Our pharmacy mission is to combine the strength of hope with the power of science, one patient at a time. Our philosophy is to deliver patient-centered, comprehensive, and compassionate care in community cancer centers using best-practice, state-of the-art therapies and research, in order to be the premier provider of care for patients with cancer and blood disorders in the region.

Oncology pharmacists serve an important role on the patient’s care team because much of cancer treatment is achieved with infused and oral medications.

Frequently asked questions about the Minnesota Cancer Care Pharmacy:

1. The Minnesota Cancer Care Pharmacy is considered a Medically Integrated Pharmacy?  What does that mean and why is it important?

A Medically Integrated Pharmacy (MIP) is a pharmacy that works in coordination with the patient’s physician, providers, and nurses.  Our pharmacy team have direct access to the patients electronic health record and utilize that information to make sure every medication we dispense is appropriately dosed based on the patients medical conditions.  We also have the ability to review the patients current medications to make sure that there are no negative drug interactions.  Our pharmacy staff have the ability to directly communicate with the physician to address questions or issues that may come up during treatment.  We believe that all of these benefits result in better outcomes for our patients.

2. Why is it critical that the pharmacy and my physician communicate and work closely together? 

Treatment with oral chemotherapy is more complicated than your average prescription drug.  Oral chemotherapy medications can negatively interfere with other prescription and OTC medications and these medications can have significant side effects associated with them.  Our pharmacists thoroughly review every new oral chemotherapy prescription to make sure it is appropriately dosed for that particular patient.  If there are any issues with the prescription we can easily connect with the physician to address those concerns and make sure the entire care team is on the same page. 

3. It is important to me that my prescriptions are covered by the insurance.  How do I find out if my oral chemotherapy medications are covered by my insurance?

Once your physician sends the prescription to our pharmacy, our pharmacy concierge team starts the insurance coverage investigation.  Our concierge team understands how to navigate prior authorization requirements and works closely with the physicians and pharmacy to make sure the prior authorization is successfully completed.  The concierge team will also look for any available copay assistance programs or other resources to try and lower the patient’s out of pocket expenses as much as possible.  Our concierge team has direct lines of communication with the pharmacy and the physicians team to make sure that your prescription care is coordinated appropriately.

4. How do I know that the pharmacy provides high quality care?

The Minnesota Cancer Care Pharmacy has been accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) with Oncology Distinction.  This means that our pharmacists and technicians follow the oncology standards outlined by ACHC.  We have demonstrated consistent, high quality care when managing patients and their oral chemotherapy medications.  The pharmacy team is courteous, knowledgeable and professional and can be easily contacted directly by phone.

5. How does the Minnesota Cancer Care Pharmacy partner with insurance companies to try and improve access to medications?

Our pharmacy recently participated in a pilot program with Prime Therapeutics called “Integrated Rx”.  This program allowed our pharmacy to dispense oral chemotherapy medications for patients with Prime Therapeutics prescription coverage.  Working with Prime Therapeutics, we were able to demonstrate that our pharmacy could provide high quality care for our patients.  We were able to get the drug quickly to our patients, provide thorough clinical drug evaluation and patient education and make sure that all patient questions were addressed prior to starting therapy. 

Learn more about the Minnesota Cancer Care Pharmacy