Penn Specialty Pharmacy frequently asked questions

Specialty medications are often complex, costly, may require special storage and handling, and may not be readily available at your local pharmacy. Sometimes these medications also have side effects that require monitoring by a trained pharmacist. The Penn Specialty Pharmacy focuses on providing these medications and offering excellent customer service and clinical support to you and your caregivers.

To talk to a representative or to obtain the hours of operation of all of the Penn Pharmacies and obtain a full listing, call 1-844-PENNRX6 (736-6796).

You may request a refill by calling us at 1-844-PENNRX6 (736-6796), or you can call your dedicated pharmacy service representative directly. You may request a refill at any time, but a five-day advance notice will give us time to address any potential issues that may have arisen since the last time it was dispensed. To obtain a refill before your insurance will allow it, contact any of the Penn Pharmacies. We will work with your insurance to try an obtain a vacation override, lost medication override, quantity overrides, or any other type of override to ensure you have access to your medication.

Your copay amount will vary based on your insurance plan. We will tell you this amount after we have processed your prescription.

Some patients are eligible for financial assistance through drug companies or charities. Our staff will perform a full review of options available, tell you about available options, and enroll you in the program if you meet eligibility requirements.

Our staff works directly with your physician and insurance company to obtain coverage for your therapy. If it is denied, we will work with your physician and communicate next steps to you.

The Penn Specialty Pharmacy has access to most specialty medications. If we do not have access to a medicine, we will transfer your prescription to a pharmacy that does and have the new pharmacy contact you.

The Penn Specialty Pharmacy can dispense specialty medications for most insurance companies. Occasionally your insurance company will require the use of a different pharmacy. In these instances, we will transfer your prescription and have the new pharmacy contact you. If you are out of network with any of the Penn Pharmacies, Penn will inform you over the phone and in writing on the cost charged by our organization.

We will call you to:

• Confirm the initial status of your prescription and copay amount.
• Set up the initial dispense and refills.

We may also call you to:

• Verify prescription insurance information.
• Obtain documentation of your income to enroll you in a financial assistance program.
• Counsel you on the medication, if that isn’t done during your physician visit.
• Tell you if the prescription has to be transferred to another specialty pharmacy.
• Remind you that it is time for a refill

If any of the following occur:

• Your address, telephone number, or insurance information has changed.
• You have any questions regarding the status of your prescription.
• You have concerns or questions regarding how to take your medication.
• You would like additional information regarding your plan for therapy.
• If you suspect an error in shipping or dispensing has occurred.
• If you suspect your medication has been recalled

Patients experiencing side effects or other problems should contact the Penn Specialty Pharmacy or their prescribing provider. You should call 911 or have someone drive you to a local Emergency Room if the reaction appears serious or life threatening.

You can also fill out an FDA MedWatch Form. Use this form to report adverse events that you observe or suspect, including serious drug side effects, product use errors, product quality problems, and therapeutic failures. To obtain access to this form, please call the pharmacy.

In times of inclement weather, natural disaster, or emergency, the Penn Specialty Pharmacy team will try to be as proactive as possible about refills and deliveries. The Penn Specialty Pharmacy team will work to maintain safe and efficient access to your medications. If Penn cannot fill your medication for you during an emergency, it will be transferred to another pharmacy that can. We will help coordinate this transfer process to make sure you get your medication.

Call 1-800-222-1222 to reach our local poison control center.

When setting up delivery of your medications, we will inform you how to dispose of medications including how you can obtain dedicated containers to help with disposal or where old medications can be brought for disposal.