The Right Prescription – UHS Stay Healthy

It’s a given that you want your prescriptions to be filled safely, accurately and promptly. But if the prescription can also be collected at the same location as a doctor visit or discharge from the hospital — by pharmacists who are used to working with your UHS providers and have access to your records — that’s a real bonus.

TAKE AS DIRECTED

UHS and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield have joined forces to encourage prescription adherence. “Take As Directed” is a program designed to help patients take their medications as prescribed—the right amount for the prescribed number of days. The program is important because failure to take medications can make certain conditions worse, leading to unnecessary emergency department visits and hospitalizations.

“When it comes to fighting chronic conditions, a prescription drug can be a superhero, but it only works if patients let it,” explains MaryBeth McCall, MD, medical director of Excellus. “A key message of the campaign is that ‘If you’re not taking your prescriptions as directed, you’re taking a chance.’”

Recent reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that nearly half of adults in the U.S. and 90 percent of those over age 60 use at least one prescription medication per month.

Located inside of or adjacent to UHS facilities in Vestal, Endicott and Johnson City — and now at UHS Delaware Valley Hospital in Walton — UHS Pharmacies can provide you with quick, convenient service. Patients can have prescriptions filled while awaiting discharge from the hospital or when leaving the physician’s office, eliminating an extra stop. You can also refill prescriptions by calling or placing the order online. Free mail delivery to home is available. (You can walk in, too!)

Gayle Klein, RPh, supervising pharmacist at UHS Vestal, will soon be overseeing operations at the Walton location. “We offer so many services that other pharmacies can’t,” says Ms. Klein. “We have a robotic transfer system that counts out meds before we check them against the doctor’s orders. That saves a lot of time.”

Ms. Klein describes additional services that set the UHS Pharmacies apart. “If you are traveling and need a refill, we can transfer a temporary refill out of town as allowed by state law. We can also mail a prescription to your home if you will need a refill within five to seven days or so.”

Moreover, being part of the UHS system means that UHS Pharmacies can offer an additional patient benefit: Pharmacists can access a patient’s electronic medical record to double-check if the prescription is correct or if there may be any potential medication interactions.

Ms. Klein was even able to give one patient a special assist when she received an urgent request for a refill after the physician’s office hours were over. “I was able to call the doctor’s office extension and get the information instead of waiting for him to get a message transferred from his service. We had the patient’s prescription squared away so much more quickly,” she says.