Your specialty pharmacist is an important member of your extended healthcare team. When you are first connected with a specialty pharmacy, ask for a direct number. Introduce yourself to the pharmacist and get their name – you may be able to be redirected to the same person in the future should you need to troubleshoot any problems.
The pharmacist can also help you understand important aspects of your prescription. For example, they can identify the tier for the medication and advise of any continual or renewing requirements (such as a prior authorization). Furthermore, if medications require bloodwork or additional paperwork, the pharmacist can guide you to what and how frequently it is needed per your plans policy.
A specialty pharmacy will try to communicate with your prescribing provider’s office via fax to obtain records such as bloodwork or prior authorizations. Unfortunately, often faxes from specialty pharmacies may be sent to a centralized fax hub within your healthcare institution and can be lost in the void of paperwork. Remember, you are an important conduit between the specialty pharmacy and your prescribing provider – connect them to each other by providing the specialty pharmacy your provider’s office line, direct fax line, and be sure to request copies of important correspondence in case they get lost in the shuffle. You should proactively call the providers office if the pharmacy is needing anything from them to prevent delay in receiving the medication. The providers office can also expedite the process from their end too.