These days' people have to worry about the rising cost of many things in life: food, going to the movies, raising kids, and of course gas. Add to this list medications cost and you can see why people are always looking for ways to save money. Even if you don't take any medications yourself, you probably have an elderly parent who does, and most likely, you're the one paying their medication cost. You've probably thought about using mail order pharmacies as a way to save money. I will explain the advantages and disadvantages of using mail order pharmacies. If you are currently using mail order pharmacies, I will explain more efficient ways to save you time and money on your medications.
Advantages
If you are commonly prescribed maintenance prescription drugs such as for High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Cholesterol, Thyroid, and Menopause, then mail order pharmacies are a good choice for you. Mail order pharmacies work by providing you with a 3 month supply of medications and only charging you 2 copays. I will give you an example of this benefit. Let's say you went to your local pharmacy to get Atenolol filled. Your copay comes out to $20.00 for a 30 day supply. Now, let's say you went back to the local pharmacy every month for 3 months to have your Atenolol refilled. At the end of the 3 months you've spent a total of $60.00 worth of copays.
Now, with mail order, you get all 3 months worth of medication and you only pay $40.00. Why? Because you're only paying for 2 copays, not 3. That's the advantage of using mail order. You receive medications in bulk. And by receiving in bulk you save. Think of it like going to Costco. You buy things in bulk there and you save money in the long run; same concept here. Since you saved $20.00 for the Atenolol, the savings would add up to $80.00 per year and that's only with one medication. So you understand the long term savings this can have. The other added convenience of mail order is that the medications are delivered to your home. Now, some people don't have a problem with mobility but if you're a person with a disability and there's no one to drive you around on a regular basis, then having your medications delivered to your home would be an invaluable convenience.
Disadvantages
Unfortunately, there are some disadvantages with using mail order. Processing time for medications can take up to 2 weeks which means a patient must have an ample amount of medications to last them that long. Usually patients will get free samples from there doctor's office to last them until there fill arrives. However, processing time for medications can be delayed due to factors such as the doctor forgetting to sign the prescription or writing a prescription for medication strength that is no longer available. These types of delays can hold a patient's order up since the pharmacy has to now get in contact with the doctor's office to get the problems clarified and resolved. And usually doctor's offices are extremely busy so response time for the clarification could take up to 2 to 5 days depending on the number of issues that need to be resolved.
This could potentially delay a patient's order up to 3 weeks or longer. Another disadvantage is if there's an error with the medication. Now, believe or not pharmacies do make mistakes. They might give the wrong form of medication or the wrong amount. When these types of mistakes happen at a local pharmacy, they can be corrected right away. However, when they occur with mail order, the medication must be shipped back, corrected, and then reshipped again. Please do not get the wrong idea because mail order pharmacies are very strident when it comes to safety. But in rare cases where mistakes do occur, it can be very time consuming.
Suggestions
You've seen the advantages and disadvantages and now I will offer some suggestions to save you time and money.
- Before mailing your prescriptions, scan though them and make sure all the information is there and is correct. If you go by any alias or if your nickname is written on the prescription, make sure to also include your real name.
- Make sure you have enough medication to last you just in case there is a delay on your order. You can get free samples from your doctor's office to last you.
- If you are sending your spouse's prescriptions along with your, make sure you put them in separate envelopes. Do not put them in the same envelope.
I hope following these suggestions helps you the next time you order or decide to order through mail order.
