Has anyone heard of or use PillPack Service?

[msf21]

I found this service today and it seems like its something worth trying. Its a mail order pharmacy that sends you medication every two weeks. The feature I like is that all the medication is in individual packages organized by when your supposed to take them. I have been known to forget to take medication on more than a few occasions. It seems dummy proof and easier than going through my normal pharmacy. I also think this will help once I get a transplant and start taking immunosuppressants. From what I understand timing is really important. Here is a link to the website: https://www.pillpack.com.

[Zero]

Sounds absolutely amazing, I would pay for a service like this... Not in California. Weak

[Michael Murphy]

I spend 15 minutes every three weeks putting pills into 3 weekly pill organizers and then every day I can see if I took my pills.  Cheaper then paying some one to do it. 

[msf21]

I spend 15 minutes every three weeks putting pills into 3 weekly pill organizers and then every day I can see if I took my pills.  Cheaper then paying some one to do it.

It doesn't cost extra for the service. The prices are the same as a regular pharmacy.

[cattlekid]

Since my employer-sponsored insurance has Caremark as their pharmacy benefit manager and we pay extra to go to a non-CVS pharmacy, I have a feeling that while this might be convenient, the cost would be way over what I pay now. 

However, I can see where this would be a godsend to someone who has trouble manipulating all of the small pills.  Sometimes I get the fumble fingers shoving all those little pills into the weekly containers and I imagine how much worse it might be for someone with arthritis or other types of impairments.

[jeannea]

I do my own organizing. I do a week at a time. Since I take a fistful of meds twice a day, i use the boxes labeled breakfast and bed. (The boxes say breakfast, lunch, dinner, bed.) That leaves me two other boxes for things like Tylenol and Zofran. I like to have some of my extra stuff available. That's what I would miss with the pre-packaged stuff. The other thing with a transplant is your doses can change and you can't wait 2 weeks to start the dose change.

If you are really bad about doing your own, this might be worth it. However, the transplant team will encourage you (or require you) to take ownership of your meds and your schedule.

[iolaire]

This seems like a great idea.  I wonder how well it helps as dementia starts to set in. i.e. Does having the date help when you are confused?

One question for those with some Medicaid + sort of insurance for medications.  Do you have a limit on what you pay per year?  For example with my work insurance after I pay $3000 in co-pays I pay nothing for medical service + medications. 

I ask because with dialysis I met my co-pay in January and since then dialysis, labs, medications and everything else has had no co-pay.  So if one was to fully pay their co-pay across the year, paying more for this service would make sense even if it meant you met your co-pay earlier, since later in the year you would pay nothing..

How much are my co-pays?

In most cases, your co-pay will stay the same as it is at your local retail pharmacy for a 30-day supply. If you are currently receiving your medication in 90-day supplies from your insurer or local retail pharmacy, you may pay a slightly higher co-pay at PillPack. Your co-pays are set by your insurance company and may vary based on where you fill medicines, if you have a deductible, and what kind of medication you’re receiving. Because of these different factors, we recommend that you call your insurance provider directly to get an accurate quote for your set of medications. When you call, make sure to specify that you would like your co-pay information for filling 30-day prescriptions at PillPack, a pharmacy in Manchester, NH, 03101.

[jeannea]

There is no limit to what you pay for meds on a Medicare Part D plan. There are 2 separate coverage levels. After you've paid around $3000 out of pocket (not sure of exact number) you switch to catastrophic coverage and the amount you pay for expensive meds drops considerably.

[jeannea]

For the other part, I doubt the date helps with dementia. My grandmother progressed from independent living to assisted living to locked memory ward. In the first two, my mother had to be responsible for her meds or else pay a high fee. My mom counted out a week's worth and took it to her on Sun. Each morning and evening she would call as things got worse. Today is Tues. did you take your Tues evening pills. She would stay on the phone while she took her meds. Each week though something was messed up. She had reported Tues was empty because she took it Sun or whatever. Luckily none of her meds were life or death. She also had her cross of yesterday on her calendar so she could tell it was Tues.

So from what I've seen, it doesn't help.

You can also pay for phone calls to remind you to take your meds. Or there are pill boxes that talk to you.

[iolaire]

Thanks for the details. So might be useful for when we are on a nice stable post transplant mix of tons on meds.  But only to address the convenience factor.