MADIGAN ARMY MEDICAL CENTER - Do you have refills to pick up from Madigan? Do you dread waiting in line? Now you don't have to.
Madigan Army Medical Center patients can use the new, automated ScriptCenter medication dispensary to get their refills.
"It provides quick and convenient access to refilled medications," said Maj. Kenesha Pace, the deputy chief of Madigan's Department of Pharmacy.
The ScriptCenter allows patients to pick up their refilled prescriptions any time the Medical Mall is open, which is 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, as well as Saturdays 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. That is a combined total of more than 10 hours longer than the Pharmacy itself is open, though it should be noted that there is no staff support for the machine should a patient have trouble when the Pharmacy is closed.
The user-friendly vending machine holds hundreds of medications that the Pharmacy staff stocks as refill requests are submitted. It sits in the small alcove next to the Dermatology Clinic on the first floor of the Medical Mall just past the Outpatient Pharmacy's waiting room.
"Active duty, dependents, retirees and all eligible DoD ID holders can access the ScriptCenter after enrolling," said Pace, adding, "It has easy to follow instructions."
The machine will walk you through its use with menus and prompts, but there is also a poster on the wall next to it to help you get your account set up in the ScriptCenter.
To get your refills from the ScriptCenter, you will need to call the refill line at (253) 968-2999 and select it as your pick-up location option.
As with all refills, you will need to allow three business days for the Pharmacy staff to process the request. Once ready, they will load it into the ScriptCenter for you to pick up at your convenience.
The first time you use the machine you will need to enroll and, very importantly, have a prescription number of one of the refills you called in for pick-up, as well as your military ID card. The prescription number will allow the machine to connect your medication profile in the Pharmacy with your username and password that you will set up on this first visit.
Follow the prompts to set up a username, password and password retrieval question. It will also ask for that prescription number. Once the enrollment process is complete, it will give you a receipt where you can record your information for safekeeping.
"You can recover your user ID or PIN by pressing "Forgot ID" or "Forgot PIN". You can add your military ID to use instead of your user ID to make logging in even easier," Pace said. "Remember to bring your prescription number the first time you pick up."
Then, you are ready to review your shopping cart and retrieve your medications.
The ScriptCenter can only provide refills because a new, or renewed, prescription may require a pharmacist to counsel the patient. It also follows a different path through processing within the Pharmacy. Refills are simpler to process and, therefore, lend themselves nicely to the use of a vending machine.
The ScriptCenter has no refrigeration or stabilization capacity so any medications that must be kept cold or that are mixed or reconstituted, like antibiotics, cannot be stored in the machine. These must be picked up at the window in the main lobby or the drive-thru. This is also true of controlled substances.
If you don't want to even come on base to get your medications, you also have options.
You can make use of your prescription benefit by using a TRICARE network pharmacy or home delivery with Express Scripts. With the mail order option, you can receive up to a 90-day supply for most prescription drugs. For more information on eligibility and how to register for Express Scripts, visit: https://madigan.tricare.mil/Health-Services/Pharmacy/Express-Scripts.