Jim Murrell is a well-respected transplant patient advocate. Recently, he had the experience that many have had in accessing life-saving medications. The insurance suddenly stopped covering his medications at a trusted pharmacy.
Like Jim, I prefer to get my child's specialty medications from the pharmacy that has been handling his medications for years. I don't have to take the risks of delays and lack of temperature control. I've never experienced issues in getting my child's medications at our trusted hospital pharmacy. A transplant patient's life relies on medications every 12 hours.
Upon being forced to mail-order, many patients find they are met with challenging hoops to jump through and numerous barriers to accessing medications.
Some of Jim's issues begin in the same way as many others. The initial communication barriers and incapability of the PBMs and their pharmacies to understand simple patient information can be a major hurdle.
When compared to our trusted pharmacies, the PBMs mail-order pharmacies that many are forced to use are really not special at all.
I am greatly concerned about the many patients with chronic conditions, those with learning disabilities, caregivers, or patients who are elderly who are trying to navigate these complex systems that provide an unacceptable, minimal, and hazardous level of "care." How many just give up?
Please share your story: loretta@uniteforsafemeds.com