Prescriptions Are Filled And Processed In A Variety Of Ways

 Step 1

At the doctor's office, your doctor writes you a handwritten prescription or sends it electronically to your pharmacy. This might be a retail pharmacy, a clinic pharmacy, or a mail-order pharmacy.

Step 2

The pharmacist or pharmacy benefits manager (a company that administers insurance coverage of medicines) double-checks your insurance policy to verify that the drug prescribed is covered.

Step 3

Your health insurer will make one of the following decisions in order for you to be able to obtain your prescription.

You pay the co-payment as instructed by your insurance plan in order to receive the medicine your doctor prescribed.

You may receive the medicine your doctor prescribed, however, you'll have to pay a higher co-pay or a percentage of the drug's price, known as co-insurance.

You may be able to receive a therapy with comparable advantages and a lower cost to you and your health insurance, but it is not a generic version of the drug you were given.

Your health insurance may want you to try a different drug that you must fail before the insurance company will reimburse your doctor for the one he or she prescribed.

Step 4

The pharmacist will inform you about the medicine you can take and how much it will cost. Now that you know what medication to pick based on your doctor's suggestion, the price to you, and other concerns that may be significant to you, it's time to choose. To assist make this selection, speak with your doctor.

Step 5

At that point, you pick up the prescription at the pharmacy or have it sent to you. In some cases, the pharmacist may not be aware of your medication's cost until it has been filled and charged at the register.

Read our blog about What are pharmacists' responsibilities? What you didn't know about pharmacy