TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Tinker Air Force Base is its own entity as it pertains to hospitals, clinics and pharmacies. Unlike other nationwide chain hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, the Department of Defense does not have a database which holds patients’ full information. In a military lifestyle when you move from base to base, this can create a hiccup as many are unaware that they need to organize their prescription information to help ensure as smooth of a transition as possible.
Master Sgt. Sean Sowash, the NCOIC of the 72nd Medical Group’s Pharmacy Element, explained the process to better educate the public of the procedural steps, and to help alleviate any confusion or misconceptions. The goal is two-fold, to help ease the stress of those relocating from base to base and to keep pharmacies and pharmacists up to speed and efficient. A better streamlined process prevents patients from having another thing to worry about when they PCS, and prevents pharmacists from getting overloaded with prescriptions.
While there is a movement to adopt a new electronic health record for all of DoD, Sergeant Sowash said that is still a long ways down the road. Consequently, until that day comes when accessibility is achieved sans delay, individuals will need to register their information with the hospital and pharmacy each time they relocate.
“In order to get prescriptions filled, we have to actually transfer those prescriptions into the Tinker Air Force Base pharmacy from your previous pharmacy,” Sergeant Sowash said.
When a patient registers, a pharmacist then needs to contact the previous pharmacy and collect information. Additionally, the pharmacists need to ensure they carry the medication and address any issues or questions with the departing facility. So, if you’re new to base it is important to know that registering yourself in the hospital computers is essential. Before any prescriptions can be entered, the patient needs to be in Tinker’s system.
“Since the prescription or patient did not originate [at Tinker], we don’t have record of it. Transferring the prescription allows us to get that record by having one of our pharmacists call the previous pharmacy and verify all of the pertinent information, like the original prescription date, doctor, number of refills, directions, etc.”
Part of the problem that’s been discovered, the sergeant said, is that there’s no real avenue to inform people that when they PCS, they are responsible for tying up all of their loose ends. That includes the closing and transferal of medications. Unfortunately, Sergeant Sowash added, there can be a lot on one’s plate when PCSing, so people don’t always think to check with the pharmacy before departing.
A phone call from the patient will not suffice in the transferal process. The staff in the 72nd Medical Group will physically need the prescription bottles in order to take information from existing labels. Having the labels on hand, the sergeant noted, really safeguards an extra layer of insurance.
It can be a bit of an inconvenience to both a patient and a pharmacist, so it’s important to take the proper measures before relocating to a new base. The transfer and refill process can vary but typically takes up to five business days to complete. If the departing facility is a stateside pharmacy, Tinker’s clinic can normally complete the transfer in 72 hours. An overseas base, however, may tack on a few extra days.
Sometimes, Sergeant Sowash added, there are unavoidable circumstances in which a patient cannot wait to have their medication refilled. In such cases, the pharmacist uses discretion and with the exception of controlled substances, they may provide a few tablets or a few days’ worth of medication. However, it is strongly encouraged to not wait until you’re completely out of medication to start the process.
“We work to ensure that a patient does not go without medication for too long,” the pharmacy technician said. “Our goal is to have no gap in care for the patient.”
The process sounds simple, but it has shown to create many headaches. It can be an inconvenience to be a patient without necessary medication. Likewise, it can be an inconvenience to be a pharmacist and be backed up with orders, having to coordinate times with various clinics across the globe to link up with pharmacists to obtain necessary information.
Hopefully, Sergeant Sowash said, awareness of the issue will help assuage both parties and the transfer and refilling of scripts can be better streamlined.
To register in the clinic you will need to visit Patient Administration, located right next to the pharmacy. For more information, contact (405) 582-6371.