New in-house pharmacy open to patients, public
Cutting the ribbon to open the Upstate outpatient pharmacy are, from left, Upstate University Hospital Interim CEO Robert Corona, DO; Pharmacy Technician Stephanie McDevitt; Pharmacist Emily Adamy; Pharmacy Director Luke Probst; Pharmacist David Geloso; Upstate Medical University President and Health System CEO Danielle Laraque-Arena, MD; Associate Director of Pharmacy Enterprise Eric Balotin; and Upstate Chief Financial Officer Stuart Wright. (Photo by Debbie Rexine)
The Upstate Pharmacy also dispenses prescription drugs to the general public.
It‘s located just inside the hospital‘s main entrance on East Adams Street in Syracuse. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Most major health insurance plans are accepted. For patients who need financial support to meet copays, the pharmacy has an advocacy foundation and other programs that can help.
A drug disposal box is located outside the pharmacy entrance for the safe collection of unwanted or expired medications. This is designed to eliminate potential consumption of a discontinued medication, reduce drugs entering the waste stream and avoid the potential abuse of controlled substances, including opioid painkillers.
Patients can opt for the “meds to beds” program upon admission to the hospital, explains pharmacist Luke Probst, Upstate‘s executive director of pharmacy. “Ensuring that patients have their prescription medicines before they are discharged helps improve medication adherence and can reduce hospital readmissions,” he says.
The pharmacy receives any take-home prescription orders as soon as the physician or nurse practitioner enters them into the patient‘s electronic medical record.
The pharmacy team works with the patient‘s health care team to obtain insurance pre-authorizations, if necessary. And, pharmacists add a layer of patient safety by reviewing all of the patient‘s medications for any dangerous interactions.
Under “meds to beds,” patients will receive medication counseling by a pharmacist who is familiar with their hospital stay.
To transfer prescriptions to the Upstate Pharmacy, call 315-464-DRUG (3784).
This article appears in the summer 2018 issue of Upstate Health magazine. For a podcast/radio interview about the new pharmacy. click here.
