Skip the Pharmacy Line: The Hidden Benefit of In-House Medication Dispensing

Going to the drugstore when you’re unwell can be a major inconvenience. Here’s how having an on-site pharmacy at your doctor’s office can make it easier to get the care you need — and maybe improve your outcome, too.

When you’re sick or dealing with an injury, getting medical care is only part of the journey to getting better. If your treatment includes prescription medication, you still need to drive to a pharmacy, wait for your prescription to be filled, and finally make another trip home before you can even get started on your treatment plan.

Well, we’ve got good news. Minit Medical Urgent Care and Physical Therapy offers a convenient alternative: An in-house pharmacy focused on helping patients enjoy comprehensive medical treatment for all sorts of urgent-care needs without taking extra steps. Here, our team explains how our on-site pharmacy can help you.

Convenience matters when you’re sick

A trip to the pharmacy might not sound like a big deal — until you’re dealing with a fever, painful injury, sick family member, or another issue that’s stressful by itself.

Finding a pharmacy that’s open and able to fill a prescription quickly is one major hurdle, but traveling to the pharmacy, waiting for that prescription to be filled, and then finally traveling home adds another layer of frustration and takes up valuable time before you can even begin following your provider’s advice.

Having a pharmacy located right where you receive care eliminates these barriers, making it easier — and less stressful — to begin your healing journey as soon as possible. It also ensures you can focus all your energy on getting better.

From diagnosis to treatment, in one place

An on-site pharmacy doesn’t just mean greater convenience for you — it also means if you have questions about your treatment plan, the answers you need are right here, too.

Our team is ready and available to answer your questions or address other concerns you may have, like how your new prescription may interact with other medicines you’ve been taking, or if there are any special instructions associated with your medicine.

It’s easier to follow your treatment plan

So what does added convenience really mean? Like our on-site X-ray services, our in-house pharmacy was designed with our patients’ needs in mind. Eliminating that extra step of going to an outside provider — in this case, a pharmacy — eliminates a major friction point that makes it that much harder to stick to a treatment plan.

In fact, research shows that as many as 28% of patients never go on to pick up a medication that’s prescribed to them — a phenomenon known as the “first fill factor.” On the flip side, when patients have access to an on-site pharmacy, those first-fill rates are as high as 98%.

On-site pharmacies improve patient outcomes

Convenience means something else, too, something that’s really important to patients: Data show that when pharmacy services are available at the point of care, patients enjoy better outcomes compared to those who need to go to an off-site drugstore.

Again, researchers say it comes down to convenience and compliance: When you can get the medicines you need without taking extra steps, it’s simpler to follow your treatment plan, and therefore, you’re more likely to have a better outcome.

Making healthcare accessible to everyone

In every aspect of the care we provide, we seek ways to make it easier for Maui residents and visitors to get the medical care they need as simply and quickly as possible.

If you need urgent care or if you have other medical issues that need attention, request an appointment online or over the phone with Minit Medical Urgent Care and Physical Therapy in Kihei, Kahului, and Lahaina, Hawaii, today.