Nearly five years after opening as a specialty pharmacy, UConn Health Pharmacy Services Inc. is establishing itself as a competitive option in the retail pharmacy market.

Most retail medications are available there, in addition to specialty drugs. Nearly all insurance plans are accepted, including Caremark, which is part of the state employee benefit package.

Prescriptions filled by UConn Health Pharmacy Services Inc. (UHPSI) are available for pickup weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Building One of the Exchange, 270 Farmington Ave., which is across the street from UConn Health’s main campus. Shipping to the home is also an option with most medications.

“We’re an accredited pharmacy, which sets us apart from other retail,” says Dr. Hetal Patel, the pharmacy manager.

“The accreditation standards we maintain ensure every patient has access to the pharmacy professionals at UConn Health,” says Pharmacy Director Emmett Sullivan, ’93 (PHARM). “Our team treats every patient as individual and will help them with their specific needs. This best summarized as UHPSI providing exceptional service and care.”

Another accreditation standard is responsiveness to callers.

“We have an 11-second turnaround time and 99.9% patient satisfaction when it comes to answering our phones,” Patel says.

“If there was a question that a patient had about any medication they’re getting filled in the community, they can call us and talk to the UConn Health pharmacist and see how we can service them,” Sullivan says. “Because there are questions that come up, and we have pharmacists here who can answer those questions.”

UConn Health Pharmacy Services Inc. opened in 2020 as a specialty pharmacy with a staff of three, no insurance contracts, and little inventory. In recent years, patients who were going there for specialty drugs started filling their traditional prescriptions there too.

“From 2021 to today, we’ve increased our volume by about 500%,” Sullivan says. “Over the course of time, we realized there was a greater need for traditional retail prescriptions, especially as we’ve heard the pains people have been suffering at retail pharmacies, whether it’s a decrease in hours or closings. We want to make sure we’re here to help the people of our community and extend as much access as we possibly can.”

“The growth of UHPSI is a true reflection of the vision of UConn Health leadership five-plus years ago and the pharmacy team in place since and now,” says Kevin Chamberlin ’01 (PHARM), ’03 Pharm.D., associate vice president and chief pharmacy officer. “Their investment in the business model and patient-first approach has led the trajectory of success being realized today.”

Although the Caremark prescription plan is associated with CVS, members are not limited to CVS for their prescriptions and they still would be in-network if they filled their prescriptions at UConn Health Pharmacy Services Inc.

Switching from CVS or any other retail pharmacy starts with simple a phone call to UConn Health Pharmacy Services Inc. at 860-676-4036 or toll free 833-777-4276.

“We would call the pharmacy for a transfer, and we’ll get the provider to make sure your therapy is current, and get the meds transferred over,” Sullivan says.

“You would give us a call when you’re ready to have it refilled,” Patel adds. “You will be in charge of your own therapy, compared to a retail pharmacy calling you six weeks in advance before you even need the medication.”

And the out-of-pocket expenses are comparable if not favorable.

“It may be the same, and if not, we’re going to look at if there’s a co-pay program from the manufacturer that may even make it lower for you,” Sullivan says. “We do that on a quite regular basis.”

UConn Health Pharmacy Services Inc. is an option in UConn Health’s electronic health record system, Epic. Patients using the corresponding patient portal, MyChart, can select it through the “Manage My Pharmacies” option on the “Medications” page, noting that “UConn Health Infusion Pharmacy” is also a choice. Those seeking to fill traditional retail prescriptions should be sure to choose “UConn Health Pharmacy Services.”

Learn more about UConn Health Pharmacy Services Inc.