Prescriptions while on the road?

I have normal insurance and pharmacy filled meds just like most people.

I asked my doctor for another script, 90 day supply, he did, and I took it to Costco and told them “no insurance, cash price please” and they filled them for just 2 or 3 dollars more than my copay is normally. That gave me a 3 month cushion at an extremely good cost.

I did use the Good RX app for the best price too. You definitely should use Good RX

I have the same problem with CVS, as its sister firm Caremark is the Pharmacy Benefits Manager (PBM) for my wife's State health insurance plan.

Their computer automatically either sends a refill order to the pharmacy when 80% of the prescription or time since last refill have elapsed. If there's no refills left, it automatically sends a refill request to my prescribing MD's e-Rx system, where the overworked nurse sees that it's a maintenance medication AND AUTOMATICALLY approves the refill.

This is DESPITE my written instructions to BOTH my Caremark account, my local CVS pharmacy, and my MD's SPECIFICALLY asking them to refuse automatic refills.

{RANT ON} Their reasons: the local CVS says they can't control the national computer; my MD says that they don't send refill requests to the pharmacies anymore, but wait for an automated request from them; and national CVS does the automated "scheduled refill" "as a courtesy to their patients who can't keep track of so many prescriptions" -- HORSEHOCKEY! The MD's are just getting lazy and national CVS is doing this to boost their sales. {RANT OFF}

I would say that you probably should have looked up CVS's 800 number and called them to check on the prescription. I had a similar situation where I received a call from CVS indicating that I had a prescription that was being ready for shipment. I called the 800 number on my CVS prescription card and they verified they did have one that they were processing to ship. I've found out why and had the shipment cancelled.

Over the last few years I have been getting medications from CVS / Caremark. They are my medical plans choice for prescriptions. Once in awhile I forget to take my medicine, so some medications I take I have wound up with a small surplus. I had not refilled my cholesterol medication and CVS contacted my doctor saying that I had not been taking it. I still had an existing refill from a local store for 90 days. Yes, my medical plan allows for 30 or 90 day refills at a CVS store at the mail order price.

The reason they were processing a prescription for me because I had not refilled it by the time that they thought that I should have refilled it. I had not refilled it because I wasn't running low and still had about 80 pills and a month left on the current prescription. They called to tell him that I was a bad boy and got a new prescription from the doctor for mail order, but they did not do that for my two blood pressure pills and my Omeprazole that I take for acid reflux.

I have since called in my last local refill about a week before the prescription ran out so now I have about 140 pills left. That should last me long enough until I see the doctor again and get him straight about my medication orders. They always either hand right my prescription or call it in to the local pharmacy. I have never done mail-order through CVS. So now I have a prescription on file for mail order that I can feel when I need it. So in my case it wasn't fraud I really did have a shipment being processed from CVS and didn't need it. CVS and my doctor screwed up.

One bit of caution ...

I got an E-mail appeared (almost) to be from CVS (Several Alarm Bells)
Your Order is out for shipment

I have not ORDERED anything from CVS in.. well how old is the company years (In sort I have NEVER ordered anything from CVS) Store pick up yes (in store shopping) but order for shipment NEVER.

Nearly as good as the time Bank of America Security (NOT) wanted my log in info cause they were having problems accessing my account to clear up some security issues.... Well my account is very secure.. it is also NOT at Bank of America :)

tried to report the idiot but won't go thru
bumpy

I went to a local doctor just for a prescription and went to Walmart just to find out they accept my old prescription.

When I order refills from CVS Caremark, one of the standard questions is “where is this to be shipped?” My home is the default answer but I have the option to get it at the campground. I always alert the campground office with a note IN WRITING that I’m expecting medicine by mail.

OleManOleCan wrote:

doghouseman wrote:
How do you guys handle getting prescriptions on the road?

Find a local doctor or try and do it all through the mail?

It came be a bit aggravating walking around in Walmart for an hour waiting for a prescription to be filled, BUT...
.

I used to use walmart for Rxs until one day my Dr faxed? a RX to them, then I drove to the WM and was told it would be 2 hours. I then switched to Sam's club and get prompt service there. the walmart pharmacy is like a zoo, too many patients, too few pharmacists.
bumpy

doghouseman wrote:
How do you guys handle getting prescriptions on the road?

Find a local doctor or try and do it all through the mail?

It came be a bit aggravating walking around in Walmart for an hour waiting for a prescription to be filled, BUT...

There is a Walmart within a stones throw of most camp grounds.
CVS and Walgreens are in most cities... Easy to use.

If you have planned ahead your pharmacy and Dr. can arrange for your prescription needs to be met.

Crowe wrote:
I never travel for more than 2 weeks at a time but ran into an issue where my script ran out while I was away. Insurance rules wouldn't allow them to refill more than a few days before my current supply ran out. CVS is our main pharmacy so we had it filled at the nearest one. Our insurance is CVS Caremark and they encourage 90 day refills as it's actually less costly overall to do so. Less paperwork, less bottles to fill, etc.

at Sam's club pharmacy, when I need a RX when I will be on the road, they request a vacation exemption or some such from Aetna so they can refill early. would work great if trips are only 2 weeks.
bumpy