In-House Cancer Pharmacy Services
Maximum Effectiveness, Convenience and Safety
The appropriateness and effectiveness of your cancer treatment are essential to our mission, which is to help you conquer cancer and enable you to get on with your life. We offer in-house services for your chemotherapy treatments, as well as a Medically Integrated Dispensing Program for oral chemotherapy and supporting medications.
Trust Astera’s Pharmacy Professionals for Your Chemotherapy Treatment
As a patient of Astera Cancer Care, you can feel confident that your chemotherapy treatment has been planned, prepared and provided with vigilance, skill and precision. Our oncology pharmacists are here to ensure the accuracy, safety and effectiveness of your medications and to help prevent and manage treatment-related complications.
Astera’s nationally certified oncology pharmacy technicians prepare chemotherapy medications with years of experience and training to maintain accuracy in the preparation of all treatments. Dedicated, caring and responsible, they are committed to the best care of each of our patients.
For your chemotherapy treatments to be appropriate and effective, they must be properly compounded and prepared, correctly administered, and vigilantly followed. Success of treatment is strengthened by being conveniently accessible and backed by credentials, expertise and first-rate service which is provided by our team.
Getting Your Specialized Cancer and Chemotherapy Medications Conveniently
Astera Cancer Care dispenses oral chemotherapy and supporting medications through our in-office Medically Integrated Physician Dispensing Program. We are part of the effort to build a patient-centered medically-integrated community whose focus is continuity of cancer care, so that every patient receives the maximum benefit from their cancer treatment.
Through this Program we fill cancer-therapy prescriptions for our patients through in-office dispensing. Several of the benefits of this integration are:
- We work closely with your Astera physician to coordinate your medications.
- Through the dispensing of oral drugs, we maintain continuity of patient care to the same extent previously achieved with in-office intravenous or infused therapies.
- These are medications that aren’t available from a typical corner pharmacy, and require informed, experienced counseling when being dispensed to patients. Our pharmacy team has a deep understanding of the possible interactions and side effects of these drugs. They can help you learn what to expect and watch for with your new treatment. They are here to answer questions and make sure you have all the necessary information and assistance to have a successful treatment.
- We will contact your insurance company to determine prior authorization requirements and co-pay responsibilities.
- We will inform you of your co-pay amount right away and if copay assistance is needed, we will provide services to secure funding by contacting copay and/or pharmaceutical company patient assistance programs to help you.
- Your medication renewals will be refilled upon consultation and approval by your Astera physician.
- These medications can be picked up at your doctor’s office.
- You are not obligated to have your prescriptions filled through our Medically Integrated Physician Dispensing Program, and we will assist in having your prescription sent to your specialty pharmacy of choice if needed.
Infusion Services Through Astera Infusion Therapy
Astera also offer a full range of advanced infusion services for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, asthma, osteoporosis and many other conditions. To learn more, visit our Infusion page.
Advanced, Cancer-Specific Pharmacy Expertise Integrated Into Your Care
In addition to convenience, our pharmacy services provide a number of important benefits for your care. First and foremost, all of our care protocols, processes, treatment plans — is designed with doctor input… including our doctors of pharmacy, W. Ellaria Lee, PharmD, RPh; Nancy McIlvaine, PharmD; Eileen R. Peng, PharmD; and Mariana Szpakowski, PharmD, RPh.
Our Pharmacists are experts in drug therapy, and central to our ability to offer the highest standard of cancer care. They help ensure the safe, appropriate and effective use of complex treatment regimens by:
- Evaluating current therapies
- Reviewing treatment plans
- Developing protocols
- Being involved in policy and procedure decisions
- Focusing on — and advocating for — patients’ best interests
Have Confidence in Your Cancer Care
Astera Cancer Care is accredited by Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) for compliance with a comprehensive set of national standards. By choosing a healthcare provider that has achieved ACHC accreditation, you can take comfort in knowing that you will receive the highest quality of care.