fertility news

The treatment of infertility can seem overwhelming to patients because it often requires using many medications with different routes of administration. For example, some medications may be taken by injection, either into the muscle (IM) or under the skin (sc) while others are taken orally. Some of the medications are expensive, costing thousands of dollars per cycle without insurance coverage and if there is insurance coverage it may limit or cap the amount allowed for medications or force patients to use drugs unfamiliar to them. Moreover these drugs are commonly not in stock at the local pharmacy and require additional time to order. Fertility treatment is stressful enough so any help a patient can get with medications or dealing with insurance companies is usually welcomed.

A fertility pharmacy, also known as a specialty pharmacy, is different from the usual pharmacy because of the drugs they sell. These are typically for specific conditions such as infertility, arthritis or cancer. These drugs are often expensive, injectable drugs that require more patient teaching and support. Specialty pharmacies understand the complexities of infertility treatment and offer a range of customer services by a trained team of professionals that includes pharmacists, registered nurses and insurance coordinators.

Services offered by specialty pharmacies often include the following:

Medications

• They have all infertility medications in stock
• They can offer better pricing or participate in programs such as DesignRX http://www.designrx.net/index.html to help those without insurance coverage
• They can deliver your medications based on your cycle start dates and/or ship them overnight if necessary
• They can provide supplies such as syringes, based on your individual needs and those preferred by your physician or clinic
• They can specially mix (compound) drugs your physician may require that are not commercially available

Customer Service

• Customer service is available 24 hours/ day 7 days/ week online or by telephone
• They provide insurance counseling and will work with your insurance company to get you the best coverage
• They provide services for egg donors designed to protect the anonymity of both donors and recipients
• They offer online chats with pharmacy representatives

Patient Education

• They provide general information about infertility and infertility procedures
• They provide help with injection technique in print and often video clips as well
• They may have a library of articles on infertility
• They may provide a list of suggested reading or books on infertility
• They have Care Coordinators, usually trained infertility nurses, to answer patient’s medication questions and concerns or to review injection technique
• They provide website links to American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), patient advocacy groups Resolve and AFA and pharmaceutical manufacturers

Some of these pharmacies participate in DesignRx Managed Cash Program. DesignRx is dedicated to negotiating the very best value for infertility medications, among others. The Program is specifically designed for patients who do not have insurance coverage for certain medications. There is no cost or obligation to join and you can enroll online or with one of the network pharmacies. The savings will vary depending on the place of purchase however you should consistently save between 15%-25%. If you would like more information about this program visit the website at: http://www.designrx.net/index.html