[DeusXM]

Jesus, I don't know how you guys cope. All I do is email my doctor (specifiying what and how much of it I need) to issue another repeat prescription, pick it up and take it to the chemists' and then go home with my stuff. Technically the chemists' also does a repeat pick-up and delivery service so I might just sign up for that.

[JediSkipdogg]

Originally Posted by camjen1

I have to go every 12-13 days! I would love to get into the mail order but don't know where to start or who to even go with. Any suggestions?

For mail order to get the best supplies you need to ask your insurance company who they deal with. Most insurance companies have their own mail order company they deal with for the best deals. You then simply either pay for 3 months at once or they sometimes give you a discounted rate. I find this as the best way to go and the least hassle. They usually always round up as well, so if you need 123 strips a month, they will either send you 150 or 200 (mine only ships in 100 strip boxes.)

[spike]

Originally Posted by poodlebone

I get my medications from various places. I get my Levoxyl from Drugstore.com and just pay for it, not through insurance. I started that a couple of years ago when the local stores said I had to take a generic, and I'd get a different brand every time. I discovered it was cheaper to get 3 months of my preferred brand name at a time from Drugstore.com.

I get my Advair inhalers (and was also getting Lipitor & fosinopril, which I no longer take) from Caremark, the pharmacy benefits provider for my insurance. I get 3 months at a time for 2 months co-pay.

I was always afraid of doing my diabetes stuff mail order, especially insulin. But I think I might start. Last month I brought in a new prescription for test strips to my usual pharmacy (one of a big local chain). The script was for 300 strips, my doctor wrote "test 10X a day, insulin pump" on it. When I picked it up the pharmacist only gave me 200 and insisted that's all my insurance will pay for. I knew that was a lot of **** and called my insurance, who put me through to Caremark. The woman there said that there is no limit on the strips and that the pharmacist never even tried to put it through for 300, he just put it in as 200 from the start. I went back and had another big fight with him (a total arrogant jerk) and got the other box of 100.

Today I go back there with my script for Humalog, 2 vials. My idiot PCP had written "50 units daily" on it because she insisted she had to write a dosage. I went to pick it up later and only got 1 vial. The pharmacist (another one, same store) said that's all they pay for. I tell herno, I've been getting THREE bottles and cut it down to two. She put sit through again, gives me 2 bottles and charges me 2 co-pays. I refuse it, call Caremark, and I'm told that they have to enter it as 30 days even if the doctor's instructions end up being less than 2 vials/month. I tell the pharmacist what Caremark said, she insists she has to enter the dosage like my doctor wrote and that 2 vials = 40 days supply. WTF?! So what, if I need 30 days are they supposed to open a vial and give me half of it? I took the script to another store (Walgreens) and they tried the same thing so I took it back.

I see my CDE on Monday. I'm getting a new script for 2 vials a month, 3 months at a time and I'm sending it to Caremark. I'm also getting a new script for my strips. I can't stand dealing with that pharmacy anymore. There used to be one pharmacist who was there all the time and was always really helpful and went out of her way to look things up for me.

I'm still nervous about getting insulin via mail order but I'll give it a try. I have my meds delivered to my job so I know it won't be sitting in front of my door all day, or returned to the UPS warehouse because I wasn't home.

sounds similar to what happened to me with Precision Rx and a screwed-up Rx written by my doctor. He got the quantity wrong and when I called Precision to get a refill of my 90 day supply they didn't indicate that the quantity had changed from the previous 2 years of filling it. When the package arrived I found just one box of meds instead of the usual 3. I figure, no problem, I'll call and get it straightened out. WRONG! They said the doc wrote it for 30 days instead of 90. To which I replied, "so he made an honest mistake--call him and then you guys can send me the rest of the meds for my $80 copay". "No way", they said. We can't modify the order.

That's when the fun began: I call their "resolution department" to discuss the fact that I ordered a 90 day supply, they are in the business of filling 90 day orders, and what they sent was a 30 day supply. The best they could do was tell me to call Bluecross and fill out a form to get back PART of my copay. I paid $80 for 3 months supply, which means I normally pay $26 per month. Now I just paid $80 for ONE month, so I'm out $54. They said I could get back only $40. Where's the justice in that??

So I call BC and fill out the forms. Denied.

I go to my doctor's office and have them talk to Precision about the mistake. They tell me that Precision is NUTS, because they refused to correct the problem that the doctor admitted was his fault.

Then I go through a formal complaint process with Bluecross and get a denial letter with the name of the California department that I can file ANOTHER complaint with because BC denied my request.

I call DMH in Sacramento and tell them my issue and they give me a case number.

More than a month later I get a letter from the state telling me that BC has agreed to reimburse me.

Several months and a few phone calls and still no credit to my charge card for the amount they owe me.

More calls to the state and now THEY are po'ed at Bluecross for not complying with the order to pay me back! They tell me that they will have a supervisor get involved with making BC pay up. Finally, after too many phone calls, I get a call from the state telling me that BC will issue me a check...which I did receive...about 5 months after Precision ripped me off.

Now when I order that same med, I make SURE it's going to be filled for the correct quantity! In fact, I'll be getting that med any day in the mail...it better be right!

[duck]

I'm kinda lucky, I guess. I've been going to the same pharmacy for about three years now, and they know me by name when I show up. The couple of times there has been a small snafu there, they take my side and work it out with the insurance later.

I have started using the mail-order for my "dry" drugs, the ones that require liquid to swallow. eg, my strips and my thyroid pills. I too am paranoid about getting insulin shipped via UPS on a HOT, brown truck.

[poodlebone]

Originally Posted by duck

I'm kinda lucky, I guess. I've been going to the same pharmacy for about three years now, and they know me by name when I show up. The couple of times there has been a small snafu there, they take my side and work it out with the insurance later.

I have started using the mail-order for my "dry" drugs, the ones that require liquid to swallow. eg, my strips and my thyroid pills. I too am paranoid about getting insulin shipped via UPS on a HOT, brown truck.

I used to go to a small, independent pharmacy that my mother worked in. She would get my stuff and then I could pick them up at her apartment whenever it was convenient for me. Her bosses would do whatever they had to in order to make sure I got what I needed. They didn't charge me the co-pay for my test strips because they got a good deal on those. MY mother moved several years ago and going to that pharmacy isn't an option, since it's not in my neighborhood and their hours are my work hours.

I really am nervous about getting insulin via mail order so maybe I will have my CDE write for 66 units/day (maybe I'd better make her write 66.67, just so they can't say I'm getting an extra 8 hours worth of insulin, and have to pay an extra month's co-pay). But, I will not be going back to that pharmacy. My boss recently took his prescriptions somewhere else due to problems he was having at the same place, with the same idiot pharmacist who screwed with my strip prescription. I think I will get the test strips via mail order, though. So far Caremark has been good about getting me pills & inhalers.

[notme]

I lie!!! When the doc asks me how much I use a day, I add at least 20u a day for error. I ran into the exact same issue and now get my insulin mail order. By adding the twenty units I get about two extra bottles for a three month supply. Insane....

[lgvincent]

Originally Posted by Tim_Roy

I think the insurance providers do this bit so that you'll go mail-order on the more expensive insulins. I've had major grief between Costco and Medco. No shock, since Medco sees Costco as a competitor rather than a vendor or partner.

Unfortunately, I use a mail-order pharmacy and they will only send me a 30-day supply of the drugs I use and only 1 vial of insulin per month, even though the prescription clearly said 2.

[lelggren]

I have had no bad luck with getting stuff yet. But, I am able to get my pump supplies and strips from my work, so that makes that easy. My insulin is mail order, but they send it in this nice foam package, and then it is packed with 2 ice packs. So, I am never worried about bad insulin.

I am so glad that the only pharmacutical contact I have is for my metformin and my birth control. I fill them monthly, and then get the hey out of there....lol

As for insulin rx's, I don't think that my dr has ever had to provide specific doses. Just the vial quantities. I get 3 vials/month. My dr. writes the rx for a bigger amount than my usual needed 2 vials just because you never know, and also because I told him I like to keep extra on hand.

I am sorry that so many have had such troubles with these things!! It is something we just shouldn't have to worry about!