First MedExpress drugstorein Visayas opens in CDUH

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Doctors' University Hospital (CDUH) opened last December 4, its first MedExpress Drugstore in the Visayas.

CDUH president and chairman of the board Dr. Potenciano Larrazabal Jr. cited that the common problems observed in the medical industry are the cost of medicine and compliance of patients in taking their medication.

“When a doctor examines the patient and starts prescribing their medication, the latter buys the medication at the cheapest price as possible at the safest drugstore. However, most patients take medication for a few days and do not continue it according to the prescribed length of time,” he said.

He said that most patients are afraid of hospital pharmacies with the notion that medicines sold there are expensive. He added that at MedExpress, the outpatient pharmacy could assure of the price-mass guarantee of its medicines.

He said that the patient could even inquire with other drugstores and compare prices with MedExpress. If proven higher than the former, MedExpress will refund the patient with the excess amount.

MedExpress Drugstore president and general manager Robert  Lim said that unlike the regular drug store, patients who go to MedExpress are given medication counseling which is hardly available in the Philippine Pharmaceutical Industry.

To ensure medication compliance, MedExpress facility has professional pharmacists who assist the patients, inform them of the purpose of taking the medication, how to take it, expectations during and after the medication, how long to take it, what to avoid during the medication and remind them to maintain their medication.

“All pharmacies in the First World countries provide this kind of service. But in the Philippine setting, you never see it. You are only given the medicine and your change,” he said.

This, in return, could help guide the medical doctors to treat their patients faithfully and prevent the public from buying fake drugs being proliferated around the city.

More importantly, Larrazabal said that it could also help reduce the mortality rate since it could minimize the side effects of the medicine and control or avoid the complications with the accessibility of  the patients to professional pharmacy services.

“With this arrangement, we can help our patients stay safe and healthy. This is part of our job and that’s what we are here for. We feel that it can go a long way to take care of our patients and this gives a lot of satisfaction for us,” the CDUH medical director said.

MedExpress also maintains a record of the patient’s profile that is considered highly confidential. This is to document the patient medication history and detect potential drug adverse reaction.

Lim said that for six years in the industry, MedExpress is able to prevent thousands of cases that might have landed to the emergency area through the drug interaction monitoring report.

For those patients taking maintenance medication, the MedExpress pharmacist will call them to enroll them in the company’s system that would remind the former when to replenish their medicine. This is for free and voluntary.

He said that if the patient has not bought the refill of his medicine or is nearly running out of his supply, MedExpress will sent a text message to him for the last notification and remind him the day after. The online pharmacist will call him and determine why he has not replenished his medication.

He cited that self-medication is the top reason for non-compliance among patients, thus MedExpress pharmacists talk to their patients about its danger and remind them with their medication compliance.

MedExpress houses a 50-seat call center facility in Manila for the customer relationship management. It enables their local online pharmacists to communicate to patients directly and provides access for patients to do inquires and place orders.

According to Lim, the infrastructure could expand up to 500 trunk lines. To date, 80 of which are being used.

To further provide expediency, MedExpress in Cebu will soon offer delivery services by January 2014. Patients could order for delivery through the company’s hotline starting next year.

Any purchase above P750 will be delivered for free while a minimal fee of  P50 will be charged for orders less than P750.

MedExpress also carries a complete line of drugstore products such as medicines, medical supplies, adult and pediatric products, and personal care.

Lim said that aside from providing patients with medicines at reasonable prices to improve their compliance, MedExpress intends to help medical doctors manage their patients better through professional pharmacy services.

MedExpress Outpatient Hospital Pharmacy in Cebu is located at the ground floor of CDUH at Osmeña Boulevard in Capitol Site. Larrazabal said that CDUH will also open its MedExpress pharmacies to its other hospital branches in Mactan, Naga, Negros and Ormoc soon. /JOB (FREEMAN)