Have you ever looked at the vials of prescribed medications and vitamins on your counter and wondered if you took all your pills today? Or have you had trouble reading the time and dosage instructions on the label? And let’s not forget trying to open the caps and sometimes dropping pills on the floor in the effort to extract the ones you need.
Those common pitfalls faced by people taking multiple medications sometimes result in not taking medications correctly – which can be harmful to health.
Doug Miller, owner of Miller’s Health Mart Pharmacy, has seen the adverse effects of people taking their medication improperly or simply forgetting to take it all.
The more medication a person is prescribed, the greater the chance of confusion and exclusion of one pill or another. That’s why he decided to offer his customers complimentary MedPack service which custom packages medication to help his customers take the right medication at the right time, every time.
“We offer free, organizational packaging for prescription medications, vitamins and over-the-counter medications,” said Miller. “Nothing could be easier. We sort your medications and put them in sealed, clear, plastic packets, which are arthritic approved for easy opening. Each packet is chronologically organized on tear-off strips and custom printed with the customer’s name, day and time of dose, medication names, strengths and descriptions.
“Our MedPack delivers a month’s worth of medication with the correct dosage and precise times of administration, making it easy to take control of your health. Each packet can contain up to six prescription and nonprescription medications. It takes the guesswork out of taking your pills.”
So many patients are prescribed multiple medications without good effects, and sometimes those treatment failures are not the result of medical conditions but of compliance infractions.
Medication adherence improves patients’ outcomes, yet with so many pills some patients can’t or don’t understand how to take their medication as prescribed. By simplifying the medicine regime, the patient is empowered to take their medication correctly.
“Our MedPacks offer increased confidence, convenience and safety by pre-sorting multiple prescriptions into a single package for the specified time and day,” Miller further explained.
“It’s easier for caregivers to administer and easier for seniors to adhere to complex medication regimens, both of which are essential to extending independence and health.”
Miller Pharmacy has offered compliance packaging in blister packs for years, but many have switched over to the easy-open MedPacks. Blister packaging is a method of placing doses of medication in a sheet of plastic bubbles or cups sealed with plastic, paper or foil. The main element of a blister pack is a cavity or pocket made from a thermoformed plastic, and it usually has a backing of paperboard or a lid seal of aluminum foil that can be punctured by hand.
MedPacks utilize the pouch method, where the doses of medication are sealed in small plastic pouches which are connected in a long strip. The pouch packaging simplifies adherence for patients with easy-to-read packs that clearly state the medication, dose, and time of administration. Patients no longer wonder when the nest dose is due or if they took their morning medications.
“About 40 percent of our patients that were using blister packs are now having their medications packaged into MedPacks by our pharmacy after only two months into the program,” Miller continued. “It’s all about the ease of opening the package and the clarity of understanding the time to administer the dose.”
The benefits of compliance packaging such as the MedPack are numerous. The time stamp on each packet reduces the chance of missing a dose or accidentally taking a double dose by ensuring that the medication is taken at the recommended time of day. It also helps establish a regular routine and enables the pharmacist to combine prescription drugs with over-the-counter medications such as vitamins and herbal products.
The pharmacist can separate medications that tend to interact together into a different time administration compartment to help avoid drug interactions. And if a physician changes a dose or medication, the pharmacist can make those changes to the MedPack and avoid confusing vials of the same medication at different doses or multiple versions of the same medication.
According to a one-year study by Omnicell, patients who received their medications in multidose packages had reached 90 percent adherence by the end of the trial, while patients who were taking their medications via pill bottles only had an adherence rate of 56 percent.
This study reinforced the idea that patient adherence will dramatically improve the health outcome, and compliance packaging makes it easier for the patient better results.
Miller also understands the importance of having a personal connection with his clients to achieve medication adherence. “Our staff knows our customers’ names the moment they walk in the door. We treat our customers like family and do everything we can to help them navigate insurances and prescriptions. If a medication isn’t covered by their insurance, we’ll do our best to find a coupon to lower their cost. And when someone wants to move their prescriptions to our pharmacy, we’ll take care of all of it by contacting their previous pharmacy and getting everything transferred. It’s effortless on their part. We are smaller than the chains so we can offer more personalized service.”
CVS offers a similar medication packaging service for customers. The chains SimpleDose Pill Packets contain a 30-day supply and are offered at no cost.
Miller’s Health Mart Pharmacy is a full-service pharmacy independently owned by pharmacists Doug and Sandra Miller, located at 777 37th St., Suite 100, Vero Beach. The pharmacy also is a compounding pharmacy that specializes in custom compounded prescriptions such as Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, veterinary, anti-aging and dermatological compounds.
You can reach Miller Health Mart Pharmacy at 772-778-8585 to discuss your prescription needs with a pharmacist.
