3/16/00
AU MEDICAL CLINIC PHARMACY AN OPTION FOR SOME EMPLOYEES
AUBURN -- With Wal-Mart's decision to stop accepting Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance at its pharmacies in Alabama, the newly renovated Auburn University Medical Clinic pharmacy is an option for AU employees.
The pharmacy offers services equal to most drug stores and provides some services that others cannot match, says Nancy Kickliter, director of the AU Medical Clinic pharmacy.
"I don't think many employees know about us," she said. "We have a few employees from the School of Pharmacy and some from the Bursar's office who are using us now, but that's about it.
"In light of Wal-Mart's recent decision, we felt we needed to let the employees know the we can take care of their medication needs right here on campus."
The AU pharmacy offers facilities and services much like those included in a concept called the "pharmacy of the future" that AU's School of Pharmacy and Eckerd Drugs unveiled two years ago at two Atlanta Eckerd locations.
Prescriptions are filled by a robotic device that reads the prescription, labels the bottle, counts the pills, fills and caps the bottle and then provides the controlling pharmacist with a picture of the medication so that the accuracy of the prescription can be manually checked -- all with just a few strokes on a computer keyboard.
The pharmacy also features private and semiprivate areas for the pharmacist to counsel the patient on the use of their prescription, explaining the proper dosage and any potential side effects or drug interactions. There are also computers available so that patients may research their illnesses or their medications on the Internet.
Kickliter said the pharmacy has an extensive line of generic drugs and uses them unless unavailable or the patient requests otherwise. Plus, she said, there's special attention and counseling given to patients with asthma or diabetes or who have been prescribed new drug types, such as the diskhaler, a device similar to an asthma inhaler that was introduced this year to help patients reduce flu symptoms.
"We're a full-service pharmacy for both students and employees. We work closely with physicians and other providers to coordinate our drug treatments and we're available to answer any questions patients might have about their medications," Kickliter said. "We think we offer a very appealing alternative for the Auburn family."
The AU Medical Clinic pharmacy is open every business day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday and Thursday. Interested employees are urged to call Kickliter at 844-4641.
mar00:AU-prescriptions
CONTACT: Kickliter, 334/844-4641.