Cleveland (October 21, 2020) – National Check Your Meds Day, October 21, shines a spotlight on the importance of yearly medication reviews. For patients taking multiple medications, it serves as a reminder to have a pharmacist or other healthcare provider perform a thorough evaluation of all the prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins and supplements they take.

Many complications can arise when patients are taking multiple medications, especially when they are prescribed by more than one provider. Doctors and clinicians don’t always know about all the medications their patients are taking. This information gap makes it more difficult for a single provider to effectively evaluate patients’ medication needs and increases the risk of issues such as medication overload and serious side effects.

Patients can help ease this confusion by having their prescriptions filled by one pharmacy that can act as a link between themselves and their providers. By coordinating medications, maintaining complete medication profiles and performing yearly medication reviews, a trusted pharmacy can help prevent dangerous drug interactions and negative side effects that could worsen a patient’s condition or lead to hospitalization.

For our patients, monthly medication reviews are part of the routine care we provide to support their health. Every month, our pharmacy team looks at all the medications the patient has on file with us and:

• Identifies the medications the patient should or should not be taking
• Looks for possible negative medication interactions
• Confirms the medication dosage instructions and timing

We then follow up with prescribers to give our clinical recommendations and, with their approval, make the appropriate adjustments to the patient’s medication profile. Each patient receives an up-to-date medication list monthly that they can share with caregivers and providers.

Of course, this process works best when we have all the information we need. That is why it is so important for our patients to contact us when something changes that may affect their medications, whether they are taking a new vitamin, had a prescription filled elsewhere, or have experienced a change in their condition.

If you are an ExactCare patient with questions or updates about your medications, call us at 1-877-355-7225. Please feel free to contact us at any time. We are here to help.