North Caddo Medical Center is excited to announce the addition of outpatient pharmacy, Community RX, to their medical services. The medical center values the importance of community health and believes that the need is present after the closing of a local pharmacy.
Community RX will be the first-ever retail pharmacy for the medical center; however, the temporary location will be in the building where other pharmacies, including Country Drug, was established. North Caddo Medical Center has future plans to remodel their extended services building, which many know as the previous clinic building, to be the permanent structure for Community RX. That will be visited at a later date, once Community RX is fully operational.
Community RX plans to serve customers on multiple levels through their unique understanding of what a patient needs when leaving a medical provider service or office. This will include drive-through capabilities (in their permanent facility) and unusual pharmacy hours for rural communities. The close proximity to North Caddo Medical Center will provide convenience for patients, including those being discharged from inpatient and emergency services.
The goal is to open Community RX in the fall of 2021. This opening date will be only one of the many steps to complete in the process of experiencing all the conveniences of a local pharmacy. Mary Coil, Marketing Director, explains, “Establishing a community pharmacy is a complex process of licenses, contracts, and waiting periods. This process can be frustrating, but we believe the end result will be worth it for our area residents.”
The frustration Coil speaks of is specifically for contracts with insurances, including commercial, Medicare and Medicaid. Following regulations and procedures, Community RX will open its
doors with a complete inventory; however, it will only have the ability to serve limited customers. After the opening date, Community RX will be eligible to apply for contracts with Commercial Insurances, then Medicare & Medicaid. Once the application submissions are complete, Community RX can only wait until the contracts are approved. Therefore, in the beginning, the pharmacy will be unable to run a customer’s prescriptions through their insurance, providing customers with a lesser charge for the medication. It is estimated to be up to 90 days until all customers can obtain medications through their insurances. However, after all contracts are approved customers should have no problems filling their prescriptions with their individual insurance plans.
North Caddo Medical Center has a reputation for excellent customer experience. The CEO, David Jones, explains that Community RX will also work to achieve NCMC’s Exceptional Care for All mission. He believes at the end of the opening process, the customers will be very happy with their Community RX experience.