
o Address/phone number
o Sponsor's Social Security Number
· Be patient. Multiple prescriptions, orders needing clarification from your doctor or orders for controlled drugs may take longer to fill.
· Be prepared. Please do not leave children, animals or groceries in the car while retrieving medications.
The Pharmacy will be CLOSED on:
May 28, 2012 - Memorial Day
June 15, 2012 - Family Day
July 4, 2012 - Independence Day
Aug. 24, 2012 - Family Day
Sep. 3, 2012- Labor Day
Oct. 8, 2012- Columbus Day
Nov. 12, 2012- Veteran's Day
Nov. 22, 2012- Thanksgiving
Dec. 25, 2012- Christmas
Training Days:
Pharmacy will CLOSE for training on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
**All closures are subject to change at any time with out notice.
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