Photo by TERRI WATTS

Owner and pharmacist Beth Frommelt is offering ‘back to basics,’ direct-pay pharmacy services at Access Prime Pharmacy. 

There’s a new pharmacy in town!

Access Prime Pharmacy is a local, independent pharmacy on a mission to provide accessible, top-notch services at transparent prices.

Located at 191 S. Broadway in Burns, the pharmacy is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

Unlike most pharmacies, Access Prime does not contract with insurance companies. The self-described “back to basics” pharmacy cuts out “the middle man,” offering generic drugs at significantly reduced prices. 

“About 84 percent of all medications are generic,” Owner and pharmacist Beth Frommelt explained. “For expensive drugs, such as brand name and specialty ones, using insurance to pay for them makes sense, since they can cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars monthly. But for cheaper generic drugs, opting out of insurance can often make the drugs much more affordable for patients, especially those without insurance or with high-deductible plans.”

Even if you have insurance, Frommelt said Access Prime Pharmacy may be able to match or beat your copay. 

“One of our goals is to educate people about the ‘copay culture’ mindset,” Frommelt said. “Insurance as whole is very important, and we must have it. But let’s compare our prescription insurance to all other types of insurance that we purchase.”

Frommelt explained that car insurance doesn’t cover smaller expenses, such as oil changes, because the cost to process the claim would multiple the cost of the oil change five or tenfold. 

“That cost would be added to your monthly premium,” Frommelt said. “It might not seem like a lot per month, but if you add it up over a year, the cost to have them cover oil changes would be much more than the cost of getting your oil changed and just paying for it.”

She said this business model would not be financially beneficial for the insurance company or the customer, and the same is true for generic medications. 

“Prescription coverage on health insurance is the only type of insurance that has morphed into covering lower-cost items, and now it is just an expectation that gums up the whole system and makes other things more expensive,” Frommelt said. “There are costs involved in processing these claims, and it ultimately increases prices elsewhere, and everyone ends up paying more.”

Frommelt said she experienced this firsthand hundreds of times while working as a pharmacist at a chain pharmacy that bills insurance companies. 

She shared a story about a customer who came in for a 90-day supply of generic medication. When the pharmacy billed the patient’s insurance, the patient was charged a $141 copay.

“We decided to check the price on a common prescription discount card program and found he could get a 90-day supply for $30.99 if we billed that discount card instead,” Frommelt said.  “The patient was happy, and we saved them a lot of money. But it took extra and unnecessary work to get the patient a good price. It gummed up the system (people were waiting in line at the time) when it should have been a good price to begin with,” Frommelt said.

Access Prime Pharmacy doesn’t contract with insurance companies, so Frommelt could fill that same prescription for just $23.81.

“That’s my cost, plus 15 percent, and a dispensing fee of $12,” Frommelt explained. “This is not an option that insurance-contracted pharmacies have.”

Frommelt explained that the dispensing fee (ranging from $4-$12 per prescription) and small markup cover the cost of pharmacy services. These services include checking prescriptions for accurate dosing, appropriateness of drug choice, potential drug interactions, allergy warnings, correct quantity prescribed, appropriateness of length of therapy, age-specific drug information, legality, medication synchronization, and more.  

“Our direct-pay business model allows us to spend more time on each prescription and with you,” Frommelt said. “If you have a high deductible insurance plan (or no insurance), the direct-pay model pharmacy is going to be a great fit for you. We don’t bill prescription discount cards, but we do price matching on a case-by-case basis. We will work with you personally on getting you the best prices, and you will be able to spend more time with the pharmacist. We are getting back to the basics on what being a pharmacy is all about.”

Access Prime Pharmacy also offers compounding at a competitive price.

“If you are sending out for your compounded prescription to be mailed to you (human or veterinary), give us a call,” Frommelt said. “We will work with you and your doctor on getting the prescription made up here.” 

Access Prime Pharmacy can be reached at 541-413-2860. 

“Please come visit us,” Frommelt said. “We are looking forward to providing a place of peace, comfort, and relaxation while you get your prescriptions filled.”