On-Site Pharmacy at New Jersey Cancer Care
The convenience of on-site pharmacies in cancer care centers cannot be underestimated. They provide an opportunity for doctors to have prescriptions filled instantly so that each patient can have immediate access to their medication. These pharmacies have their unique roles to fulfill at many cancer treatment centers across the country. New Jersey Cancer Care is proud to announce that we are now implementing an on-site pharmacy of our own to provide better quality care for our patients.
The Many Benefits of an On-site Pharmacy
An on-site pharmacy has many benefits for patients, including facilitating closer relationships with the doctors and nurses on staff. Patients will also have easy, convenient access to life-saving medications and treatments for their condition. Other benefits include:
- Immediate access to all of your medications
- Improved medication management
- Direct communication between doctors and pharmacists
- More visibility and activity from oncology pharmacists for treatment
- Improved communication between patients and the pharmacists
- Direct insurance billing for drug reimbursement
Immediate Access to All of Your Medications
In many cases, patients are released and sent home with a new prescription to fill, but not everyone has easy access to a pharmacy in their neighborhood. Difficulties can also happen in cases where your local pharmacy is out of the medication or if there is a problem with wait times. Patients may also experience issues with insurance coverage as a new drug or a refill awaits approval from your provider.
Having a pharmacy on-site can eliminate the middleman and allow you to have access to your prescriptions before or on your discharge date. This is a major plus if you’re on a treatment plan that involves life-saving medications for cancer.
Improved Medication Management
Pharmacists who work on-site often have more access to education regarding medication and ways to help you manage your regimen. The pharmacists can draw on their knowledge, answer your questions, and provide you with critical information regarding what your cancer medication can do for you. Furthermore, they will have the details of any side effects you can expect to experience, or any other beneficial information. They can instruct you further about whether or not the medication should be administered with food and what you need to avoid during active cancer treatment. Your pharmacist will have special knowledge about each of your medications and their role in your cancer treatment.
On-site pharmacies help make that critical transition to home care easier for you as the patient. You can have better access to newer drugs that might have been much more difficult to administer under normal circumstances. This approach to patient care assigns accountability where it’s needed and continues to educate the public on the importance of strict compliance during cancer treatment and recovery.
Direct Communication Between Doctors and Pharmacists
Another perk of an on-site pharmacy is that there will be a greater improvement in doctor and pharmacist communications. Your doctor will have access to your patient file and recommend any needed updates to your medications. They can speak directly to your pharmacist about specific instructions on dosage and method of medication administration.
An oncology pharmacist is someone who holds a specialty in cancer care. They, in turn, will work closely with the center staff to ensure that you receive the best possible care. They can communicate directly with doctors and nurses to minimize any harmful side effects of your medications and treatments. They will work closely with your oncology team to help ensure safe and proper cancer treatment and improved outcomes of your care.
More Visibility and Activity From Oncology Pharmacists in Your Cancer Treatment
Don’t be surprised to see more of your pharmacist as time goes on! They will be making more appearances in your cancer care and will play just as vital a role as all of the doctors and nurses. In fact, they may even be seen making the rounds to every patient and treatment room.
Your oncology pharmacist will go well beyond the role of general operations during the course of your active treatment. They will do a lot more than simply prepare a treatment or fill a prescription. Thanks to recent developments in general patient care, the pharmacist has more of a say in your cancer care and can act as a liaison between you and your treatment team. They do this by closely observing your patient profile and reporting any changes in your health, for better or for worse. They can even get involved in hospital administration duties when needed.
But perhaps the best sign is that they also help you to fully understand all aspects of your cancer care. The oncology pharmacist is an expert in medication knowledge. Since medication is central to successful recovery outcomes, this is much appreciated from every perspective. Doctors and nurses may face staffing issues as more patients are diagnosed with cancer, thus tipping the ratio to more patients for every one doctor. This means that there is less time for doctors to have open and honest discussions with you about your treatments and their side effects. This is where a professional, well-trained pharmacist can step in.
A pharmacist can get involved to the point where they can fill in the gaps as a front runner in your treatment plan. They understand that the idea of cancer treatment and medication can be scary for you, and they can work with you to tweak your medications so that side effects are considerably less severe, if needed.
The rise of on-site pharmacies has given pharmacists an opportunity to take up specialties in certain aspects of cancer care. Some are now taking on critical roles as clinician-researchers in which they investigate the latest trends in cancer treatment and observe patients participating in clinical trials for side effects. Others take on roles using extensive knowledge in current treatments and assist in medication management strategies to minimize the severity of side effects.
Direct Communication Between Patients and Pharmacists
With a pharmacy on-site, you might receive advice that’s helpful with a new or current treatment. Oncology pharmacists can provide better feedback and answer questions about the latest medication or treatment in your care plan.
This is a large part of a growing trend between patients and pharmacists as they take on the roles that were once ascribed to doctors. This fills in an important gap that eases a major transition for you and allows you to co-pilot your own medical care. But there’s one thing that’s critically important, and that is where you must share your entire medical history with the pharmacist.
It is vital that you become more transparent in your medical care. You’ll need to speak with your pharmacist and be open about your treatment. This means giving them an entire list of all of your medicines, including anything that’s over the counter plus vitamin supplements. Your pharmacist will write everything down and communicate this to your treatment team. This is to ensure that you receive the best possible care without any lethal effects resulting from drug interactions.
Your narrative should include even medications and supplements you plan to take in the future. This openness allows your treatment team and your pharmacist to warn you ahead of time if you can expect any adverse drug interactions. If there are, you can work with your team on a solution to prevent this from happening.
Direct Insurance Billing for Drug Reimbursement
Direct insurance billing is a real time-saver for patients, doctors, and clinics. With more on-site pharmacies cropping up in recent years, the practice is considered to be highly worthwhile for all who are involved. Doctors and hospitals can save time and money, and patients are free from the time and aggravation of having to file a brand-new insurance claim because the billing is directly communicated to your provider by your oncology doctor. In some cases, you may end up paying absolutely nothing or a very small co-pay for your treatments.
Other Reasons to Consider an On-site Pharmacy
Have you ever considered the role of ongoing education and research in any aspect of medicine? Oncology pharmacists are now adopting that role to enhance the quality of cancer care for every patient. They are working more closely with doctors and other oncology experts on providing continuous quality cancer care.
New Jersey Cancer Care allows you access to pharmacists who are knowledgeable and can guide you through the process of cancer treatment and care. Call us or book an appointment online.
