Monthly Archives: November 2009

How to save money on your medications

Posted on by

While this time of year can be wonderful with the up-coming holidays, it can also be stressful as financial issues can become more apparent.  One way to help with these difficult times is to take advantage of the savings and discounts now being offered by many of the drug companies towards your monthly medication co-pay.  Historically these saving were only provided to patients with new prescriptions, however many companies have now extended this to those who may already have an active prescription.  What I suggest to all of my patients is to search for their medication on-line, go to the manufacturer’s website to see if there are any savings coupons available for their medication.  Some of the sites may require you to register with the goal of keeping you updated on your medication and any additional savings that might be implemented in the future.  I suggest not only looking at your asthma and allergy medications, but also medications that have been prescribed to you by other physicians.  The discounts may also change after the new year, so it is a good idea to check back with the sites regularly to see if anything has changed, as it often does.

Unfortunately, those who receive their insurance through government agencies such as AHCCCS, Medicare and Tricare can not benefit from these programs, however they will work with all other insurances.  There are even some drug companies with programs that provide saving to those without insurance or who pay for their medication out of pocket!

hint: just type the medication full name and then “.com” and this often leads to the discount offers, i.e. Proventil HFA.com, or Symbicort.com

Best Doctors Feature in Tucson Lifestyle Magazine

Posted on by

Our practice was just featured in the Tucson Lifestyle Magazine December 2009 issue, under the cover story “Top Docs”. On page 47 starts the article, which reviews the Best Doctors in America. Best Doctors is a national organization who for over 20 years has been compiling a database of the top doctors as chosen by secret ballot by their local peers. We are proud to say that 1/2 of the top allergists listed are in our practice. Check out our photo add on page102, which I think came out nicely. Issues are available around town and in the local bookstores like Barnes and Noble.

H1N1

Posted on by

The H1N1 vaccine is now available, and although we have a limited supply, the NIH has informed us that next week 10 million doses will be shipped, and 10 million more each week until the end of January. The vaccine is safe and is recommended for persons under 24 years of age, and persons over 60 with complicating medical conditions such as asthma. In total, 41.6 million doses have been made available to the states thusfar.

In short, if you customarily receive the annual flu shot, the H1N1 is recommended. Look for public announcements regarding community locations available to receive the H1N1 vaccine, and do not worry as there will be plenty of vaccine available in the next few weeks.

Most of the 2,900 deaths attributed to H1N1 disease have been in the 18 to 64 year old age group, unlike other flu viruses which customarily affect the elderly disproportionately.

If there is a question of egg allergy, contact our office as we do vaccine testing and administration for suspected egg allergic patients. Most of the vaccines now have less than 2 mcg of egg per dose, which is considered generally safe even in egg allergic patients, but check with your doctor first.