Many consumers already go to their local pharmacies any time they need prescription medications filled, knowing that their pharmacists will be able to fill the prescriptions within one day, while also providing expert advice and warnings about the medications. The Price Chopper supermarket chain, however, is taking this service to the next level by offering one-on-one patient-pharmacist consultations with its newest specialty pharmacy program, which was recently announced at the beginning of January.
The supermarket chain, which is based in Schenectady, NY, recently announced that it will be working with Aureus Health Services to get the program running. Aureus will provide the pharmacists at Price Chopper pharmacies with more resources and medical expertise, so that the pharmacists can provide in-depth guidance for patients struggling with particularly difficult medical conditions or taking certain “specialty” prescription medications for chronic conditions.
According to the Albany Times Union, this specialty service will be offered in all 83 locations where Price Chopper also has an in-store pharmacy.
Kathy Bryant, the vice president of pharmacy at Price Chopper, states that this sort of specialty service involving “collaboration with other health providers” is something that pharmacies across the country have begun implementing as part of their regular services.
As the Times Union explains, “specialty pharmacies are a growing trend, as drug makers and health insurers increasingly insist on oversight for some medications.”
These medications, commonly referred to as “specialty medications,” include prescriptions that are very expensive, have strict guidelines for taking the drug, and/or require special assistance (but not necessarily a doctor’s assistance) to be administered.
Medical facilities providing assistance and advice for specific conditions have already begun popping up, but Price Chopper pharmacies will have the advantage of being trained to administer many different medications for many different conditions.
There does not appear to be a set timeline for when Price Chopper’s 83 pharmacies will begin offering the specialty service, but due to the current success of independent specialty prescription facilities, it’s likely that the service will roll out during 2015 with minimal roadbumps along the way.
