Pharmacy News Online: Rite Aid, OptumHealth to launch NowClinic online care services
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Pharmacy News Online: Rite Aid, OptumHealth to launch NowClinic online care services

Rite Aid, OptumHealth to launch NowClinic online care services

Rite Aid and OptumHealth, a part of IT-enabled health services company Optum, are set to introduce NowClinic online care services in Detroit.

NowClinic offers Rite Aid customers real-time access to convenient medical care, information and resources from doctors and OptumHealth nurses.

With this new application, the customers of Rite Aid can see and speak directly to doctors who are able to discuss symptoms, provide guidance, diagnose and prescribe certain medications when appropriate.

The customers can also talk to OptumHealth nurses, who are able to address a range of health care needs such as basic health care education, information on common acute issues and assistance in identifying appropriate provider options for care.

Rite Aid Pharmacy executive vice president Robert Thompson said their customers will be able to ask questions or receive care from doctors and health education from nurses online, fill prescriptions and consult with their Rite Aid pharmacist, all in one convenient visit.

The Darwin Agency Signs New Local Client South Miami Pharmacy

South Miami Pharmacy, located at 6233 Sunset Drive in South Miami, is well-renowned for its specialization in hard-to-find medications, including fertility drugs, customized candy medications for children, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, and veterinary drugs.

The Darwin Agency specializes in both traditional and online marketing. Its expertise is in generating revenue for its clients by developing, executing and managing a combination of Internet marketing and traditional advertising campaigns for start-up, developing and mature businesses. Some of its areas of expertise include product launches, lead generation, lead nurturing, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), PPC (Pay Per Click Management), and Social Media Marketing. A sampling of its clients includes finance, coaching, information marketing, and software among others.

Pros and cons of pet meds online

We spend tens of millions of dollars on our pets every year in this country, especially on the everyday things they need to stay healthy.

Items such as prescriptions, flea medicine, and heart worm pills can be very pricey at the vet’s office. Many pet owners buy their meds online, where they can find the same drugs for much cheaper. However, animal experts from local vets to the federal government say these medications could be putting your pet in danger.

Veterinarian Dr. Kim Hombs says that many pet owners ask her about filling pet prescriptions online. “It used to be that we did okay it, but then there were more and more reports of issues,” Hombs says.

She is referring to health problems caused by medicines that just weren’t effective. They were improperly labeled, contained the wrong ingredients, or weren’t shipped properly and were ineffective because they were stored in temperatures too warm or too cold.

That made some animals sick, or worse, and Dr. Hombs stopped readily authorizing online pet pill shopping at her practice.

Even the FDA thinks it’s issue enough to post a video warning on it’s website.

Gigi Davidson is the director of clinical pharmacy services at the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Caroline State University. She says that “even though millions and millions of people order online every year, the pharmacy they’re ordering from may not be a pharmacy. It may not be in this country or it may be off shore or in someone’s garage.”

Davidson says many of these pharmacies don’t follow the rules set up to ensure your pet’s safety.

“The American Veterinary Medicine Association gets hundreds of complaints a year from vets that have clients who received prescriptions from internet pharmacies that they never authorized,” she adds.

Still, people do buy online, so Davidson advises that the best way to spot a reputable website is to look for the Vet-VIPPS seal. It shows that the pharmacy has gone through a process to prove it follows state and federal guidelines.

You can also check it’s history with the FDA and your state board of pharmacy.

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