[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by Janie123

Not so… my wife was a cancer patient at the Mayo in JAX. Occasionally she needed a drug that was not available at CVS, usually very expensive ones. For example, one she needed a few times was to increase her blood cell counts before chemo treatments. It was an injection and I think was in the $5k range. We either picked them up at the Mayo pharmacy before we would leave and we had to wait for insurance approval) or they would send the injection via FedEx. Also, she was on feeding into her port post surgery. OptionCare was the pharmacy and considered “specialty”. The closest one is in Gainesville. They would ship via their own carrier in refrigerated boxes.

How is that "not so" to what I posted. You had a legitimate need for post chemo injections of either Epogen or Neupogen or both, and this is not generally stocked in a retail pharmacy. My post was referring to quacks that prescribe eye of newt and chicken blood and howling at the moon. It's a whole different thing.

[Karmanng]

Originally Posted by John Mayes

What’s a specialty pharmacy?

compounding for sure

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

Please define "specialty pharmacy". And please tell that it is NOT a place where alternative medicine quacks utilize questionable pharmacy practices in order to dupe unsuspecting patients into ingesting their crap. Please, tell me it is not so. Please.

GE...... I wish I didn't start this thread. It was very innocent on my part as I was just asking for my BIL. He doesn't even know what is meant by "specialty pharmacy". He is going to find out the next time he sees the person who asked in the first place. Sorry if I have caused any confusion.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Two Bills

A specialty pharmacy provides medications used to treat rare or complex health problems. Many times, these meds aren't used by many people, so a local pharmacy wouldn't keep them in stock.
Google.

Ah ha. I didn't even think to Google that term. Smart move. Thanks.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

Ah ha. I didn't even think to Google that term. Smart move. Thanks.

As I read the responses in this thread, I'm learning what a specialty pharmacy is. Many thanks for the information to those who have responded.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

GE...... I wish I didn't start this thread. It was very innocent on my part as I was just asking for my BIL. He doesn't even know what is meant by "specialty pharmacy". He is going to find out the next time he sees the person who asked in the first place. Sorry if I have caused any confusion.

I was interested in what a specialty pharmacy was as well, never heard the term. Compounding pharmacies of course, but specialty I’ve never heard. My concern was whether it was a haven for all the quacks out there

[virtue51]

If your brother-in-law needs a specialty drug, he can obtain from the major chains such as CVS. He would need to speak to the pharmacist who can advise him on how the drug is ordered, special handling of the drug may be required, or other special instructions for taking the drug.
etc.

[jamorela]

Originally Posted by FredJacobs

There is a huge difference between a specialty pharmacy and a compounding pharmacy. A specialty pharmacy manages patient care and support for patients with complex and chronic conditions - usually a very small percentage of the population - who require meds that are much too expensive for the local pharmacy to keep in stock.

A compounding pharmacy will create a capsule, per a doctor's prescription, usually with a blend of different meds.

Lake Sumter Landing pharmacy, under previous ownership, compounding capsules. It's worth a call to find out if they still do.

I called them. They said they do not.

[Happydaz]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

I was interested in what a specialty pharmacy was as well, never heard the term. Compounding pharmacies of course, but specialty I’ve never heard. My concern was whether it was a haven for all the quacks out there

“Specialty Pharmacy” is a term in the dispensing of expensive therapies such as chemotherapy. I worked in biotech for many years and these pharmacies served an important role in getting patients their cancer medicine. These were mail order pharmacies that handled all the insurance authorizations and shipped out the product to the patient. Many times if the patient went to a local retail pharmacy they were told that our product was not covered. The specialty pharmacy knew that although the drug was oral it was covered by Medicare part B due to special circumstances. The cancer clinic called the specialty pharmacy and all was taken care of. The specialty pharmacy contacted the patient’s insurance company and educated them on Medicare coverage. (Part B) The patient was no longer in a state of panic about having to pay $2,000 a month for their cancer drug.

[Lisanp@aol.com]

To the OP, If the person asking is considering opening one in/near The Villages, I think it is a great business proposal. If they need one, I'm sorry to hear that but don't know where the closest one to the new section would be. To all others, just hope that you never need to find out what one is because then you have some serious health condition which requires very complex treatment to attempt to manage it and a retail pharmacy will not be able to help you.

[MillerD]

Hi. A specialty or compound pharmacy is in Brownwood. The name is Scripts.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

I was interested in what a specialty pharmacy was as well, never heard the term. Compounding pharmacies of course, but specialty I’ve never heard. My concern was whether it was a haven for all the quacks out there

No worries. I get it.

[Happydaz]

///

[Bobro44]

Originally Posted by Happydaz

///

Very useful thread, so thanks for asking Mr. Bean. With aging and new ailments, we frequently find ourselves negotiating new, confusing, challenging meds and prescriptions and procedures, so every little bit of new/extra information helps. Thanks, also, to all those with experience and information shared with us.

[Riversong]

I use a specialty pharmacy to obtain a newly released Parkinson's medication that costs so much that my insurance will not cover it yet. They enrolled me in a special program so that I only pay $20 a month for my supply. Mine is through Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy and is done entirely online. I hope this helps.