Prescriptions are written for a specified period of time. Our patients are expected to schedule a follow-up appointment with our office prior to your prescription expiring. In order to provide quality care, our physicians need to monitor your condition and ensure your compliance with prescribed medications. This is only accomplished if you are seen on a regular basis. We reserve the right to deny any prescription that is not in the best medical interest of the patient.
Please know that with each refill request we may need to pull your chart, verify current treatments, verify dates, and make physician decisions, all before being able to safely prepare your prescription and submit it to the pharmacy of your choice. At that point we are often asked to authorize changes by the pharmacy or, more commonly, your insurance.
Please be aware that each refill takes, on average, 6-8 minutes of staff time per prescription. When you do need a refill of an existing prescription written by us, please be aware of the following:
Obtaining a Refill:
- Please, do not call our office directly for a refill. We are unable to fill prescriptions requested in this manner.
- Call your pharmacy and request a refill request to be sent through computer via “Sure Scripts” to our office. Sure Scripts sends us the pharmacy requests on computer.
- Some medications cannot be called into the pharmacy, and you must pick them up from our office. (E.G. Ritalin, Adderall, Vyvanse, Concerta and others classified by government as Controlled and needing government printed prescriptions).
- Certain prescriptions provided without an office visit, may be subject to a fee. This fee may not be covered by insurance or managed care plans.
- Please read this post about medication coverage denials by insurance companies, managed care and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
- Prescriptions may take 48 to 72 hours to be processed and refilled. So please allow yourself at least two to three days to get the medication filled. Please plan ahead if the prescription is due on a weekend or holiday, and give us enough time to prepare the prescription.
- Requests for same day or walk-in refills (requested by walking into the clinic) will not be honored. You must give the staff 48 to 72 hours to prepare the prescription. We process prescription requests after 3 PM. Please do not keep calling to check when we will refill as that is not necessary.
- There will be no refills on weekends or after hours by any of our on-call physicians or providers for any reason. The on-call providers are to be called for emergencies only.
- Any change to your medication treatment plan (increasing or changing medications) will not be made over the phone. It will require a follow-up visit for re-evaluation.
- If your prescription runs out early for any reason (i.e., you take more than is prescribed or you lose your prescription/medication), your provider will not prescribe extra medication for you or give you an early refill. If you run out of your medicine early, you will have to wait until the next prescription is due. If you need medicine in an emergency, you will have to go to a local emergency room.
- If your prescription is stolen, please file a police report and bring us a copy of it. In this case we may consider refilling your medication. Please do not file false reports to obtain medications.
- In most instances follow up appointments are required at least every three months (90 days) especially if you are receiving psychiatric medication.
- If your ADD or ADHD prescriptions are not covered by insurance, out of stock, or expired, they will not be filled without the patient returning the of original prescription to the office.
- Common potential side effect of psychiatric medications therapy may include dry mouth, nausea, constipation, rash, increased drowsiness, blurry eyes and allergic reactions.
- If you think that you are having an allergic reaction to a medication, please go to the nearest emergency room immediately.
