‘When do I take my pills?‘

One less thing to worry about. Safety. Peace of mind. Ease of use.

These are just a few of the benefits Kellie Folger sees in using the Medicine-on-Time program offered by Doctors Center Pharmacy.

When her husband, Chad, 40, developed primary ventricular fibrillation, he found himself with a medication regimen that includes six pills that he has to take daily. And Kellie, a working mom with three young children, found herself with another portion of responsibility on her already-full plate. Through her friendship with Robyn Dean, a registered nurse and also a pharmacy technician at Doctors Center Pharmacy, Mrs. Folger was introduced to the Medicine-on-Time program.

“One of my concerns was keeping up with Chad’s medicines,” Mrs. Folger said.

Under this system, Chad’s medications are packaged and labeled in a supply pack that will hold an entire month’s worth of each medicine. The labeling system tells him the time, dosage and medication that he has to take. And each package is colored-coded, making it easier to select the package that contains his medications for a particular part of the day. The color-coding was first introduced to help assisted living facilities.

“With primary ventricular fibrillation, Chad’s heart goes into stop mode,” Mrs. Folger said. “Defibrillation brings his heart back. He can not miss any of his medications. This system has made it so easy. It’s one less thing I have to be concerned with for my husband. It has provided a great deal of peace of mind. With this system, we know when and what medications he has taken and that his medications have been taken appropriately.”

Should Chad require a change in medication, all the Folgers have to do is alert Doctors Center Pharmacy, and the medication pack is changed. The Folgers can pick up the new pack at the pharmacy’s drive-thru window, or, the pharmacy will deliver them to their home.

The Medicine-on-Time system was created in January 1992 by John Kalvelage and Ian Salditch. Michael Stringer, R.Ph. and co-owner of Doctors Center Pharmacy, introduced the medication packaging system to the Dothan market three years ago.

“This system was originally started to assist assisted living facilities,” said Robyn Dean. “The Terrace at Grove Park and Somerset East and West use us to package the medications for their residents. Right now, we pack medications for 100 patients.”

And, says Mrs. Dean, the packaging system is very thorough.

“The medicine packs are checked and double-checked here,” Mrs. Dean said. “A nurse at the facility also checks it.”

While multi-patient facilities have put the system to good use, individuals and families, like the Folgers, also benefit. And, says Mrs. Dean, it’s not difficult to register for the system.

“All an individual has to do is bring in the prescription to us,” Mrs. Dean said. “For a $20 packaging fee, we will put the medication in the Medicine-on-Time pack. In addition, Kay Hand (a pharmacy technician) has an automatic refill file for every patient.”

“This is a wonderful system,” Mrs. Folger added, “and is good for anyone taking medication - from a child up to those in assisted living facilities. This system helps keep up with when the medications are running out and needing to be refilled. Doctors Center Pharmacy calls and lets you know when the pack is ready for you to pick up. All I do is come to the drive-thru and pick them up.”

In addition to being child-proof, the packs are easy to take on trips.

“It really does make travel easier,” Mrs. Folger said. “We can pop out the ones (dosage cups) that we need and take them with us. The cups are still labeled on the back. Again, it makes for one less thing to worry about.

“This system really has been a Godsend for us.”

For more information on the Medicine-on-Time program, contact Doctors Center Pharmacy, 793-1316. Doctors Center Pharmacy is located at 4119 W. Main St., across from Flowers Hospital.