practicalPHARMACIST

SAVE ON GENERIC DRUGS

Administrator — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:59:21 +0000

I often get new customers that have just moved to the US from another country.

Sadly, because they are new to our health care system, they are pretty much willing to pay any amount for their medications, without any questions asked. I had one such customer come to fill prescriptions for metformin, glipizide, and lisinopril. For a three months supply of each, it was gonna cost him almost $180.

Luckily, my company had a generic drug program in place. After I explained it to him, there was no hesitation on his part. He was able to get his medications for less than $30 for the same three months’ supply. That is a savings of $150.

What’s the lesson here?

Always check with your pharmacist if there are ways you can save on your medications. The trick is finding a pharmacist that has the time/patience/willingness to help find a solution to your problem, aka a Practical Pharmacist. Ask if your pharmacy participates in a generic drug program. More and more pharmacies are doing it, so it doesn’t hurt to ask. And sometimes, this information is not always out in the open. Remember-Ask and you shall save.

FOR OTHER WAYS TO SAVE…

Get our book 99 Practical Ways to Save on Prescription Drugs to learn more tips on saving money on your medications.

If you have any specific questions regarding your medications, click here for more information on our consulting services.

SAVE ON ACIPHEX

Administrator — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:00:34 +0000

A man comes in one evening complaining that he’s been feeling lousy due to burning pain in his chest. His doctor has written him a prescription for Aciphex, a brand-name heartburn medication.

Even with his insurance, he has a copay of $80. I remember we got a coupon for that medication from the manufacturer, so I offered him one and he agreed to use it. This saves him $35 for a month supply. He now only has to pay $45, almost half off. Needless to say, he is extremely pleased for the significant saving.

What’s the lesson here?

Seek out coupons! Ask your doctor if there are coupons for your prescribed medication before you leave the office. If the answer is no, keep looking. Ask the pharmacist when you get the medication filled. We sometimes have coupons behind the counter for certain medications. Sometimes we forget they are there, so make sure to ask.

Aciphex has two coupons out right now. One is for a 14 day trial, the other is a discount of up to $35 off your copay. Click here to go directly to the Aciphex website.

You can also call the manufacturer at (800) 952-0400 if you prefer.

FOR OTHER WAYS TO SAVE…

$45 still too much to pay??? Check out 99 Practical Ways to Save on Prescription Drugs for more money-saving tips. Click here to go to the book page.

SAVE ON DIABETIC SUPPLIES

Administrator — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:58:42 +0000

Did you know in addition to filling medications, we pharmacists also fill diabetic supplies. And guess what, I can save you money on these too!

I have always been surprised when customers ask for glucose testing strips and willingly pay the regular price for them. I recently had a customer come in and ask for a box of Accu-Check Aviva strips. For 100 strips, it was gonna cost him over $100. I don’t know about you but to me, $100 is a lot of money. Yet this customer seemed ready to pay that much without resistance.

It was a slow day so I had time to see if I could save him some money. It was easy. Here’s what went down:

I simply asked my customer if he had any insurance. After showing me his insurance card, I was able to determine that his insurance did cover the strips. All he would have to pay was a $10 copay. You can imagine how happy he was after that. Before he left, he said “I could kick myself for having paid $100 a pop all these years.”

What’s the lesson here?

Always be aware of your prescription benefits from your insurance. If you are not sure, call the 800-number on the back of your insurance card and double check with them. You can always ask the pharmacist what other items are covered by your insurance. Being aware will make you a smarter consumer and you will most likely save some money along the way.

FOR OTHER WAYS TO SAVE…

Get our book 99 Practical Ways to Save on Prescription Drugs to learn more tips on saving money on your medications.

If you have any specific questions regarding your medications, click here for more information on our consulting services.

SAVE ON CRESTOR

Administrator — Sat, 02 May 2009 04:27:52 +0000

One hundred twenty five dollars, please.

Imagine hearing that when you’re picking up your prescription. This is exactly what happened to one of my customers when he came in for his Crestor, a medication used for lowering cholesterol. He had reached his limit on his Medicare drug insurance plan.

I thought about how I might be able to help him. Here’s what happened:

Sometimes, different strengths of a particular medication cost the same. In this particular instance, a 10mg tablet of Crestor cost the same as a 20 mg tablet. After consulting with his doctor, my customer decided to get the 20mg tablets and split them in half. One tablet was now going to last him two days instead of one.

What’s the lesson here?

Splitting tablets in half is a very effective way to save money on your medications. Make sure you check with your doctor or pharmacist if this is appropriate for you.

Get our book to learn more tips on saving money on prescription drugs.

If you have any specific questions regarding your medications, click here for more information on our consulting services.

SAVE ON AEROCHAMBER

Administrator — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:13:57 +0000

An anxious mother came into the pharmacy carrying her young asthmatic son on her hip.

Her son’s physician prescribed him albuterol with Aerochamber. For those who don’t know, an Aerochamber is a brand name spacer used to help the young and elderly better administer their inhaler medication. This high-priced accessory was going to cost her $75. Luckily, we had another spacer from a different manufacturer in stock which cost half as much.

What’s the lesson here?

You can apply the same money-saving tips you use on prescription medication to the purchase of medical supplies. Also, you don’t have to go with what the doctor prescribed especially if you can’t afford it. Ask your pharmacist for less costly alternatives and you might be pleased at the results.

HELLO TO SAVING MONEY ON PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Administrator — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:09:57 +0000

Our very first blog! It’s about time.

First Things First

We here at Practical Pharmacist have been agonizing over how we should begin this blog and well, we decided that we should first thank you, our audience, for taking the time to see what we’re all about.

We’re On A Mission

Besides saving you substantial amounts of money, our mission is to educate you on how to shop smart when buying prescription drugs. We’ll try our best to provide you with great content with a focus on practical information. Our philosophy is and always will be “Practicality gets the job done.” We’ll also include, for those of you who are interested, any current news about our book 99 Practical Ways to Save on Prescription Drugs as well as our consulting company.

Who in the World Are We?

Practical Pharmacist was founded by a husband and wife team, Noel and Regina (myself) Magsino. Both of us have worked in the health field for over 10 years. Noel is a retail pharmacist and I am a registered nurse. Day in and day out, we see patients struggling. We have seen what happens when patients don’t take their medications. Many times it’s not because they don’t want to take their drugs but because they can’t afford to. Fortunately, we are here, able and willing to help.

It’s All About Being PRACTICAL

Our blogs will include money-saving tips that are quick and easy to do. In one word, our tips will be PRACTICAL. Because our tips arise from Noel’s REAL transactions with customers at his pharmacy, real life circumstances will be the way in which we will introduce the tip…Sometimes a story is easiest to relate to and learn from.

We Can Do It… Together

Our hope is for you to benefit from what we have to offer, whether it be our knowledge or our compassion for those of you who are struggling. We believe that solutions can be thought up and problems can be solved if we help one another. That being said, we want this blog to be a two way street. We welcome ANY comments, questions, or complaints. Many of you have your own success stories that you would like to share. We recognize your importance and appreciate any contribution you would like to make to this blog.