October 1, 2020

Pharmacists are on the front lines of health care. Due to our accessibility, we are often consulted as the first healthcare professional during a medical episode. As people age, they may have more areas of concern related to their minds and bodies. There are many ways in which we and our staff can be of service.

We check for drug interactions and allergies each time a prescription is filled. If there is a problem we contact the prescriber to discuss a change in medication. If a patient is experiencing a side effect, we either suggest a change or let the patient know if the side effect is only temporary and will diminish over time.

Our pharmacy also provides blood pressure and blood sugar screenings. It is important to keep a close check on these. Uncontrolled hypertension can cause stroke, heart disease, renal failure or even dementia due to hardening of the arteries. Uncontrolled blood sugar can cause diabetic coma which is a life-threatening emergency. Over time it can cause heart disease, renal disease and diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage).

We also help our patients by offering enrollment in our MedSync program to ensure they get all their medications filled at the same time. This cuts down on trips to the pharmacy and missed medication doses. We are starting a new program to help educate our Medicare Part D patients and those new to Medicare Part D about the options available to them. There are many things that have to be considered when choosing a plan such as: monthly premiums, co-pays, yearly deductibles, medication coverage and subsidy eligibility and our new program will help educate our patients on these important areas.