Have you ever had a medication review?
If you’re like most adults in the U.S., you probably take one or more prescription medications. From birth control to blood pressure to bacterial infections to fighting disease, there are countless reasons why you might take a prescription medication.
Prescription use fast facts:
- 66% of the U.S. population (more than 191 million) take at least one prescription medication.
- For those who take prescription medications, the average number per person is four.
- Prescription drug use increases with age — 18% of children vs 85% of adults 60 and up.
Thank goodness for pharmaceuticals — they’ve opened up a whole new world of health and possibility. But in a world where so many people take multiple prescriptions, there’s bound to be some risk.
That’s why we have National Check Your Meds Day. October 21st is a day set aside for raising awareness of the need for regular medication review.
More about medication review
What is a medication review?
In a medication review, you and a provider go over the details of every medication you’re currently prescribed.
Why is a medication review important?
There are a number of reasons to review your meds with a pharmacist or physician/provider. Specifically, they’ll check the following:
- Whether your prescriptions are correct
- If your dosage is optimal
- That you’re taking your prescriptions correctly (also known as “adherence”)
- Expiration dates
- Interactions and contraindications between drugs
- Which supplements, vitamins, or over-the-counter drugs you might also be taking
- Whether you have any questions or concerns
These reviews can also help catch any potential issues, like miscommunication between providers, duplicates of drugs, or things that might be causing certain medications to be less effective.
Join Sona Access, a medication support program
You can get a medication review from Sona Pharmacy when you join Sona Access. Our medication support program offers members four unique services to help you with medication adherence and support.
- Medication reconciliation: This is our prescription review program. We’ll provide you with an up-to-date list of all the prescriptions we have on record for you. This list is particularly helpful for provider office visits, helping you share your medication list with your doctors easily and making it simpler for providers to deliver better care.
- Medication synchronization: This program organizes your prescriptions into a single, regularly scheduled pickup (or delivery) to avoid the back-and-forth between pharmacies.
- Free home deliveries: If you live within 45 minutes of Sona, we’re happy to bring your medications to you!
- Care calls: Our certified pharmacy technicians will call members on a monthly basis or as needed to provide support for refills, compliance, and medication follow-up.
Questions?
We’d be happy to talk to you more about Sona Access and general medication reviews. Feel free to give us a call at (828) 298-3636.
