I use the 90 day mail order because it is generally cheaper and more convenient. I order one of my medications which I must take daily well in advance of running out. While checking tonight I find the order is on hold. After speaking with the foreign CSR it was determined that they had none in stock and none would be forthcoming. I now have the task of trying to find the medication elsewhere, contacting my physician etc. in advance of a holiday weekend. A simple email would have been nice. This is simply poor practice.

That doesn't make sense. They're a P H A R M A C Y. They're suppose to be able to get medicine. It's not like you need it for your health or something important like that.

We have TriCare for Life and get 99% of our meds at the small pharmacy on post. However, Mrs. Sigmund takes something they do not carry so she gets it at our supermarket.

They just sent her a letter urging her to start using mail in and - of course - create an account.
I told her to ignore it.

“Express Scripts” is the mail-in pharmacy for Tricare. It is a requirement to use Express Scripts for all Tricare-related prescriptions that are for long-term (longer than one month) medication needs.

Should you fail to use Express Scripts, Tricare will cease paying for the meds, and you’ll need to pay it out of your own pocket or to use another supplement.

I had an issue with mail order, so I just called my Costco. They had it, I got my Doc to send a script over.

Screw it, I paid cash, and using GoodRX for an additional discount from Costco’s low price, I happy skipped out the door. Worked for me.
.

“Express" Scripts is a clusterfuck. I'm so glad CVS bought Aetna and we no longer have to use them. I can now get 90 days at my local CVS without the 10-days of "processing" plus however long USPS takes to deliver.

quote:

Originally posted by 2BobTanner:
“Express Scripts” is the mail-in pharmacy for Tricare. It is a requirement to use Express Scripts for all Tricare-related prescriptions that are for long-term (longer than one month) medication needs.

Should you fail to use Express Scripts, Tricare will cease paying for the meds, and you’ll need to pay it out of your own pocket or to use another supplement.

I have not found this to be the case. I get my diabetes meds through tricare and pick them up at the pharmacy at Mayport's branch clinic. I'm also getting them in 90 day amounts.

Sorry to hear your bad experience with Express Scripts. I have been using them for 2 scripts, one for gout and one statin. My service has been flawless. My Doc renews the scripts every year after my annual physical.

My experience with mail order pharmacies has only been Express Scripts (Tricare Mail Order Pharmacy). Although it's worked okay most of the time, when there is a problem, I almost always have to talk to 2-3 people to get it fixed. The most common issue we've had has been not sending automatic refills on time. For example, we receive a 90-day supply, and they schedule the next refill 111 days later. Obviously, we're going to run out. This happens 2-3 times a year. It's always a hassle to call and get it changed. The second issue that we've had several times is they run out of a particular medicine and have no idea when they'll be restocked causing us to have to get the doctor to issue a new prescription to the local pharmacy (which we'd rather be using to begin with). The last issue has nothing to do with Express Scripts, but the mail order process in general. I just don't like having our medicine sitting it our 120 degree mailbox during our long summer season. I'm actually planning to call Tricare and ask what would happen if we switched back to our local retail pharmacy. We initially received a letter saying any long-term prescriptions have to come from Express Scripts, but our doctor has issued a couple of my wife's prescriptions to the local pharmacy by mistake, and Tricare has been paying. The co-pays are higher though.

My doc's office always wants to know which pharmacy I use, so that they can "send the prescription over there."

It doesn't take too many failures of the system (one is enough, usually) to teach me that the old-fashioned way just works better.

No, don't "send it over." Just give me a hard copy, I'll take it from there.

I do about half my grocery shopping at Publix. Their in-store pharmacy generally has what I need, at competitive prices. Sometimes way better than competitive, they have a list of meds that are FREE, even without any insurance.

If I need something that they don't have, there is a Costco about ten minutes from my house, and there are a bunch of independent pharmacies in the area, including a few compounding pharmacies, so if I have the prescription on paper, I can take it wherever I need to go and there are no concerns about which pharmacy the doc's office should send it to.

I have moved one prescription to Amazon Pharmacy which is scheduled to be delivered for the first time tomorrow. I called in yesterday to make an inquiry and spoke to a team based in Phoenix that was very helpful. Unfortunately, I have moved several scripts around the three pharmacies right by my house with Kroger getting the bulk. Kroger’s pharmacy customer service sucks worse than anything I’ve ever dealt with. On two occasions I’ve placed orders for refills on some diabetes meds giving them 3 days to count 30 pills or slap a label on an injectable pen. Five days and 3 visits with the only the ability to leave a voicemail and they still couldn’t get the script filled before I completely ran out of one of the meds. I’ll see what happens with Amazon, but so far they’re better than my local Kroger.

I've been using Rite Aid mostly. I contact them and let them know what Goodrx says their price is and if any of their competitors is less. They almost always find a "coupon" to come in with the best price.

quote:

I've been using Rite Aid mostly. I contact them and let them know what Goodrx says their price is and if any of their competitors is less. They almost always find a "coupon" to come in with the best price.

^^^^^^^^^^^
Good idea.I guess pharmacies have become like Mexican flea markets. Buying a car was stressful enough.

The pharmacy manager where I get most of my meds is fantastic. He recently removed one of my meds from my insurance plan. I asked him why, he told me that the cash price with GoodRx for somebody walking in off the street, was lower than the copayment on my insurance plan.

So I guess I have a great pharmacist and a crappy insurance plan.

^^^^^^^^^^
Is it an independent pharmacy?

I have express scripts but use Costco with GoodRx for anything expensive.

I have to check three prices before I go.

Example, If I use express scrips, it was $210 for 90Days.

Costco was $88 Cash Price

Good RX was cheaper but just went up to $106.

You need to ask the pharmacist before he rings it up, to check the cash price.

Some do it automatically as a courtesy some don't.

quote:

Originally posted by 2BobTanner:
“Express Scripts” is the mail-in pharmacy for Tricare. It is a requirement to use Express Scripts for all Tricare-related prescriptions that are for long-term (longer than one month) medication needs.

Should you fail to use Express Scripts, Tricare will cease paying for the meds, and you’ll need to pay it out of your own pocket or to use another supplement.

Had not happened to me in the last 15 years.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
^^^^^^^^^^
Is it an independent pharmacy?

Publix.

Thanks. Wish they would move over here. We have Walmart and some smaller stores.

Publix pharmacies are as good, or as bad, as the staff in the specific store. One that I go to has an outstanding pharmacy manager. Another location near me has a horrible pharmacist; she thought that she was smarter than my doctor, and she refused to fill a prescription.