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By:Mike Dunn January 19 - February 1, 2009 - CommunityNewspapers.com Pine Crest (View this article from the source) |
How to Choose a Pharmacy
When choosing a pharmacy for your family, there should be other considerations aside from a convenient location or even cost. After all, there is much at stake in selecting the right pharmacy and the right pharmacists. This is a person that you, your spouse, and your children may be dealing with for many years. Your pharmacists, first and foremost, should be someone you know and trust. According to the apharmacistst.org Web site, you should give as much consideration to choosing your pharmacist as you to choosing a doctor. Pharmacists are health care professionals specializing in medicines and their appropriate use. Because of this, your pharmacist plays an important role in your personal health care and the health care of your family. The importance of assessing personal service in selecting a pharmacist is considered critical by most patients. In that regard, here are some questions to ponder: How accessible is the pharmacist? Is he or she easy to talk to and willing to hear your concerns? It is important to choose one pharmacist with whom you can establish an ongoing relationship. Also, by choosing one pharmacy, a complete record of the medicines you take s in one place, making them easier to coordinate and manage. Your pharmacist can alert you to possible drug interactions – particularly if you take a number of different medications – help you track refills on important prescriptions, and provide any necessary detail on short notice. It is wise to consider your entire family’s pharmacy needs. Often, a pharmacist can help you with special circumstances, such as when you are taking care of an elderly relative. If you have again parents that live nearby, you might ask, for example, if it is possible to deliver prescriptions to their home and send the bill to you. Not all pharmacists and/or pharmacies provide the same services. All pharmacies are required to meet minimum standards. Most, however, offer services, and conveniences beyond the minimum requirements. When choosing a pharmacist and/or pharmacy, you should evaluate your needs and make a selection to meet those needs. Here are some other suggested questions to consider. Does the pharmacist take time to answer your questions in a manner that you understand? Is the pharmacy open during hours that fit your schedule? Does the pharmacy deliver? If so, are there restrictions or additional charges? If there is an emergency, does the pharmacy provide after hours service of a special emergency telephone number? Are charge accounts available? Doest the pharmacy handle the drugs you expect to be taking? There may be higher cost for additional services or convenience such as delivery, charge accounts, and emergency service. Real value, however, comes not only from the price of your prescriptions, but from having your specific needs met at a fair price. It is also very helpful to become thoroughly familiar with your insurance benefits as they concern your prescriptions. For example, some prescription benefits plans will only pay for the dispensing of a certain days supply of your medication. |
If your physician issues a prescription for larger supply of medication, the pharmacy will have to decrease your quantity dispensed or your insurance company will not pay for the medication. Obviously, since your physician is issuing the prescriptions, it is important to advise your physician concerning any prescription restrictions under your prescription benefit plan. Not every pharmacy will accept your prescription drug card. A pharmacy must sign a contact to provide services for each prescription benefit plan. The owner of the pharmacy must review each contract and decide which insurance plans the pharmacy will accept. If the pharmacy does not accept your prescription card, the pharmacy probably does not have a signed contact with your health insurance provider. In some cases, pharmacy owners may take steps to add your prescription benefit plan if asked to do so. Once you weigh all the factors and choose pharmacy, it is strongly recommended that you use the pharmacy for all of your prescription needs. This allows you to receive the greatest benefit from the “screening” for drug interactions, etc., by your pharmacist since this one pharmacy has all of your prescription drug records. |
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| Year | 2008 |
| Industry | Health |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Growth | 268.0% |
| 2004 Revenue | $2.3 million |
| 2007 Revenue | $8.6 million |
| Employees | 9 |
Overall Ranking: #1407
What it does:
South Miami Pharmacy offers customers an old-fashioned approach to pharmaceutical care with cutting-edge technology. It specializes in diabetes products, fertility, HIV medicines, and hard-to-find medications.
Why it's growing:
The company offers delivery service, bilingual staff, and online prescription refills with text messaging. It has no automatic phone system--every call is handled immediately by a staff member.
What's noteworthy:
Of more than 5,000 customers, CEO Armando Bardisa knows at least half of them by their first name. The company won the Best Pharmacy award from Drug Topics Magazine in 2007 in the overcoming competition category.
- Ranked No. 41 in the Top 100 Businesses in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL
- Ranked No. 58 in the Top 100 Health Companies
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"Out with the old, in with the new!"
South Miami Pharmacy will soon be moving to its new home at 6050 south Dixie Highway, and in preparation for the beautiful new building that will go up there, the old structure was demolished last week.
Creating a new home for the pharmacy has been a dream of owner/pharmacist Armando Bardisa and his staff for some time. They hope to be able to move into the new building in April of next year.
While clean- up of the site and construction proceed , South Miami Pharmacy will continue to take care of its many loyal customers at its original location at 6233 Sunset Drive.
Opened in 2003 “to better serve the neighborhood” , South Miami Pharmacy specializes in diabetes products, fertility, and HIV medicines as well as the traditional compounding of medicines. They also carry medical equipment such as back and knee braces, walkers, canes and wheelchairs. For information call 305-668-6150.
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Independent pharmacies expect holiday 2007 to be an excellent sales year.
This article describes some of the gifts and decorations they will be selling.
South Miami Pharmacy, Miami , recently introduced gift cards including Home Depot, Sears, Best Buy, and
Bass Pro Shops. Armando Bardisa, the pharmacy owner, said, "I believe these will do very well closer to the
holidays. Because of the traffic and crowds around the holidays, we believe our patients will love our gift card
services. We will also be offering the usual sweets, such as candy canes, sugar cookies, chocolate, and eggnog."
Scott Buda, president of Health Mart Pharmacies of Lynbrook and Freeport in New York, predicts Webkinz
interactive stuffed animals will be a strong holiday item in the toy category, especially as newer Webkinz items
are strategically released closer to the holidays. He also expects cash registers to ring up traditional ornaments,
including glass balls and garlands as well as licensed ornaments featuring SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer, Family
Guy, and Disney characters.
"What's funny is that no matter how hard we try, you never know if multicolor lights or clear lights will be more
popular for the upcoming season. It changes every year. Icicle lights are always popular as consumers get more
and more into decorating the outside of their home and competing with their neighbors," Buda said.
Buda believes gift-wrapping goods will fly out the door. "Consumers always wait until the last minute to purchase
these items, and the convenience of the local drugstore takes over and we capitalize on this category as a
result." He also anticipates picture frames, jewelry boxes, collectibles, candles, appliances, and electronics will
find their way under Christmas trees.
Buda has implemented a new strategy to entice consumers to spend. The pharmacy is running a contest in which
consumers earn bonus prize dollars for visiting the store and making purchases along with their friends and
family.
"We have 10 fabulous prizes on display and keep a chart with the contestant's name and number, which we
update weekly, so they can see what place they are in. The 10 customers with the most points at the end of the
sale will win the prizes. We accumulate a mailing list at the same time," said Buda.
Dave Marley, owner of Marley Drug, Winston-Salem, N.C., is betting on a new gift line as well as a spa line of
lotions and creams. Marley has stocked the shelves with Christmas carol-singing animals, including a snowman,
an elf, and a dancing duck. He also has music boxes, lighted Santa hats, holiday gift wrap, tags, bags, and
holiday pens. He's also counting on sales from spiritual gift items, including rocks with quotes, verse cards,
ceramic angels, pewter bookmarks with quotes, guardian angel visor clips, greeting cards, and books with
inspirational messages.
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This annual feature salutes the best performers in independent pharmacy.
They are the kings of customer service; they make success look easy. They are the independent pharmacy standouts or the diamonds of the first water. To find out who these exceptions are, Drug Topics once again invited wholesalers across the United States to nominate their independent pharmacy customers that excel in four categories:
- Exceptional pharmacy and nonpharmacy services
- Exceptional merchandising/advertising/promotion
- Overcoming competition
- Handling a crisis
Meet the pharmacy champs:
CATEGORY 1: EXCEPTIONAL PHARMACY AND NONPHARMACY SERVICES
Access to Care Pharmacy Muncie, Ind.
Barney's Pharmacy Augusta, Ga.
Hart Pharmacy & Home Medical Equipment Wichita, Kan.
Joelton Prescription Shop Joelton, Tenn.
Village Pharmacy Coleman, Wis.
Wright Drug Co. Heflin, Ala.
CATEGORY 2: EXCEPTIONAL MERCHANDISING/ADVERTISING/PROMOTION
Access to Care Pharmacy Muncie, Ind.
Bertelli's Drugs Atwater, Calif.
Edgerton Pharmacy Edgerton, Wis.
Manitowoc Pharmacy Manitowoc, Wis.
U-Save Pharmacy Grand Island, Neb.
Wright Drug Co. Heflin, Ala.
CATEGORY 3: OVERCOMING COMPETITION
Access to Care Pharmacy Muncie, Ind.
Drug City Pharmacy Baltimore, Md.
Graves Drug Arkansas City, Kan.
Matthews Health Mart Pharmacy Clinton, N.C.
The Prescription Center Milwaukee, Wis.
South Miami Pharmacy Miami, Fla.
CATEGORY 4: HANDLING A CRISIS
Joelton Prescription Shop Joelton, Tenn.
Main Street Pharmacy Coldwater, Kan.
Modern Pharmacy Cheboygan, Mich.
South Miami Pharmacy Miami, Fla.
Handling A Crisis:
When Armando Bardisa, Pharm.D., opened South Miami Pharmacy in Miami, Fla., in 2003, he never dreamed that one evening his store would be hit by a hurricane. But the four-year-old pharmacy, which specializes in diabetes products, fertility, and HIV medicines as well as compounding, was dealt a devastating blow by Hurricane Katrina. In addition to losing power during a sweltering heat wave, the store had to contend with broken windows and flooding. Bardisa explained that Katrina devastated the neighborhood. "We had no power for 12 days, but we were lucky enough to have the foresight to get a generator before the hurricane hit," he said. "We couldn't even turn the computers on. We were doing things manually. With the generator, we were able to run the fridge and turn the lights on. The phones were working so patients were calling. We were up and running the following day. We offered deliveries, but it was difficult to drive around in Miami because there were many big downed trees and many main roads were closed." Using a huge fan that a customer had donated, Bardisa and his staff were able to operate more comfortably in the intense heat. Bardisa, who knows his patients by name, said, "We wrote down the information for the insurance claims on a paper like we did years ago when there were no computers and gave them their prescriptions, then we took care of billing their insurance at a later day. It was an emergency, and insurance was not our priority at that time. Our priority was to make sure patients got their medicine."
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By: Nancy Eagleton
September 4 - 10, 2007 - CommunityNewspapers.com South Miami (View this article from the source) |
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By: Armando Bardisa, Pharm.D.
November 13 - 26, 2006 - CommunityNewspapers.com Pine Crest (View this article from the source) |
It's been a while since you've made it home for a visit and lots has changed. Your niece has shot up. Your uncle has finally found a diet that works. And your dad, is it just your imagination or is he endlessly repeating himself? Bridging time and distance during the holidays can have an advantage, other than reconnecting family members. If you have elderly relatives, it may give you an opportunity to check for early warning signs of Alzheimer's disease. During the holidays, you may see behaviors that others are too close to see. The holidays also are a time when behaviors may get worse from the presence of houseguests and changes in routine. With no known cause, Alzheimer's is a disorder of the brain's nerve cells that impairs memory behavior and judgment. It eventually leads to death. The number of Americans with Alzheimer's has more than doubled since 1980 and could grow to as many as 16 million by 2050. With so many afflicted, few families will go untouched. While home for the holidays, what should you look for? First, don't confuse Alzheimer's with run-of-the-mill forgetfulness. It's normal to occasionally forget a name or telephone number. But the person with Alzheimer's will forget them more often and will not remember them, even when prompted. The same question may get asked over and over again. With Alzheimer's, your mother might do perfectly fine preparing a holiday meal that's safely stored in long-term memory, but not remember going out for breakfast earlier in the day, a function of short-term memory. When it comes to Alzheimer's, appearances matter. Since you arrived home, has your grandmother worn the same outfit three days in a row? Did she insist on going to the Christmas play with pajamas underneath her overcoat? Is her normally immaculate yard in disarray? Or, is she storing things in unusual places --- the eggnog in the closet or the iron in the refrigerator?
Check for other changes in behavior. What about the conditions of your father's checkbook? Is he consistently paying bills later? Let him lead on a walk to the corner store to see if he gets disoriented in familiar territory. Observe whether he's lost interest in a lifelong hobby or the holiday traditions that normally energize him. Does your gentle-hearted, soft-spoken father show rapid mood swings when ornaments fall off the tree or extreme fearfulness when asked a simple question?
These may all be signs of Alzheimer's. Some can be signs of other problems, as well, such as depression. The only way to know for sure is to have your loved one checked by a doctor.
Don't wait. Depending upon your relationship, you might set aside a time to go with your relative. That way, you can ask questions that concern you. If that's not possible, talk with the doctor on the phone. If your loved one is resistant to going at all, try another approach. Ask her to do it for you because you're worried and live far away. Or suggest that both parents get checked at the same time to help normalize the experience. If your loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, medications won't cure the disease, but they can enhance his or her quality of life.
Dr. Armando Batista is the owner/pharmacist of South Miami Pharmacy and a clinical associate professor for Nova Southeastern University.
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By: Armando Bardisa, Pharm.D.
November 27 - December 10, 2006 - CommunityNewspapers.com Pine Crest (View this article from the source) |
Heard enough "gesundheits" to last a lifetime? Fed up with hives, a runny nose or itchy, roadmap eyes? You're in good company.
As many as 50 million people in the U.S. suffer from allergies. They seek relief by spending almost $3 billion a year on prescription allergy products alone, according to Scott-Levin's Pharmaceutical Quarterly.
Allergic reactions like "hay fever" happen when your immune system ---your body's defense mechanism---goes a little haywire. If you suffer from allergies, it brings out the "big guns" to respond to foreign --- but normally harmless ---substances like pet dander or pollen. Called allergens, these substances cause your body to produce a specific antibody that releases chemicals causing those dreaded symptoms.
Why do you have allergies, but your best friend doesn't? Blame your genes. If one of your parents is allergic, you have a 25 to 30 percent chance of having allergies. If both parents are allergic, the likelihood jumps to 75 percent. This means you can't spare your children, but you can take steps to reduce the severity of their allergies. To prevent food allergies, for example, introduce solid foods one at a time after six months of age.
What can you do to minimize allergy symptoms and get the most out of treatment? The first step is to know what's causing the problem. That's where blood or skin allergy tests may come in. Once you know the culprit (or culprits), you can take steps to minimize exposure.
If indoor allergens are a source of trouble, focus first in making changes in your bedroom where you spend most of your time. You may want to remove carpeting, use a dehumidifier, cover bedding and mattresses with airtight plastic, and vacuum weekly with a high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) filter.
Keep pets out of the bedroom and bathe them frequently. Because some pets produce more allergens than others, you may need to permanently remove a pet from your home. If mold and mildew are a problem, try using a cleaning solution with a little detergent and 5 percent bleach.
During the pollen season, use air conditioning and in-home air filters. Try to stay inside on hot, dry, windy days. Considering vacationing at the beach during the worst periods. But don't be tricked into thinking you can permanently escape by moving to a different climate. Chances are you'll soon develop allergies to new substances.
Let your doctor or pharmacist guide you in choosing the appropriate allergy medications. Antihistaminics fight the chemicals, called histamines, released during an allergic reaction. And a newer generation of prescription antihistamines may produce fewer side effects. New synthetic cortisone sprays can also relieve nasal swelling. If your symptoms are severe, your doctor may recommend allergy shots. They work like a vaccine, reducing sensitivity by exposing your body to increasing amounts of the allergens over time.
If you've inherited the genes from the allergic side of the family, take heart. You won't be doomed to a lifelong fate of sniffling. As your immune system starts to decline in your 60s, your allergies will likely follow suit.
Dr. Armando Bardisa is the owner/pharmacist of South Miami Pharmacy and a clinical associate professor for Nova Southeastern University.