Have you ever wondered what happens when a prescription is sent to the digital pharmacy for home delivery to a member? How is the pharmacist involved in filling it? We talked with Michael Angell, Director, Pharmacist in Charge at CarelonRx Pharmacy, to discuss the process and learn more about the pharmacist’s role in home delivery.
What are the typical touch points for a pharmacist across a prescription’s journey through CarelonRx Pharmacy?
Intake/Receipt: The first step in the filling process begins when the prescription is received from the provider. We utilize highly skilled Pharmacy Technicians as that first point of contact to confirm the prescription is valid, transcribe the prescription information into the pharmacy system, and resolve any non-clinical issues.
Once this is completed, the prescription is presented to the pharmacist for clinical review.
Accuracy Check: Our pharmacists start by verifying each step of the transcription process has been completed with 100% accuracy, paying particular attention to the patient, prescriber, medication and strength, directions and refills.
Therapeutic Check: Next, the pharmacist will review all clinical aspects of the prescription to ensure safe, optimized medication therapy for each individual. Reviews include checking for potential drug interactions or contraindications with anything the patient is currently taking, or with other health conditions they have.
Consult and Education: If concerns around the clinical aspects of the prescription are found, the pharmacist will consult with the prescriber to resolve any clinical questions. Finally, the pharmacist may contact the patient directly to ensure their understanding of the medication regimen, confirm any reported allergies, and discuss goals of successful medication therapy.
“Ensuring that patients have everything they need to stay on track with their medication therapy is our pharmacists’ top priority every day,” explains Angell.
At CarelonRx Pharmacy, we are committed to enabling pharmacists to provide pharmacy care at its best for those receiving home delivery. That means supporting the systems and solutions that help them apply their clinical expertise to enhance whole-health care.
How is the pharmacist’s role in home delivery/digital pharmacy comparable to that of a retail pharmacist, and what main differences stand out?
“Pharmacists are considered one of the most accessible resources for patients in an overburdened healthcare system,” says Angell, “and that includes those working in both retail and digital pharmacies.”
One distinct capability of our digital pharmacy care providers is role specialization. Pharmacists may specialize in counseling patients, verifying prescriptions, performing clinical assessments, and speaking with other care providers.
In this way, our home delivery pharmacist team can provide focused dedication for each prescription, fully utilizing their unique clinical skills to offer complete medication management for their patients. Angell adds, “This specialization across the prescription filling process also allows us to gain efficiencies and improve quality of care overall for our patients.”
Retail pharmacists, in contrast, are called upon to be excellent multitaskers as their workday is filled with a variety of tasks in the pharmacy workplace. From verifying prescriptions to providing immunization shots, answering phone inquiries to counseling customers at the counter, and calling providers as needed, this environment requires a strong skillset centered on in-person service.
What is the professional pathway that brings pharmacists to the digital pharmacy team at CarelonRx Pharmacy?
Our pharmacists come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including hospital, clinical, retail, and mail order. Prior to joining the CarelonRx Pharmacy team, several of our pharmacists pursued other educational and career paths, and have a professional background in IT, or have law degrees, for example.
This highlights the depth and breadth of the pharmacy care we can offer, states Angell. “The pharmacists' vast experiences combine to provide optimal experiences for patients, always with the goal of improving access to care, health, and well-being.”
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