BURLINGTON, Vt. – When Marty Irons started as a pharmacist 25 years ago, a customer with five prescriptions was exceptional.
"Now it is very common for seniors to have 12 or more. I had a patient yesterday who has 21 medications," said Irons who works at Beauchamp & O'Rourke, a pharmacy in Rutland, Vt..
Customers with multiple prescriptions end up with numerous refill dates, resulting in many trips to drug stores to pick up medications.
The remedy is pharmacy synchronization, which allows pharmacists like Irons to adjust refill dates so customers can pick up all their prescriptions on the same day. To adjust refill dates, pharmacists need to partially fill some prescriptions — and that takes cooperation from insurance companies.
Republican state Sen. Kevin Mullin proposed legislation last winter that would have required insurance companies to cover partial refills of medications for chronic conditions when pharmacists are synchronizing prescriptions.
"I put the legislation in to start the conversation," Mullin said, noting that Connecticut has such a law.
The bill prompted both Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont and MVP Health Care to say they would voluntarily allow "short scripts" and to pro-rate the co-payments that their members need to pay.
"It is always good when you don't have to do legislation and people do the right thing," Mullin said.
Officials from both insurance companies said they were still working on setting up a simple way for pharmacists to enter a code that would signal that partial refills are being requested to synchronize prescriptions.
Some pharmacists implemented synchronization programs without waiting for a law or insurance company programs — negotiating partial refills individually with insurance companies.
"We have done a lot of outreach to people," Jill Donahue, pharmacist and owner of the Northfield Pharmacy. She has one staff member who identifies customers who might benefit and offers to reorganize their refills to fall on one date.
"Once people get lined up, it is a very easy program," Donahue said.
Ashley Hudson of Northfield is one of the customers helped by the Northfield Pharmacy's prescription simplification program.
She has four medicines she takes daily and she described her past refill schedule as "absolutely a hassle."
"I'm really busy at work," said the nurse who works at residential care facilities. She sometimes missed refilling prescriptions and sometimes experienced physical side effects from missed dosages.
Northfield Pharmacy suggested synchronization.
"The great thing is they will call" just prior to the date when her prescriptions need to be refilled, she said. "They ask me if there have been any changes" and then tell her when she can pick up all her medications.
"Since I have gone to this system, I haven't had the missed doses," Hudson said. She added that her husband takes eight medications. "It has been really helpful to him, too."
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