Helping Patients Afford Prescriptions: Tips for Pharmacy Staff From the GoodRx Patient Advocacy Team
My favorite part of working for GoodRx is hearing directly from patients about how much we’re able to help them save—and what else they can afford because of it. Working in a pharmacy, you’ve seen this struggle: patients being forced to choose between important prescriptions and basic necessities like making rent on time, buying clothes for growing children, filling up the gas tank, and even keeping the heat going during cold winter months. And when patients can’t afford their prescriptions, they often turn to pharmacy staff, like you, to help them.
Hi, I’m Dan with the Patient Advocacy Team at GoodRx. If you didn’t know already, our dedicated team offers guidance on how pharmacy staff (and patients) can get the best prices on medications—whether it’s through the GoodRx Gold membership program, free GoodRx coupons, or other savings resources (e.g., pharmacy discount programs, manufacturer coupons, patient assistance programs).
One of the most fulfilling parts of my job is speaking to compassionate pharmacy staff. After all, we’re both trying to help patients access the medications they need. When you call GoodRx, you’re in a unique position. You are at the frontlines of helping patients at the pharmacy and know the exact drug being prescribed—right down to the form, dosage, and quantity.
With this information, you can look up the medication’s price on GoodRx.com or the GoodRx mobile app, or call a GoodRx Patient Advocate to quickly identify the best price available for that drug. Whether you are a pharmacist, pharmacy technician, or sales clerk, the GoodRx Patient Advocacy team is here to help you help your patients.
From speaking to pharmacists, I’ve found these three tips can ensure that you find the best pricing for your patients:
When checking GoodRx for the lowest medication prices available at your store, be sure to specify your pharmacy location. Pricing can vary in different parts of the country, and even neighborhood to neighborhood, and you’ll want to make sure you have the best prices accessible to you and your patient.
GoodRx cannot be used secondary to insurance or Medicare, but can be used as an alternative. In many cases, GoodRx coupon prices are even lower than insurance copays. For instance, if GoodRx shows a $10 coupon price for a medication and the patient’s insurance copay is $20 for the same drug, simply run the GoodRx discount instead of the insurance.
If the price for a medication is coming up higher than expected or you simply want to see if a lower price is available, feel free to reach out to GoodRx Patient Advocacy at 1-888-799-2553 with the 11-digit National Drug Code (NDC) for the specific drug you are filling. Our Advocates can help identify if there’s a better discount for that NDC or identify a lower-priced NDC altogether.
For more information on using GoodRx when you have prescription coverage, please visit our Help Center and stay tuned for more savings tips on the GoodRx blog.
