The Katy Memorial Hermann Hospital has announced it will offer free pharmacy consultations to the public beginning this Friday.
The consultations will be performed by a registered pharmacist who will review the patient’s medications, offer suggestions to reduce the number of medications or change to less expensive alternatives, and suggest ways for patients to take an active role in managing their medications to receive the optimal benefits.
Susan Lam, a clinical pharmacist at the hospital, said there is “compelling evidence” patients are not taking their medicines as prescribed, resulting in often serious consequences. Lack of medication adherence can lead to unnecessary disease progression, disease complications, reduced functional abilities, a lower quality of life and even death, she noted.
“We are seeing more and more folks end up in the hospital on multiple, and often unnecessary, medications because they don’t have a medical home or a primary care physician who is managing their medications,” Lam explained. “We also see a number of patients who do not take their prescribed medications because they cannot afford to fill the prescriptions. Both scenarios can have devastating consequences.”
There is no charge for the consultation, but those wanting to attend must register in advance by calling 713-222-CARE (2273).
Attendees will need to bring the following items with them to the hospital:
- All prescription and over-the-counter medications such as aspirin and decongestants, as well as vitamins and herbal medications, including teas, tinctures, pills and health drinks.
- The container currently used to manage medications – bottle, pill box, bag, etc.
- Contact information for their current pharmacy where prescriptions are filled
- Contact information for their primary care physician
Following the consultation, those taking part will leave with a comprehensive list of their medications and knowledge of each medication’s purpose, use, and frequency; how to get the most health benefit from their medications and how to manage them and resources for support.
The first opportunity to have a free consultation is this Friday, March 5, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Tiger A Conference Room at Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital.
