For Your Health’s Sake, Select a Single Family Pharmacy in 2020
By Ellen Phillips, PharmD
Older adults represent approximately 12% of our entire population yet consume more than one-third of all prescription medications, visiting their community pharmacy twice monthly on average. It is further estimated that nearly a third of these seniors use multiple pharmacies.
There may be a variety of reasons that many older Americans are using more than one pharmacy. Oftentimes their physician, when filling a prescription, may direct a patient to a particular pharmacy. Perhaps it’s a matter of convenience or a new patient incentive, but using multiple pharmacies is fraught with potential danger to not only seniors, but to others as well.
Most people who fill prescriptions may be unaware that there is no nationwide database that informs your pharmacists of every medication that you are taking, which could result in a potentially dangerous interaction. Even your physician may be unaware of the medications that your other healthcare providers may have previously prescribed for you. If your doctor is unaware of all the medications you take, the effects of your new medication may be altered by a medication that you are already taking but that your prescribing physician may be unaware of.
When you have more than one prescription to be filled, getting them all at one pharmacy is not only more convenient, but it is far safer too, lowering the risk of negative drug interactions. A single pharmacy, on the other hand, can result in better and more regular communication between yourself and your pharmacist, which can improve medication adherence, the understanding of the benefits and possible side effects of the prescription drugs prescribed, and minimize the confusion related to medication management.
The use of a single pharmacy provides you with the opportunity to engage with a trusted pharmacist. It will allow you to experience the highest level of personalized care available.
At believeRX, we monitor the potentially harmful drug interactions and can suggest safer alternatives. And by being aware of your personal health issues, we can evaluate whether your current medications are in fact working effectively. The use of a single pharmacy may also help you feel more comfortable when asking questions about your medications and health issues, including allergies, which can prevent possible complications. A single pharmacy can also save you both time and money by searching for less expensive, yet safe and effective options.
At believeRX, we maintain your complete medication record, including over-the-counter medications, providing you a single, complete source for all your medications, reducing the potential for a dosage error. We also send you friendly reminders when you’re due for a refill.
believeRX is completely committed to improving the overall health of every member of your family and is equally committed to serving our senior community. And while generic drugs may help you to save money, there shouldn’t be anything generic about your selection of a pharmacy. Choose your pharmacy professionals as carefully as you select your other healthcare professionals. Select one that you can trust and then make them an important part of your total healthcare team.
Discover the difference that believeRX can make in every member of your family and a new level of compassionate caring that you may have thought no longer existed in today’s often generic medical marketplace.
believeRX… “Raising the Bar in Pharmacy”
believeRX
9627 Countryside Center Lane
Knoxville, TN 37931
865.214.6672
www.mybelieverx.com.