Additional Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is DailyMed™?
   

   DailyMed™ is a pharmacy dispensing system that sorts and organizes your monthly prescriptions, over-the-counter medications and even vitamins into convenient, single-dose packets making it easier than ever to take the right medication at the right time of day.

2. What do you see as the primary benefits of DailyMed™?
   

   DailyMed™ will do a number of things, all related to improving the lives of patients who use the system, or the lives of caregivers – including sons and daughters – trying to assist a loved one with their medications.

   First, DailyMed™ will make it easier for patients to remember to take their medications correctly by pre-sorting them and packaging them in easy-to-use single dose packets. By making it easier to comply with their medications, DailyMed™ will help patients better manage their health conditions. Thus, patients are better able to care for themselves and/or their condition in a more compliant fashion just as their doctor prescribed.

   Finally, the DailyMed™ system allows our pharmacists to review the entire drug profile for a person, which in many cases allows our pharmacists to make any number of recommendations: how to reduce the total number of prescriptions a patient is taking or to suggest cheaper alternative products or to advise on the correct way or correct time to take a particular medication in order to improve the drug's effectiveness.

   In short, not only does DailyMed™ improve outcomes but it also assists in reducing a patient's overall drug costs, or more importantly, their overall health care costs. Ultimately, all of these benefits provide "peace of mind" and tremendous time savings for either the patient or the caregiver. With DailyMed™, our pharmacy is truly helping to improve patient care.

3. Will my prescriptions cost more?
   

   Actually, DailyMed™'s prescriptions are very aggressively priced, and are generally lower than most other retail pharmacies. We are willing to provide price quotes for any interested patient.

4. Where can I get DailyMed™?
   

   DailyMed™ is available by contacting our pharmacists by phone at 1-800-973-1955.

5. Will DailyMed™ accept my current prescription insurance and/or Medicare Part D plan?
   

   Yes, we accept most every insurance plan as well as the new Medicare Part D program. Our staff will work closely with you to ensure we have all proper paperwork in order for us to bill the appropriate drug plan.

6. How do I pay for DailyMed™ and my prescriptions? Can I have a credit card on file?
   

   You will be charged the same prices for your medications (either as a co-pay amount or with our customary low retail prices) as you did previously when your medications were put into vials. These charges will be paid when your DailyMed™ dispenser box is shipped. For convenience, we recommend you have a credit card on file. We will provide you a printout of all the medications packaged in the DailyMed™ system and provide you with a credit card receipt. There are other payment and billing options if a credit card is not available. Please talk to a DailyMed™ staff member about additional options.

7. How many prescriptions can DailyMed™ accommodate?
   

   DailyMed™ can manage any number of prescriptions, over-the-counter medications and/or vitamins an individual may be taking. Even the most complicated medication regimens – either by number of medications or by timing of medications – can be addressed with DailyMed™. As a matter of practice, those patients with the most complicated drug needs find the greatest benefit with DailyMed™ system. The only difference would be the number of "packets" a patient may have within their DailyMed™ dispensing box. For example, should a person only take one pill a day, he or she would have 30 packets within the monthly DailyMed™ dispensing box. If a person takes several pills a day, ten times a day, he or she may have upwards of 300 packets contained within two or three DailyMed™ dispensing boxes. All said, each packet will be sequenced by date and time each pill (or group of pills) is to be taken.

8. What types of medications CAN be packaged into DailyMed™?
   

   Most medications are suitable for DailyMed™ because they are solid tablets or capsules that are taken on a scheduled basis. Whether your prescription is prescribed every day, every other day, once a week, once a month or on any other scheduled basis, DailyMed™ is appropriate for you. Additionally, over-the-counter medications, daily vitamins, as well as supplements that your doctor has ordered can also be packaged in DailyMed™.

9. Can you handle "half tabs" in the DailyMed™ system?
   

   Yes – half tabs can be included within the DailyMed™ system.

10. How do you handle prescriptions that are liquid or injections or that come in single-dose packages already?
    

    As you might expect, liquids and injectable medications are not appropriate for DailyMed™. You will be able to get those medications at your local pharmacy. However, our pharmacist can review your entire medication profile against those medications packaged in DailyMed™. In most cases, those medications that are "pre-packaged" by the drug manufacturer in single-dose packages will be removed from the manufacturer's system and added to your DailyMed™ packets.

11. What types of medications CANNOT be packaged in DailyMed™?
    

    There are a handful of medications that should NOT be packaged with the DailyMed™ system. These include chewable tablets or tablets that dissolve easily, certain antibiotics, PRN or "as needed" medications, liquids/injectable medications, chemotherapy medications and medications that have frequently changed dosages. A DailyMed™ pharmacist will consult with you and/or with your physician to determine the best medication arrangement specific for your health care needs.

12. I take a multivitamin and a calcium supplement each day. Can the pharmacist package my over-the-counter medications too?
    

    Yes. If you are taking over-the-counter supplements or vitamins regularly, the DailyMed™ pharmacist will be happy to conveniently package those pills into your DailyMed™ system. Please let our pharmacist know when ordering.

13. What about over-the-counter drugs I take on a regular basis?
    

    Your DailyMed™ packets can include your prescriptions and any over-the-counter products you take.

14. I use an inhaler and a skin ointment each day. Can the DailyMed™ pharmacy provide this for me?
    

    Yes. DailyMed™ is a full service pharmacy that provides prescription and over-the-counter pills, ointments, vitamins, respiratory medications, diabetic supplies and certain compounding medication needs.

15. Will DailyMed™ work with my doctor to get certain medications changed so they can be packaged along with my other meds?
    

    Yes. We will work with your doctors to make any changes needed in order to find a product acceptable for DailyMed™. For example, if you are taking a chewable tablet, there are likely other options for this medication that come in a solid tablet or capsule. We will discuss these recommended changes with you and your doctor.

16. I hate to bother my doctor; can you call him/her?
    

    Getting the prescription orders is safest and most accurate when we receive them directly from the physician(s). It is our goal to work with your doctor to maximize a healthier outcome for you. We find that most doctors are very encouraging and supportive with the DailyMed™ process.

17. Should I ask my doctor before I do this?
    

    You certainly can. Most physicians recognize the importance of medication compliance. We will send your doctor some educational information on DailyMed™ upon request. Ultimately, it is your choice, and we are confident that in most all cases, doctors support their patients' wishes.

18. Where do I store my DailyMed™?
    

    DailyMed™ should be stored away from high humidity areas (such as the bathroom) as with any other medications. DailyMed™ is not childproof and needs to be kept out of the reach of children if they are present. We do recommend the DailyMed™ dispensing box be kept in a place that you are going to see it and remember to take your medications at the scheduled times.

19. What happens when I have a medication change (a new med, a discontinued med or a dosage change to an existing med)?
    

    There are many different ways to handle medication changes. Your pharmacist will work with you and your doctor to determine the best option. When a medication is discontinued the patient will either:

    (1) Manually remove the discontinued tablet(s) from the remaining DailyMed™ strip. The patient should then discard the removed tablet(s).

    (2) Remember not to take the discontinued tablet each day when he/she opens each packet. The pharmacy can give you an empty vial with the proper prescription labeling to store your removed medications.

    The addition of medication(s) to a patient's drug therapy can also be accommodated. The course of action will depend on how many days are left in the patient's DailyMed™ dispenser. Options include either having a traditional vial fill until the next start date of DailyMed™ or holding the start of the new therapy change until the next start date based on discussion and recommendations we would conduct with the prescribing physician.

    The following month, DailyMed™ will be updated according to the changes made during the month.

20. Will I be refunded or receive credit for a medication change?
    

    It is illegal and against pharmacy regulations for the pharmacy to refund or exchange medications. If there is a medication change, please notify DailyMed™ and the pharmacist will make adjustments to accommodate your needs.

21. What happens if I have a medication emergency and need a prescription immediately?
    

    In this situation, your prescription would be filled at any local pharmacy and put into a traditional prescription vial.

22. How many days does DailyMed™ last?
    

    Each DailyMed™ strip will contain your medications conveniently packaged for a 30-day time period. No more then 30 days can be packaged in DailyMed™ due to required expiration dating of the DailyMed™ packets. Even if your insurance will pay for more than 30 days at a time, DailyMed™ cannot exceed this time duration.

23. What if I run out of medication? / How do I reorder my DailyMed™?
    

    As an added service and convenience, your DailyMed™ pharmacist will call you approximately 10 days prior to the start date of your next DailyMed™. At that time, you and your pharmacist will discuss any changes that may have occurred since your last DailyMed™ fill date.

24. How will I receive my DailyMed™?
    

    Your entire 30-day supply is delivered to your home in our convenient dispensing box. Delivery and mailing options are available at no charge, but some delivery options may be limited due to time constraints.

25. Can someone else order my DailyMed™ for me?
    

    Yes. Your DailyMed™ can be ordered by any person that you designate.

26. I currently get my medications from the VA or a Mail Order facility for free or at a discounted rate. Can these then be packaged for me into DailyMed™?
    

    No. This would be against both federal and state laws. DailyMed™ CANNOT repackage other pharmacy's medications or any OTC medications that you may have at home.

27. All my meds are on different refill schedules – how can this get resolved?
    

    A DailyMed™ pharmacist will work with you and your insurance company to get all your meds on the same schedule, and subsequently filled on the same date – another great benefit of DailyMed™.

28. Will the packaging have my medications listed by the hour or by time category?
    

    The packets do not have specific times, rather an "event time." This time category is listed to identify when you should take those medications. For example, the packets may say Breakfast, Morning, Lunch, Dinner or Bedtime.

29. How will my mom/dad know when to take their medications?
    

    Each medication is assigned an "event time" or time category. Some examples are Breakfast, Morning, Lunch, Dinner or Bedtime. We will work with you to determine the most appropriate and/or convenient time when you would like to take your medications. If there are several medications that you take at the same time, they will be packaged in the same packet. The time category will be printed on the packet, and will let you know when to take your medications. Some patients will only have one time category each day, while other patients will have several time categories. This depends on the number of medications and the time of day they are taken. Also, each DailyMed™ packet has the name and a physical description of the medication contained within the system.

30. Where is DailyMed™ available?
    

    DailyMed™ is available nationwide for patients who are interested in reaping the benefits of this solution-oriented approach to retail pharmacy. DailyMed™ will transfer your existing prescriptions for use in the DailyMed™ system.

31. Can I sign-up my loved one or family member who lives out-of-state?
    

    Yes, DailyMed™ can be delivered to out-of-state customers.

32. This system sounds ideal for my mother. My daughter is taking a lot of medication too. Would this system work for them?
    

    Yes. DailyMed™ is not age specific and can reduce the risk of medication errors for people of all ages. We can easily set-up any patient on the DailyMed™ system. Just give us a call and find out how easily!

33. How do I sign up?
    

    Just give us the name of your current pharmacist and a little bit of patient information, and we'll do the rest.