Pharmacy Mail Service

We will work with your doctors and caregivers. We will make sure any problems you may have with your treatment are taken care of right away.

We will follow-up with you on a regular basis. Getting your medications and medical supplies in a quick and easy way is important. We will be in close contact with you during your treatment, and we will be your health care advocate.

We know treatment can be expensive. We will help you find your way around the complex health care system to know every option you have. Our relationship with insurance providers will get you the information you need and help explain your prescription and medical insurance benefits.

We offer fast and easy delivery to your home, workplace, or the location you want. A staff member will call you 5 to 7 days before your refill due date to help get you the medications you need.

A pharmacist is here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are always here to answer any questions or deal with any concerns you may have. Call us at 773-834-6245, press 0, and ask the operator to page the Mail Order Pharmacist On Call.

You will be contacted by the pharmacy team 5 to 7 days before your refill date.

• If you have an active MyChart account, you will receive a message that you are due for a refill.
• If you do not have an active MyChart account, you will receive a phone call from a team member.
• If you want to request a refill, you can request it through your MyChart account or call and speak to our staff at 773-834-7002.

If you feel that UChicago Medicine Pharmacy is not able to meet your needs, we can transfer your prescription to the pharmacy of your choice. Please have your pharmacy call us at 773-834-7002 (Option 5).

If we are no longer able to provide your medication, we will transfer your prescription to another pharmacy that can and let you know of the transfer of care.

We can deliver medication to your home, doctor’s office, or other location at no cost to you. We can also deliver other supplies, such as a sharps container.

We manage all medication refills to make sure that you, or an adult family member, can get the shipment. You or another adult must sign for each medication deliveries.

Medication that must be refrigerated is sent in special packaging to keep the right temperature during the shipping process. When you get the package, take the medication out of the box and place it in the refrigerator.

If the package is damaged or is not the correct temperature, call us at 773-834-7002.

If you have a medical emergency, call 911 to get help quickly.

If you have a reaction or side effect to your medication, contact your doctor or the UChicago Medicine Pharmacy as soon as possible.

If you believe there is an error with your medication, call us at 773-834-7002.

Sometimes generic drugs need to take the place for brand name drugs. This can happen if your insurance company wants you to use the generic, or it may be done to lower your co-pay.

Dispose of (throw away) all needles, syringes, and other sharp objects only into a sharps container. If you need a sharps container, ask our pharmacy team.

Each city has different laws on how to throw away sharps containers. Check with your city or town garbage pick-up service and health department.

Visit the website http://www.safeneedledisposal.org/

Ask your doctor if you can bring full sharp containers to throw away at their office.

There is a MedSafe Box located outside the DCAM Outpatient Pharmacy. This box allows you to dispose of medications you are no longer using.

You can also check with your city or town garbage pick-up service, or check the following websites for more information:

http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm101653.htm

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/ensuring-safe-use-medicine/safe-disposal-medicines

To dispose of a drug patch, carefully remove it by the edges and fold the patch in half, sticky sides together.

If your medication must be sent back, the pharmacy will contact you with instructions that have been given by the FDA or drug manufacturer.

In the event of a disaster in your area, contact UChicago Medicine Pharmacy at 773-834-7002 to tell us how to deliver your medication. This will make sure your therapy is not interrupted.

We want you to be completely satisfied with the care we provide. If you have any concerns with your medication, the services we provide, or any other problems with your order, call us and speak to one of our staff members.

Patients and caregivers have the right to make complaints and give feedback about the services of the UChicago Medicine Pharmacy.

Patients and caregivers can make complaints by phone, fax, writing, or email. After a complaint is made we will contact you about your concern within 5 business days.

You can also contact the following organizations:

URAC: Phone: 202-216-9010
Website: https://www.urac.org/contact/file-a-grievance/

Illinois Department of Federal and Professional Regulation: Phone: 312-814-6910
Website: https://www.idfpr.com/admin/DPR/DPRcomplaint.asp

Call Us at 773-834-7002 if:

• You have any questions or concerns about your medication and need to speak to a pharmacist.
• You have a side effect or allergic reaction to your medication.
• There is a change in your medication use.
• Your contact information or delivery address has changed.
• Your insurance information or payment source has changed.
• You have a question about your insurance claim.
• You need to check the status of your delivery.
• You need to change your delivery date or time.
• You have any questions or concerns about the service we offer.

UChicago Medicine Pharmacy will send claims to your health insurance carrier on the date your prescription is filled. If the claim is rejected, a staff member will let you know the reason why, and work with you to solve the problem.

If the claim is rejected because our pharmacy is not in network with your insurance, we will let you know and work to transfer your care.

You may have to pay a part of your medication cost, called a co-payment or co-insurance. If you have a co-payment or co-insurance, it must be paid at the time of shipping or pick-up.

We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover credit cards. We can keep your credit card information on file in a secured and safe place.

If our pharmacy is out of network, and there is any cost for you to use our service, we will let you know.

We will help enroll you in financial assistance programs to help with co-payments, and make sure there are no financial problems with starting your medication.

These programs include discount coupons from drug manufacturers and help from many different disease management foundations.

No person shall be refused admission or treatment on the basis of his or her race, ethnicity, culture, language, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, national origin, marital status, veteran status, religion, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

• Receive quality health care, whatever your race, ethnicity, culture, language, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, national origin, marital status, veteran status, religion, or any other group protected by any laws that apply, and to be treated with dignity and courtesy.
• Be given foreign language or sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodation of special needs or disabilities.
• Have access to protective and advocacy services and get pastoral care or spiritual services.
• Ask for and take part in an Ethics consultation.
• Ask for a second opinion or to talk with another doctor and to have a transfer to another health care facility.

• To be given information about diagnosis and treatment plans, in language that is easy to understand. This includes risks and benefits, with an explanation of any other options, so you can make an informed decision.
• Know the names and professional responsibilities of your health-care team and the role they take in your care.
• Be given information about the outcomes of care, treatment and services, including any unanticipated outcomes.
• Be told about ongoing health care needed such as return visits and following hospital treatment.
• Be given an explanation for and other options to a proposed transfer to another facility.
• Understand that you may get two different bills. One for UChicago Medicine hospital and another for doctor services. Be given a reasonable explanation of your bills, including a detailed list of each charge.
• Be given written notice of your rights when admitted or as soon as possible after being admitted.

• Take part in the development and giving of your plan of care and treatment.
• Give your permission for medical treatment or to refuse medical treatment to the extent allowed by law. The patient does not have the right to services deemed medically unnecessary or inappropriate.
• Create and have advance directives (with the right to change or remove your advance directive at any time) and have hospital staff and practitioners who provide care at UChicago Medicine comply with those directives. This includes end-of-life wishes. When asked, UChicago Medicine will provide you with information about advance directives, including statutory living wills or powers of attorney.
• Have a family member or representative and your doctor told as soon as is possible when you are admitted to the hospital.
• Take part in volunteer research projects with the possible risks and side effects or possible outcomes fully explained before taking part. This includes those that informed consent will be needed. You can refuse to take part in research projects without the refusal impacting your care.

• Be given information about ways to relieve pain and access to the proper pain assessment and pain management by dedicated pain control specialists.
• Be free from restraints of any kind that are not medically needed or not used to prevent harm to self or others, or are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff.
• Be given care in a safe setting, free from all forms of abuse or harassment.

• Have my personal privacy respected and my private medical records kept secure. See UChicago Medicine Notice of Privacy Practices or details.
• Ask for restrictions or to limit the medical information UChicago Medicine uses or shares about you and to get private messages from UChicago Medicine.
• To see and copy your medical record in a format you request, if that format is available, within a reasonable amount of time after leaving the hospital. To ask to change or add to your health information and to be given information about the sharing of your medical records in accordance with laws and regulations that apply.
• To give your permission or to refuse permission to be filmed or recorded and that this will not affect the health care you are given.
• Have visitors, mail and phone calls as long as they do not interfere with treatment.

File a complaint by calling or writing to the UChicago Medicine Patient and Family Insights Department, any UChicago Medicine representative, or the UChicago Medicine Hospital Operations Administrator on Call (HOA) at 773-702-1000, pager 188-7500.

This includes complaints by patients who believe that they have been mistreated, denied services or discriminated against because of a handicap.

You or your representative may also file a complaint with the Illinois Department of Public Health (“IDPH”) at:

525 West Jefferson Street, Springfield, IL 62761-0001.

Fax: 217-524-2913

Phone: 800-252-4343

TTY (hearing impaired use only): 800-547-0466

If you get Medicare benefits, you or your representative may file a complaint about the quality of care or coverage decisions, or appeal your having to leave the hospital. To file a complaint, contact the Illinois Foundation for Quality Healthcare (a Medicare-approved Quality Improvement Organization (QIO)) at:

1776 West Lakes Parkway, West Des Moines, IA 50266.

Fax: 515-223-2141

Phone: 800-647-8089

• Tell a family member or representative if you have made an advanced directive and to tell caregivers when you are admitted to UChicago Medicine.
• Give correct and complete information about your present condition and past medical history to your doctor.
• Follow the treatment plan and tell your doctor or nurse of changes in your health.
• Ask questions to get a better understanding.
• Share your concerns and disagreements with health care recommendations and accept responsibility for health care decisions.
• Ask for pain relief when pain first begins and talk about pain management options to help in developing the right pain management plan for you.
• Keep appointments for follow-up care or tell the clinic ahead of time if you need to cancel.
• Be considerate of other patients and respect their privacy and property.
• Provide UChicago Medicine with complete and correct financial information and comply with agreed-upon payment plans.

• For reasons of mutual trust and respect, the University of Chicago Medical Center will not allow patients or their family members to ask that a member of the health care team be changed or assigned when the request is based on discriminatory bias against the member’s legally protected characteristics. Legally protected characteristics include race, ethnicity, culture, language, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, national origin, marital status, veteran status, religion, or any other classification protected by law.
• The Medical Center will consider requests to change a member of the healthcare team at sometimes when it has to do with the patient’s own legally protected characteristics. This includes, for example, in matters of reproductive and sexual health, matters involving a patient’s sincerely held religious beliefs or when getting care from a provider of a particular gender may cause the patient discomfort. Decisions whether to honor a request of this type will be made on a case-by-case basis and follow the law as it applies. No request will be honored if it is based on discriminatory bias against legally protected characteristics.
• This policy applies to patients and their family members seeking treatment within the Medical Center. This includes the inpatient setting and in the outpatient care setting (such as X rays and treatments in clinics). It does not extend to the choice made by patients in making appointments and making ongoing doctor and patient relationships with outpatient care physicians (including, for example and without limitation, primary care physicians, obstetricians and gynecologists.)
• The Medical Center will offer to plan the transfer of a patient to another hospital or provider organization if a patient or the patient’s family members have made a discriminatory request as described above. This transfer will be made if the patient or the patient’s family members will not, after talking with representatives of the Medical Center, agree to get care from that member of the health care team, provided the patient is medically stable.