What does pharmacies closing 3 hrs earlier (Sat. & Sun) during a pandemic do for or against the public?

Staffing and sanitation, more staff while they are open and longer time to clean and sanitize !

Encourages people to stay home instead of infecting the pharmacy.

I think they probably are having less business the last 6 months.

I can tell you my blood tests come back in one day when it used to take three.

Nothing since there are no treatments for Covid-19.

The pro is the pharmacy employees don’t have to work late on the weekends. Maybe a few places the employees had their hours cut, but I bet in most cases the pharmacists are happy about it assuming they are easily getting all their work done.

Neither.

@JLeslie In one day instead of 3 days, wow

@flo Twice now. I had blood tests about 3 months ago and again two weeks ago and both times it just took a day. It’s great getting such quick results.

@JLeslie But what’s their secret, since people still are sick with our unrelated to COVID diseases, we still need bandaids pain relievers etc. How do they manage with fewer hours?

@flo Much less contagious illness right now. Wearing masks and distancing cuts down on all colds, strep, flu, meningitis, all of it.

People are putting off going to the doctor.

More people switching to receiving medication by mail.

Fewer accidents because people are staying home more.

Fewer sports being played.

A lot of us got refunds from our car insurance because there was so many fewer claims in the system.

Plus if people need things like bandaids and first aid stuff, there’s always Walmart, Target, Costco, BJ’s, Sam’s Club.

That makes sense.

@JLeslie Do you mean delivery or by mail? I suppose by mail exists too. What if it goes by error in the wrong mailbox. I don’t know why anyone would want mediction delivered by mail unless it’s registererd, as an aside.

@flo I meant by mail. I sometimes get meds by mail, a lot of people do. Some insurance companies charge less for the drugs if you order by mail through their designated pharmacy company.

@JLeslie But why by mail? What if it goes to the wrong place?

My health insurance coordinates my prescriptions through a third party. I had some new medications in June that were filled at the local CVS; when I went for refills in July I was told, “they want you to get a 90 day supply and only by mail”.

so out of my five regular prescriptions, three are only by mail order, and two I can pick up in person at the pharmacy.

They argue that it is a lot cheaper this way. But before I had met my annual deductible, it didn’t;t seem like I was saving any money, just shifting the profit to a different company.

@flo That rarely happens. Our mail service is very good contrary to what some people say.

When you order by mail a 90 day supply usually you can order two weeks before you run out, so plenty of time for the order to reach you.

One less trip to the store, and one less risk of getting covid.

My insurance mandates you do prescriptions by mail for anything that’s for a chronic condition (in other words, a one time antibiotic or painkiller or dermatological cream or anything like that doesn’t have to be by mail). By mail, they do 90 day refills. If you refill the chronic prescription in the store, you have to pay after the first refill. Generics are free by mail, and for the one shot prescription, they’re free, too.

I take one pill and it’s generic, so I refuse to do it by mail. I just pay, and it’s about 17 dollars for a 90 day supply at Costco.

Why do (some?) insurance companies need it to be by mail? Why do they not want it to be pick up the usual way? How is it cheaper6?

@flo The insurance company has a contract with the by mail pharmacy. Express Scripts is one of the big companies that has contracts with employers. They give better pricing because they don’t pay for store fronts and they are basically giving “group” discounts.

Here’s a link. https://www.express-scripts.com/rx

Edit: I’m pretty sure my parents use Express Scripts for some medications and their healthcare is through the military, so that would mean Express Scripts has a contract with Department of Defense, which is huge if I remember that correctly.

Ok. I still don’t understand. Maybe the post office makes a major point of being careful (because it’s medication ) to deliver it to the correct address? It can still end up at the wrong address.

@flo how many packages letter have you gotten that were not addressed to you?

@flo If medication doesn’t arrive they provably would expedite more medicine. The USPS has an extremely good record; it’s very rare mail gets lost or very delayed.

@JLeslie I’m not convinced I would make that choice.

@flo Not trying to convince you, just explaining the option. I get most of my medication at the pharmacy. I don’t like the idea of the medication being in the heat while it sits in my mailbox or in freezing temperatures. Especially capsules. I think that’s a negative about the mail. Where I live now the mailbox is air conditioned.

@JLeslie I didn’t mean you were trying to convince me, just the facts don’t help me to make that choice.

How would I know whether it’ just delayed or it got delivered to the wrong address (person’s medical information very personal, legally or otherwise) gets compromised?