We talk a lot about the barriers people face that make it harder to get the care they need, and about how telehealth helps to overcome those barriers. Being able to attend video appointments from your living room (or from your parked car on your lunch break) relieves the burden of traveling to a provider’s office. Submitting urine drug screens online eliminates the need to go into a lab to submit one, along with the feeling of frustration or shame that often accompanies those trips. Increasing access to care is one of the main reasons Workit Health exists.
But one of the barriers we don’t talk about as often is the need to acquire your medication from a pharmacy. Especially as some pharmacies throw red tape up to hinder people from getting their Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone). In Texas, we’re addressing this by partnering with a delivery pharmacy called Scripx.
How does getting Suboxone delivered by Scripx work?
If you live in Texas (Scripx’s delivery area), you can request that they be listed as your default pharmacy. When your Workit Health clinician prescribes Suboxone or other medications after an appointment, they will submit the e-prescription to Scripx.
Scripx will contact you to verify your address, schedule the delivery, and set up payment for any co-pay you have. Because buprenorphine is a controlled substance, they will require a signature for the delivery, so you’ll need to plan a delivery window that works for you.
Is it legal to get Suboxone delivered?
Yes. To be clear, registered pharmacies and other registered entities can mail prescriptions that are controlled substances. Within the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Scripx delivers via secure courier, and throughout the rest of the state, they work with a delivery service partner.
Does making buprenorphine available by delivery really make a difference?
Yes, offering our Texas members the option of having their Suboxone delivered is making a difference. So far, Workit Health members who use Scripx as their pharmacy have been staying in their treatment programs longer than members who don’t. There could be a lot of reasons behind these excellent outcomes, so we can’t draw a direct, cause-and-effect relationship. But we find this encouraging and look forward to helping even more of our members access medication delivery.
Who can get their prescription from Workit Health delivered by Scripx?
At this time, members need to be residents of Texas to get their prescriptions delivered by Scripx. They also need to be active members of a Workit Health clinical treatment program (attending their video appointments and submitting any required urine drug screens), in order for their provider to prescribe to them.
How long does it take to get medications delivered by Scripx?
If you live in the Dallas-Forth Worth area or another city, your prescriptions can usually be delivered the same day or the next business day, depending on your appointment time and delivery location.
If you’re located in a more rural part of Texas, your delivery may take up to two business days to arrive.
For this reason, some members choose to pick up their first Suboxone prescription in-person from a different pharmacy (when they need it urgently), and then switch to Scripx for their future prescriptions.
Can I have my other prescriptions delivered?
Yes, if your Workit Health provider prescribes other medications to you, they can send those prescriptions to Scripx for fulfillment, as well as your Suboxone. If you have medications prescribed by another, non-Workit Health clinician, you will need to let them know that Scripx is your preferred pharmacy.
Who benefits from having Suboxone delivered?
Having your Suboxone delivered by Scripx is great if you:
- have a busy life
- don’t have an in-person pharmacy nearby
- have mobility issues
- have dependent-care responsibilities that make it difficult to run errands
- feel concerned about your privacy or safety if you pick up your meds in person
- work nights (or another schedule that makes it difficult to get to a pharmacy during their open hours)
- enjoy deliveries for other aspects of life (groceries, meals, online purchases) and want to try it for your medication, too
Does Workit Health deliver any medications themselves?
No. Workit Health providers can prescribe medications, but they are not pharmacists who can fill them. They e-prescribe medications to pharmacies. Scripx is a delivery pharmacy partner, but they are a different company from Workit Health.
We’re excited about this partnership with Scripx, and about the convenience it offers for our members in Texas. We hope that by lowering yet another barrier to treatment, we can support Workit Health members in reaching their recovery goals.