Preston Ems has a busy job as the director of operations for Primary Care, Women’s Care and Integrative Medicine at UCHealth. His wife is a nurse, and they have two little kids.
“We are running all over the place just trying to make it work,” Preston said.
For many people, apps make it much easier to get things done quickly. That’s true for Preston and it includes ordering medications.
UCHealth app helps you take charge of your health
How to transfer a prescription:
- Anyone can use UCHealth pharmacies.
- You do not need to be a current UCHealth patient to use UCHealth pharmacies.
- If you are a UCHealth patient and want to transfer a prescription, please login or create a My Health Connection account. Locate the medications page and click on “transfer to a UCHealth pharmacy” on the medication you would like transferred.
- If you are not a UChealth patient, call the new pharmacy and leave a message. (Get phone numbers and find pharmacy locations near you.)
- You also may visit any UCHealth pharmacy in person and can request to have your prescriptions transferred from your previous pharmacy.
- It’s customary for the new pharmacy to take care of transfers.
Everyone has had the experience of going back and forth over the phone with a pharmacy and a clinic, trying to get a new prescription when the one you have is out of refills. Now, even if you don’t use a UCHealth Pharmacy, you can request more refills on the Medication page of My Health Connection.
“Being able to refill my medications is huge. I did it in my kitchen this morning at 5:35 a.m. after I fed the dog and while I waited for my tea water to heat up,” Preston said. “It took 20 seconds.”
Preston uses the UCHealth app to refill the two medications he takes daily. He can easily see his medication history through the app, select the prescriptions that need to be filled, and have them delivered to his house. His payment method is saved in his app, so paying for his medication is easy. There is no charge for shipping.
“I want to get things done,” Preston said. “But if you’re a person like me, some things I can’t get to if it’s not easy — like my oil change. This app makes it so I can conveniently take care of myself on my own time.”
UCHealth app helps you take charge of your health
The UCHealth app is a safe and secure gateway to My Health Connection, the health system’s patient portal. Through My Health Connection, patients can schedule in-person or virtual appointments, as well as reschedule or cancel appointments. They can message their providers, view test results, read their doctors’ notes and pay bills. The portal contains a patient’s health care history and information, allowing people to easily take charge of their health.
To access pharmacy services in the app, patients can simply click on medications in the menu at the top. The app makes refilling and renewing prescriptions easy. And now, you can also transfer an existing prescription to UCHealth via the app, as well as send your provider a renewal request when your prescription is expired or you need refills.
Preston chooses to have his medications delivered through the no-cost mail-order service. But users also can order medications to be picked up at their preferred pharmacy — whether it’s a UCHealth location or an outside pharmacy. People who are traveling can even get a prescription sent to an out-of-town pharmacy.
“I took my pill this morning and probably had 20 left and thought, it’s time to refill,” Preston said. “I opened the app, clicked on the button for medications, and it listed all my medications. I pushed refills. You have that option if you have refills, but I can request a refill if I didn’t have that option — like with my inhaler. I knew I had my doctor’s appointment tomorrow (that appointment was also in his My Health Connection), so I didn’t request a refill knowing I could do it at that appointment.”
Preston said he also likes the ability to add other family members to his account. (For connecting adult family members to your account, they must first approve through their My Health Connection account. To connect a child, “request family access” via “Your menu” within My Health Connection.) He can then switch to their medical portal within the app to get a prescription filled for one of his children.
Everything you need to know before you start a medication
Privacy laws give special protection to patients and their health information. Preston appreciates knowing that his health records are safe and secure on the UCHealth app. Access to his health records, insurance information, lab results, and medication is convenient because it is all in one spot. It’s also simple to email his medical team with questions or updates.
People who use UCHealth pharmacies get an extra level of customer service. If Preston happens to experience a side effect with one of his medications, for example, he can ask a question through the app and his care team, including pharmacy, will give him the best information.
“That’s not something you will get at pharmacy chains,” said Nicole Caputo, senior director of Experience and Innovation at UCHealth.
The benefits of 24-hour pharmacies and in-hospital pharmacies for filling and refilling prescriptions
Some UCHealth pharmacies across the Front Range are open 24-hours, and there are outpatient pharmacies within UCHealth hospitals and clinics.
“Thirty percent of prescriptions don’t get filled. Not taking a doctor’s prescription leads to an increased risk of readmission to the hospital,” said Nicole Keenan, manager of UCHealth pharmacies. “By filling your prescription at the hospital, all your questions are answered before you leave. And you don’t have to make that extra stop when all you want to do is get home.”
In addition to hospital locations, UCHealth pharmacies are conveniently located inside or near clinics and urgent care facilities. Learn more UCHealth pharmacy locations, the mail-order pharmacy, or how to sign into the UCHealth app.