How Does US Pharmacy System Work?

It is not easy to understand the US medical system but it is even more difficult to get into the pharmacy system. At first glance, there are no difficulties, however, upon closer examination, you can find a lot of “pitfalls”.

First you need to understand the terminology: what exactly we call a pharmacy. The residents distinguish between drugstore, pharmacy and online pharmacy.

A drugstore is a regular supermarket with a mandatory pharmacy and non-prescription drug section. But with the frames of the drugstore there may be a pharmacy selling a prescription drugs, with licensed and certified pharmacists. Such a “pharmacy” may not necessarily be located at some large supermarkets, but on its own, supplying both prescription and non-prescription medications.

One more option to buy certified medications is an online pharmacy mall. Such services offer to buy medications online that are delivered throughout the globe. The wide online catalog attracts many customers to become regulars of online pharmacies.

Despite the fact that there are a lot of pharmacies and they all actively compete with each other for the clients, many Americans prefer to be served in one pharmacy. Sometimes this attachment lasts for a very long time, for several decades. The reason for this is the complicated health insurance system in the United States.

How can Americans be served?

The pharmacy asks for approval for the client’s policy to cover a drug and bills with the client’s insurance company. You will not get your prescribed drug until the pharmacy calls your insurance and gets the approval that insurance will pay for the drug at that amount.

Depending on the type of medical insurance, the client must pay the difference to the full cost of the medicine. With such a system, it is more convenient to be served in one pharmacy, since it works directly with your insurance company and your usual set of drugs in such a pharmacy is already approved by the insurance once and for all.

On the one hand, such a system seems odd. On the other hand, if you are already attached to a pharmacy, you can get some benefits. For example, when you go to the doctor, he will not write a prescription for medicines, but will send the order straight to your pharmacy, and there they will send a courier who will bring the medicines home. It is very convenient.

The same may be done in the online pharmacy. You may visit your doctor and purchase medications at lower prices in comparison with offline drugstores. Besides, the catalog includes more drug categories as there is no need to arrange all the assortment on the show-case.

Who should work in any kind of pharmceutical service?

It is important for the parmacist to be competent. Firstly, this specialist has a complete history of your purchases at the pharmacy and can additionally make sure that you do not have any incompatible drugs. Secondly, he/she will explain how to take the drug.

The pharmacist sticks his signature for this patient: the patient’s name, address and fax number of the pharmacy, the doctor’s second name, the name of the medicine, the dose and frequency of administration, the number of tablets in the bottle, the number of refills.

By the way, when the drugs are over, you will not need to run for a new bottle: the system will work automatically and send a new portion of pills, if necessary.