CMHC Frequently Asked Questions
What medications can Genoa provide?
Can the pharmacy provide medications to anyone?
Can Genoa provide medications for the Clinic staff?
Can Genoa provide primary care physician medication orders?
Can Medication Administration Records (MAR's) be provided?
What are the options for dispensing systems?
Are there any out-of-pocket expenses for the clinic with regard to the construction costs?
Can the pharmacy service other outpatient clinics associated with your facility? How do the medications get delivered?
Can Genoa mail medications to the patient's residence?
What are the hours of operation for the pharmacy?
What Medicare Part D plans and insurance companies can be billed?
Can the pharmacy dispense sample medications?
Can Genoa dispense manufacturer's patient assistance medications (PAP meds)?
Can Genoa phlebotomists perform blood draws for those clients under the Clozapine Management Program?
Can the clinic staff review lab results online?
How much space is required to open a clinic pharmacy?
How long does it take to open a pharmacy?
What medications can Genoa provide?
Genoa is a full service pharmacy. Just like any other pharmacy, Genoa can provide all medications, not just the mental health medications.
Can the pharmacy provide medications to anyone?
Contracts with our buying groups restrict us to providing medications to patients that are seen by medical practitioners employed at a particular clinic. This means that we can not dispense medications to other persons. This would be in conflict with our agreements as an institutional pharmacy.
Can Genoa provide medications for the Clinic staff?
Depending on the Clinic's HMO or insurance plan, Genoa could potentially provide medications via our mail order pharmacy. These meds would be dispensed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and then shipped to the local pharmacy to be delivered to the staff member or directly to the individual. In some states, we are able to dual license/DEA register the pharmacy. In those cases we may be able to dispense directly from that pharmacy.
Can Genoa provide primary care physician medication orders?
Yes, as long as the patient is a client of the mental health clinic.
Can Medication Administration Records (MAR's) be provided?
Genoa's pharmacy system does allow for MAR's and Physician Orders to be printed and supplied in cases where the agency feels there is a need for such processes.
What are the options for dispensing systems?
Genoa dispenses medications in a variety of packaging systems including but not limited to, bottles, 30 day bubble packs, 14 day bubble packs, and medi-sets.
Are there any out-of-pocket expenses for the clinic with regard to the construction costs?
No, Genoa covers all up-front costs associated with the construction of a pharmacy, as well as maintenance costs.
Can the pharmacy service other outpatient clinics associated with your facility? How do the medications get delivered?
Yes, via common carriers or Genoa employees, our pharmacy can provide medications to clients serviced by other associated clinics.
Can Genoa mail medications to the patient's residence?
As a general rule, clients will need to ambulate to the pharmacy for their medications. In cases where the prescriber, client, or case manager feel it is necessary to have the medications delivered to the client's home, Genoa can dispense these orders via our mail order pharmacy.
What are the hours of operation for the pharmacy?
For sites that can support a full time pharmacy, we are generally open the same hours as the clinic or 8:00 - 5:00 Monday thru Friday with a lunch break. If the requirements based upon demographics and service needs demand longer operating hours, we can adjust accordingly the hours of operations.
What Medicare Part D plans and insurance companies can be billed?
In addition to Medicaid, Genoa can bill most HMOs and insurance companies. We are also enrolled with several of the Part D plans. However, each Medicare Part D region is evaluated independently. We would be happy to provide you a list of Part D plans we have contracts with currently.
Can the pharmacy dispense sample medications?
Depending on individual state regulations, and as an agent of the clinic, Genoa employees can be directed by the prescriber to pass sample medications to clients. Depending on the state, the Pharmacy staff may not be able to bring sample medications into the pharmacy area and re-package the medication or apply a Genoa label. Board of Pharmacy and Board of Medical Examiner regulations vary by state around this issue. We review those with the respective agency for each new pharmacy.
Can Genoa dispense manufacturer's patient assistance medications (PAP meds)?
According to the regulations of most states, the pharmacy can purchase PAP medications for zero dollars from the clinic and dispense the medications as written by the prescriber, in packaging systems deemed most appropriate for the client.
Can Genoa phlebotomists perform blood draws for those clients under the Clozapine Management Program?
Depending on the volume of clozapine business, we can often provide or contract for phlebotomy services. When we do this, our phlebotomists are able to perform blood draws for WBC analysis, as well as for any other client or purpose as directed by the medical practitioners at the clinic.
Can the clinic staff review lab results online?
This depends upon the information systems used by the laboratory, but Quest Diagnostics does offer such a system in most locations.
How much space is required to open a clinic pharmacy?
At the very least the pharmacy requires about 250 square feet of space to operate efficiently. Most Boards of Pharmacy require that the space be adequately secure and include a sink.
How long does it take to open a pharmacy?
After an agreement has been reached and after any construction is complete, the pharmacy will require between 90 and 120 days on average to complete all necessary licensing and third party contracting. There are many factors that we cannot control. A good rule of thumb is six months from when the agreement is signed.