Why Ann Arbor Saline Dermatology (Sometimes) Uses Specialty Pharmacies
To save our patients money !
Everyone has experienced the rising costs of medications at their local pharmacies, especially at national chains. You have probably been to the doctor and received a prescription, only to go to the pharmacy where the cost of the medication is $50-100 or more.
This then results in many phone calls and faxes between you, the pharmacy, your insurance company, and your doctor as they all try to get the medication approved. In some cases, it isn't possible, and you have to try a new medication, or end up paying a lot of money out of pocket for the medication you need.
Everyone would love to avoid this process in advance; unfortunately, it seems that insurance companies change drug coverage daily making it a difficult situation to avoid all the time.
At Ann Arbor Saline Dermatology, we are always looking to find the best medications for our patients at the best prices possible. When we use certain specialized medications, you may have noticed that we use a specialty pharmacy such as Apotheco, MedCenter, or BioMed. We do this because it drastically reduces the prices of medications for our patients, especially those who have high pharmaceutical deductibles.
What happens when we prescribe to a specialty pharmacy? They receive the prescription, like any other pharmacy. These pharmacies either compound the medications in-house or obtain them at a contracted rate much better than most pharmacies. They then are willing to pass on the cost savings to our patients. The medication is typically mailed to your doorstep, saving you a trip to the pharmacy.
The next time you schedule an appointment at Ann Arbor Saline Dermatology and need a prescription for a dermatology medication, ask if sending it to a compounding pharmacy makes sense for you.