Hundreds of prescriptions processed daily at Navy Exchange Satellite Pharmacy

The NEX Satellite Pharmacy was opened here several years ago to improve their customer service. "The satellite pharmacy is much more efficient than the way things were done in the past through one pharmacy at the hospital. Parking is much better and the wait time is not that bad. In this instant gratification type of society, no one wants to wait, but our customers never wait longer than an hour unless we are just slammed on a certain day. I personally track our waiting times. It's really not that bad compared to other places that do a high volume of prescriptions," continued Dobbins.

When a customer comes into the satellite pharmacy to fill a prescription, they must first stop at the front desk where a pharmacy technician will check to see if the pharmacy carries their medication. If so, they are then given a number either on an "A" or "B" ticket. "A" tickets are for active duty members in uniform and for people picking up refills that have already been called in. The "B" tickets are for everyone else filling a prescription.

Numerous windows are manned to help customers with several dedicated specifically to "A" or "B" ticket holders. "It's constantly adjusted based on how busy we are. Our busiest days seem to be Thursdays and Fridays, so if people are in a hurry, they might try a different day," noted Dobbins.

Customers wait patiently in line for the Navy Exchange Satellite Pharmacy to open so they can get their prescriptions filled.

When the customer is called to a window, the pharmacy technician will enter all the information into the computer, fill the prescription and have it double-checked by a pharmacist who will also answer any questions the customer may have. Customers are also given an information sheet with each medication dispersed.

Controlled substances are carefully monitored. "Every morning when I come in, I do a complete inventory. All narcotic substances must be accounted for. When I get a prescription for a narcotic, I ensure the date is correct and the doctor and the identification number are valid," explained Pharmacy Technician Sandy Strobel. "All prescriptions are logged into a book with all the pertinent information and all controlled medications dispersed must be signed for by the customer. We are very meticulous when dealing with controlled substances." Refills must be called in and customers can either use the drive-thru window or walk in.

HM1(SW/AW) Paul Caspermeyer asks customer Barry Lawson how many prescriptions he is picking up at the Navy Exchange Satellite Pharmacy April 25.

The satellite pharmacy staff is comprised of eight military and civilian pharmacy technicians and three pharmacists. Red Cross volunteers also help out various days and times at the front desk. "Our volunteers are a big asset. We couldn't run things without them, especially on Saturdays. Often times, they are the only ones at the desk so we can free up our technicians to process prescriptions," Dobbins said.

The staff fills about 500 to 600 new prescriptions each day. Refills are filled at Naval Hospital Jax and brought over to the satellite pharmacy each morning so they are ready when a customer arrives to pick them up. Unfortunately, the pharmacy here doesn't carry every medication available on the market. "We have a formulary list that we follow. It's a list of all the medications that we have available in our system. We don't carry everything," stated Dobbins.

Pharmacy Technician Edithe Delhomme gets some information from customer Dora Ockerman before filling her prescriptions.

The medications available are selected by the Pharmaceutical Economic Committee based in San Antonio, Texas. This committee recommends a basic core formulary, which is a skeleton that all military treatment facilities have to follow. "These are drugs that we all have to carry. This provides a consistency, so if you go to Jacksonville or San Diego, you know that if you are on those medications you can get them," explained Dobbins. "We can also add on to the skeleton at a local level. The Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee decide on those medications and that's where our formulary changes somewhat. They continue to look at classes of drugs and decide if it's appropriate for our patient population here. The population here is different from Great Lakes and San Diego, so we try to tailor some of our drugs to our patient population."

"The formulary is not static, it's constantly evolving over the months and years. If a doctor here has read about a new drug and has tried it on a non-formulary basis and it works on his patients, he can go to the committee here and request the drug be put on our formulary. They will review it and approve or disapprove the drug. When this happens usually some older drug will come off the list," continued Dobbins.

With new medications on the market almost daily, customers can pick up the most current formulary list and take it to their physician to ensure the pharmacy here has what they need. "Often times, the physician can write a prescription that is compatible and is one that we carry," said Dobbins. "It not, I just keep telling our customers to keep checking back with us because the list is always changing."

Pharmacy Technician HM3 David Sample fills a prescription for a patient using the Accumed System which automatically counts and disperses medications after the prescription is entered into a computer.

One of the biggest topics regarding the satellite pharmacy is a drop-off service. "We are looking at the feasibility of a limited drop-off service. On the surface, this service sounds good - drop off prescriptions and in a couple hours come back and pick them up. It sounds great from the other side of the window, but logistically for us, it's a nightmare. We have such a high volume of prescriptions to fill and just don't have the manpower," said Dobbins. "I am looking at maybe providing this service from 9 a.m. to noon and having people pick up prescriptions later that afternoon or the next day. I understand the interest in it, but it's very difficult because of personnel issues and volume."

The satellite pharmacy is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The drive-thru window opens an hour earlier the same days.

"I want everyone to know how busy we are but overall, we have their best interests at heart. We are here to serve them and are always looking at innovative ways to do better. We are here for our customers, so if you have a question, please call or come talk to us," said Dobbins. The satellite pharmacy can be reached at 542- .