One of my patients came for her regular visit a few weeks ago, and like a Mom–like any Mom–she started talking about her son. She said her son is out of a job right now; he got laid off because of the coronavirus pandemic. She said that she was concerned that her son needed to be on some sort of prescription medication due to his health conditions. Her son did not have enough money to buy any of his medications without insurance at the pharmacy. She was kind of going on a long rant–understandably so. I felt rude to stop her, but I pretty much raised my hand and said, “I can buy it wholesale!”
She just stopped her tearful words mid-sentence looked at me and said, “What do you mean wholesale?”
Wholesale is correct. I have access to purchase wholesale medication for patients. Whether they want it at a reduced cost because they don’t have insurance. Or they do not want to suffer the embarrassment or hassle of going to a pharmacy to pick it up (think erectile dysfunction medication). Or they don’t want their insurance company to know (think preexisting conditions). Or they do not, like many of us, want to expose themselves to other sick people in the middle of a pandemic. I can offer medications at near cost, you pay for shipping and handling (a small fee for my labels and time).
For some patients this is as simple as booking a 10 minute visit for a fee of $70, in person or virtually, to start the process.
So my patient’s son came to see me. He had a good chat about what medications he needed. He loved the price of the medication–considerably cheaper than his regular pharmacy. He was happy with my by appointment only policy. I even told him I do curb side delivery when his medications come in!
