Getting prescriptions mailed to your home after a work injury

How it generally works

Mail-order and home-delivery pharmacies receive prescriptions electronically from doctors, just like a local pharmacy does. The difference is what happens next: instead of you collecting it, the pharmacy prepares the medication and sends it to your address.

For a work injury, the pharmacy uses your workers' comp claim details to process the prescription. Some claims have pharmacy requirements, and rules differ by state and by claim, so your adjuster can tell you whether anything specific applies.

Your doctor decides where the prescription goes. If mailing it home would help, say so at your appointment.

Mailing prescriptions home tends to suit medications you'll take for a while, during recovery, as well as new prescriptions when getting out is hard. Your doctor and pharmacist can tell you whether any particular medication is better picked up locally.

• Your doctor sends the prescription electronically
• The pharmacy mails or delivers it to your address
• Claim details are used to process it
• Rules differ by state and by claim

Questions to ask

Ask your doctor whether your prescription can be sent to a pharmacy that mails to your home. Ask your adjuster whether your claim has any pharmacy requirements.

Ask the pharmacy what to do if you aren't home for a delivery — some medications shouldn't be left outside, and it helps to know the plan in advance.

• Doctor: Can you send my prescription to a pharmacy that mails to my home?
• Adjuster: Does my claim require a particular pharmacy?
• Pharmacist: What should I do if I'm not home for a delivery?
• Pharmacist: Who do I call with questions about my medication?
• Pharmacist: Can this medication be mailed?

What to have ready

Make sure your delivery address and phone number are up to date with your doctor's office and the pharmacy. If you've moved, or are staying with family while you recover, tell them.

Keep your claim details together so you can give them quickly when asked.

If you share a mailbox, live in an apartment building, or have a gate code, include those details. They're small things that make a big difference to whether a delivery reaches you.

• Correct delivery address, including unit number
• A phone number where you can be reached
• Claim number and date of injury
• Employer name
• Adjuster's name and phone number
• List of current medications and allergies

About the Prescriptions.plus Home Delivery Program

Prescriptions.plus is an educational site, not a pharmacy. Through the Prescriptions.plus Home Delivery Program, doctors can send prescriptions to our licensed partner pharmacy, and medication is dispensed by our licensed partner pharmacy and delivered to the patient's door.

Ask your doctor whether your prescription can be sent to our partner pharmacy. A $5 dispensing fee applies, and a delivery fee applies. Eligibility depends on the prescription, the doctor and the claim.

Some medications, such as Schedule II controlled substances, may not be available by mail — your partner pharmacy will advise. The prescribing doctor decides refills.

If something goes wrong

If a mailed prescription doesn't arrive, call the pharmacy and confirm the address they have. If it's held up because of the claim, ask what's missing and then call your adjuster. If you have a workers' comp attorney, let them know about ongoing problems.

If the package is damaged or the medication looks different from what you expected, call the pharmacist before taking it.

If your injury gets worse or you have a reaction to a medication, contact your doctor. Medical emergency? Call 911.