Tested Procedures Ensure Minimal Delays in Prescription Medication Delivery

Through MFAN’s research and our advisory board, we’re able to address many of the challenges faced by military families across the country. Recently, our advisors, representing military communities at home and abroad, have shared that families are concerned about the potential impact of United States Postal Service (USPS) delivery time unpredictability and receipt of deliveries such as prescription medications and care packages.

We recently had the opportunity to speak with leadership at Express Scripts, which services TRICARE, regarding the importance of the timely delivery of medications in light of concerns about postal delays. Here are some of the best practices Express Scripts has implemented to make sure you receive your prescription medications in as timely a manner as possible:

• Pre-sorting to save time. All mail order prescriptions are pre-sorted by destination, via a custom-built process, to shorten their time in transit. For the USPS, mail sorting facilities are where many of the processing delays are occurring and this extra step at Express Scripts on the front end of you receiving your prescriptions minimizes the likelihood of a delay.

• Diversifying carriers. The USPS is one of many national delivery carriers who deliver your medications from Express Scripts. Shipping methods and delivery carriers are adjusted as needed to utilize the most efficient path from one of four automated pharmacies across the country to your home.

• Opening lines of communication. Communication is critical to Express Scripts’ operations and the company maintains daily contact with delivery carriers to anticipate and respond to potential disruptions in the timeliest manner possible.

• Providing reliable tracking. Express Scripts TRICARE users can track their order and shipment status when they log into their online account here. After your medication has shipped, you can track the status of your shipment by selecting the “track shipment” link under your prescription. This will route you to the shipping carrier site to provide expanded shipping status details. From there, you have the option to sign up for alerts about package movement, delays, and shipping confirmation status.

With your health and safety as the highest priority, Express Scripts has put procedures into place to do everything possible to maintain normalcy during these trying times and hasn’t experienced unusual delays despite reported issues with the USPS.

Should you experience difficulties or delays with your prescriptions, log into your Express Scripts’ TRICARE account for additional support.