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New Ulm Medical Center

NUMC institutes new prescription refill policy

If you are a person who takes medications, you know how important it is to take them as prescribed for maximum effectiveness. This becomes increasingly complicated if you have multiple medications to manage. It can be all too easy to not realize that you are on the last refill of a prescription or that your prescription has run out with no refills left. This can garner a last-minute call to your provider’s nurse which sets in motion a flurry of activity which, in many cases could be avoided.

New Ulm Medical Center recently implemented a new procedure that is designed to help patients stay on top of prescription refills and avoid a last-minute scramble to get them filled.

The new process includes:

  • The patient will tell the nurse which medications they will need when they come in for a clinic visit.
  • The patient is encouraged to schedule future appointments before they leave the clinic.
  • Patients are encouraged to call their pharmacy if they need a refill (rather than the clinic). In most cases, if a patient calls the provider, they will be transferred to the pharmacy.
  • Patients are to call the pharmacy to find out when they can pick up their medication.
  • Patients should bring all their medications with them to all of their appointments.

A key component of this new process is that, when it is necessary, patients will be encouraged to make their next appointment before they leave the clinic at their current appointment.

“This will help ensure that patients are all set until their next appointment giving the patient peace of mind and eliminating last minute refills,” said family medicine physician Kara Jorve, MD, one of the providers who worked to develop this new process. “This new process is going to have the dual benefit of making sure our patients get their prescriptions when they need them and freeing up our nursing staff to take care of other patient care issues.”

For more information about how this new procedure may affect you, talk to your provider at your next clinic visit.