A prescription request asks your provider to refill, reroute, rewrite, or resend a prescription. Your provider reviews every request, and a request is not guaranteed.
Looking for something else?
A refill, including one you need early: How medication refills work
Send it to a different pharmacy: How to send a prescription to a different pharmacy
The pharmacy cannot fill it: What to do when your pharmacy can't fill your prescription
Your insurance needs to approve it: How prior authorizations work at Circle Medical
What kinds of requests can I submit?
There are four types of request.
Refill: a new supply of a medication when it is due.
Reroute: send a prescription to a different pharmacy.
Rewrite: change the prescription, such as the dose, strength, directions, generic or brand, or a switch to a different medication.
Resend: send the same prescription again if the pharmacy did not receive it.
When does a change need an appointment?
Any change to your total daily dose needs an appointment.
A different total daily dose: book an appointment. This includes changing your dose in the first weeks of a new medication.
A switch between immediate-release and extended-release: book an appointment, even at the same dose. The two work differently in the body.
The same total daily dose in a different strength: no appointment is needed, for example two 10 mg tablets instead of one 20 mg tablet. Your provider rewrites the prescription with the new directions. Do not change how you take it based on a conversation with the pharmacy alone.
A switch to a different medication: this is a rewrite. Your provider decides whether it needs an appointment.
Refill rules, including the yearly appointment for non-controlled medications, are in How medication refills work.
Can the prescription go to a pharmacy in another state?
Only if your provider is licensed in that state.
Controlled substance: the pharmacy should be in the state where your appointment took place. If you will fill it in another state, book your appointment while you are in that state, with a provider licensed there.
Non-controlled medication: a pharmacy can often transfer it across state lines. See How to send a prescription to a different pharmacy.
New Jersey has its own rule for Schedule II stimulants. See How ADHD medication and care works in New Jersey.
How long does a request take?
The support team sends your request to your provider within 24 hours. Your provider usually sends the prescription within 72 hours after that.
After an appointment, your provider usually sends the prescription within 24 hours. You get a Secure Care Inbox notification when it is sent to the pharmacy.
When should I go to the pharmacy?
The pharmacy often needs another 24 hours to review and fill the prescription from when you receive the Secure Care Inbox message confirming that your provider sent the prescription. Call the pharmacy or check their website before you go to check that it is ready. A fulfillment delay or a prior authorization can hold it up. See How prior authorizations work at Circle Medical.
What does my insurance cover?
Circle Medical cannot see your pharmacy benefits, so ask your insurance.
Call the member services number on your insurance card, or your pharmacy benefit manager. They can tell you the cost and which pharmacies work with your insurance.
If your pharmacy says your insurance has to approve the medication first, that is a prior authorization. Who submits it, how long it takes, and what to do if it is denied are in How prior authorizations work at Circle Medical.