Now Available at the ERC Pharmacy: Auto Refills and Text Alerts

Justin Vesser (left) and Pharmacy Technician Mallorie Martin

9.23.2020

Now Available at the ERC Pharmacy: Auto Refills and Text Alerts

If you’re not using a UVA pharmacy to fill your prescriptions, maybe it’s time you give it a try. The pharmacy at the Education Resource Center (ERC), 1240 Lee Street in Charlottesville, is now offering automatic prescription refills and text notifications for team members.

“Our desire is to make it as easy and convenient as possible for our team member patients to use our pharmacies,” says Justin Vesser, PharmD, Pharmacy Manager.

This is a pilot program offered just to team members before the program is widely available to all customers.

How to Get Started

Enroll your eligible prescription(s) by speaking with a pharmacy representative or calling 434.924.2390. At that time, you will also be enrolled in text notifications to receive important notices about your refills.
Your qualified prescription will automatically be refilled before your refill due date.
When you prescription is ready for pickup, you will receive a text message. You will have 10 days to pick up, change, or cancel the order. (After 10 days, the order will be canceled, and the prescription will be unenrolled from the service.)

See the FAQs below for more information.

Note: Uteam Pick-up Window Reopening Soon

The Uteam window at the ERC Pharmacy has been closed due to COVID-19, but there are plans to reopen the window soon. Stay tuned for more information.

UPDATE: As of Sept. 29, the Uteam window will plan to reopen Saturday, Oct. 10.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Automatic Refill Program

What is the Automatic Refill Program?
What is the cost of enrolling?
What are the benefits of having my prescriptions enrolled in this program?
How do I enroll?
Are all of my prescriptions eligible?
How will you contact me about my automatic refills?
How do automatic refills work?
Can I have my automatic refills mailed to me?
How do I change or cancel an automatic refill?
How soon after I receive an automatic refill notification will my prescriptions be ready?
How do I remove a prescription if I no longer want it refilled automatically?

What is the Automatic Refill Program?

When you enroll qualified prescriptions into the program, we will automatically refill your prescriptions at the appropriate time.

You can select which prescriptions to have filled automatically. Not all prescriptions may be eligible for the service, however. When you enroll a prescription in the service, you will need to also enroll in our text message notification system to receive notices about upcoming automatic refill orders.

What is the cost of enrolling?

There is no cost to participate in the Automatic Refill Program. Your refills will be ready to pick up in the pharmacy before you run out of medication, and the only cost to you is any copay or coinsurance your insurance requires. Unless you cancel the order, your co-pay or coinsurance costs will be charged when you pick up.

Copayment, copay, or coinsurance is the amount a plan member is required to pay for a prescription in accordance with a plan. The amount may be a deductible, a percentage of the prescription price, a fixed amount, or other charge, with a balance, if any, paid by a plan.

What are the benefits of having my prescriptions enrolled in this program?

You won’t have to remind yourself to refill your prescriptions. We’ll take care of that for you. It also helps ensure that you have enough medication on hand to take as instructed by your doctor. Doing so will help you stay healthier and avoid costly emergency visits and hospital stays. (Andrew M. Peterson, and others. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, Volume 60, Issue 7, 1 April 2003, Pages 657-665.)

How do I enroll?

You must speak to a pharmacy representative and tell them which prescriptions you would like to have automatically refilled. The pharmacy can be reached at 434.924.2390.

Are all of my prescriptions eligible?

No, not all prescriptions are eligible for automatic refills. The service is available for many common maintenance medications taken for long-term therapy such as medications for managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

Medications such as controlled substances, specialty drugs, and prescriptions covered by certain government payers, including Medicare Part B, are not eligible.

To see which of your prescriptions qualify for automatic refills, speak to a pharmacy representative.

How will you contact me about my automatic refills?

When you enroll a prescription, we will also enroll you in text message notifications. You will receive a text message when your prescription is ready for pickup and as reminders to pick up on the fourth and ninth days. If not picked up by the 10th day, the medication may be returned to stock.

How do automatic refills work?

Here’s how the service works:

Enroll your eligible prescription(s).
We will automatically refill your qualified prescription before your refill due date, subject to your right to cancel any order.
We will alert you by text message once your prescription is refilled, at which time you may change or cancel the order.

You will always have an opportunity to change or cancel any automatic refill order before we begin processing it. You will have at least 10 days to change or cancel the order. If you cancel all or part of an automatic refill order, or if the prescription isn’t picked up within 10 days, the prescriptions you cancel will no longer be refilled automatically and will be unenrolled from the service.

Copayment, copay, or coinsurance is the amount a plan member is required to pay for a prescription in accordance with a plan. The amount may be a deductible, a percentage of the prescription price, a fixed amount or other charge, with a balance, if any, paid by a plan.

Can I have my automatic refills mailed to me?

At this time, automatic refill is only available for prescriptions that are picked up in person, and only at our Lee Street and Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center locations. Options for automatic refill at other locations, including mail order, will hopefully be available soon.

How do I change or cancel an automatic refill?

We will notify you of an upcoming automatic refill order via text message. You will have at least 10 days to change or cancel the order. To change or cancel an automatic refill order, call (434.924.2390) or email (UVAPharmacy@virginia.edu) the pharmacy, and a team member will help you with that request.

How soon after I receive an automatic refill notification will my prescriptions be ready?

The notification is sent after your prescription is ready for pickup. You can come pick it up any time in the 10 days following the first notification.

How do I remove a prescription if I no longer want it refilled automatically?

If you want to remove a prescription from the automatic refill program, simply call (434.924.2390) or email (UVAPharmacy@virginia.edu) the pharmacy, and we’ll unenroll the prescription from the service for you.