Are you frustrated with all the bottles in your medicine cabinet, or having to refill your pill boxes every week? Does a loved one struggle trying to remember which pills to take in the morning and which to take in the evening? If so, Lakeview Pharmacy’s compliance packaging program may be the solution you’ve been looking for. Please keep reading to learn what compliance packaging is and the benefits it can provide you or your loved one.
What Is Compliance Packaging?
Compliance packaging, also known as adherence packaging or customized medication packaging, is the process by which a pharmacy organizes medications according to a patient’s morning, afternoon and evening dosing periods. At Lakeview Pharmacy, medications for each dose are bubble packaged together in cards that are color-coded by dosing period. Each card contains a 28 day supply of medication, and the card is clearly labeled with the patient’s name, the dosing period and the medication(s) within each bubble.
Benefits of Compliance Packaging
The largest benefit that compliance packaging provides is an increase in patient safety. Since the medications for each dose are provided in separate bubbles, the burden and potential confusion of reading multiple pill bottles every day is eliminated. This is especially helpful when a prescription changes, and for patients who take medications on a non-standard schedule, e.g. one pill in the morning and two pills in the evening.
Compliance packaging also helps to increase a person’s independence. Packaging the medications in separate bubbles provides a clear indication if a dose has been taken, helping to eliminate the question of “Which pill did I take?” By simplifying a complex dosing regimen, and taking all their medications as prescribed, a patient receives the precise therapy their physician intends. This helps reduce the need for additional doctor visits or possible hospitalization.
How Does It Work?
When a patient enrolls in Lakeview Pharmacy’s compliance packaging program, our pharmacist performs a complete review of their medication profile. Duplicate therapies, harmful drug interactions and possible unnecessary treatments are reviewed with the physician to ensure appropriate care is provided.
Our pharmacist reviews the appropriate instructions for each medication and that information is submitted to our state-of-the-art robot for the filling process. Once filled, a member of our staff reviews each bubble to confirm accuracy. The bubbles are then inspected a second time by a different member of our staff to ensure the patient receives precisely what the doctor intends.
The End Result
While patient safety is paramount, and the value that compliance packaging provides is often immeasurable, the convenience it provides cannot be overlooked. Lakeview Pharmacy provides free delivery for patients in southeastern Wisconsin who are enrolled in our compliance packaging program. We normally provide the new medication set 2 to 3 days before it is needed, thus eliminating trips to the pharmacy, and the likelihood that a patient will run out of their medication. We will also save your credit card information in our secure system to process copayments and pay for medications that may not be covered by insurance.
If you or a loved one would like to simplify a complex prescription regimen and help increase the value of a medication therapy, please call 262.632.8215 or reach out to us to speak with one of our pharmacists and learn more about Lakeview Pharmacy’s compliance packaging.
