As most of you know, there are often medication shortages and/or pharmacy staff shortages that lead to issues with patients picking up their medications.
Here are some things to consider:
- In general, each “chain,” such as CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, etc. may have a “designated pharmacy” in each area that is their 24-hour pharmacy. Some of these have closed, but others are still open, so it’s important to find these when/where possible. You can go to the pharmacy’s website to use their search tool. Ex. https://www.cvs.com/store-locator/cvs-pharmacy-locations/24-hour-pharmacies/Colorado/Denver
- It is always a good idea to call ahead to the pharmacy to confirm pharmacy hours, that the medication is in stock, and about how long it will take to fill.
- Be sure to inform the patient about issues they may face at the pharmacy. Sometimes, it’s worth sending the medication to a pharmacy that is further from them in order for it to be filled that same day (such as an antibiotic). Other times, if it’s a refill of a chronic medication and they have some tablets left, you can send it to the closest pharmacy and they can pick it up the next day. Explain these kinds of things to the patient.
- Consider prescription delivery options. There are quite a few out there that are especially good for chronic medications that can be delivered regularly. Here is a reference page that one of our interns compiled with some delivery and transportation options.