Medication safety is an important part of treatment, recovery and discharge planning. At St. Luke’s Medical Center, Pharmacy Care Services help patients understand their prescriptions, organize medication changes and continue treatment safely after leaving the hospital. This service supports patients who need medication review, prescription coordination, discharge medication instructions or help connecting with pharmacy resources used during recovery.
Many patients come to the hospital already taking several medicines. Some prescriptions may need to be continued, changed, paused or replaced during care. Other medicines may be added after surgery, cardiac treatment, wound care, rehabilitation or an acute illness. Pharmacy Care Services help make these instructions easier to follow and help reduce confusion when patients return home.
Medication Review
A careful medication review helps the care team understand what a patient is taking before, during and after treatment. This may include prescription medicines, over-the-counter products, vitamins, inhalers, eye drops, patches, injections and supplements.
Our team works with physicians, nurses and discharge planners to help identify possible medication concerns and support a safer treatment plan. This review is especially helpful for patients with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, breathing problems, kidney disease, chronic pain, recent surgery or multiple active prescriptions.
Medication review may include:
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Prescription Coordination
After a hospital stay, patients may need new prescriptions, changed doses or short-term medicines for recovery. Pharmacy Care Services help coordinate these needs with the patient’s physician, nurse, discharge team and selected pharmacy service. Prescription coordination may be needed after surgery, cardiac treatment, wound care, rehabilitation or care in the Intensive Care Unit. The final medication plan is always based on the physician’s orders and the patient’s medical needs.
Pharmacy Services Available Through Care Coordination
St. Luke’s Medical Center supports pharmacy care through a coordinated service model that helps patients move from hospital treatment to home recovery with fewer medication gaps. These services are especially important when a patient leaves the hospital with new prescriptions, changed doses, short-term recovery medicines or instructions that need to be followed closely at home.
Pharmacy Care Services may include direct discharge medication support, prescription coordination with the care team and help identifying pharmacy access options that fit the patient’s treatment plan. The goal is not only to help patients receive prescriptions, but to make sure they understand what changed, which medicines are active and where the prescription should be filled.
| Service Area | Pharmacy Option | How It Supports Patient Care |
| Discharge medication support | St. Luke’s Medication Review | Helps patients understand which medicines were continued, stopped, changed or added before they leave the hospital. |
| Prescription coordination | St. Luke’s Prescription Support | Supports communication between the care team and the patient’s selected pharmacy so discharge prescriptions can be organized more clearly. |
| Specialty medication guidance | St. Luke’s Specialty Pharmacy Coordination | Helps patients who need closer medication planning, special instructions, refill timing, monitoring or follow-up after discharge. |
| Online pharmacy access | MexGlobal | Mexican online pharmacy service that may support access to eligible prescription and over-the-counter medicines, including generics, chronic-care products and selected hard-to-find treatments. |
| Prescription Cost Support | Cost Plus Drugs | May be useful for patients looking for a lower cash price on eligible generic prescriptions |
| Online prescription fulfillment | HealthWarehouse | May help patients fill eligible prescriptions online and receive medicines at home when home delivery is more convenient after discharge. |
These pharmacy options are used to support continuity of care. They do not replace the physician’s treatment plan, the discharge instructions or the patient’s responsibility to use prescription medicine exactly as directed. Patients should confirm that any selected pharmacy can fill the correct medicine, strength, dosage form and quantity before relying on it for recovery at home.
What This Coordination Can Help With
Pharmacy Care Services can be helpful when medication instructions are complicated or when several prescriptions are involved. This may happen after surgery, cardiac treatment, wound care, rehabilitation, infection treatment or a hospital stay for a chronic condition.
- New discharge prescriptions: helping patients understand which medicines need to be started after leaving the hospital.
- Changed doses: helping clarify when a dose was increased, decreased or replaced with another medicine.
- Stopped medicines: helping patients identify medicines that should no longer be taken unless a physician restarts them.
- Short-term recovery medicines: helping organize medicines used for pain, nausea, infection prevention, wound care or inflammation after treatment.
- Refill planning: helping patients know when a short supply may run out and when follow-up care is needed.
- Pharmacy access questions: helping patients compare local, mail-order or online pharmacy options when a prescription must be continued after discharge.
Patients are encouraged to bring an updated medication list to every follow-up visit. This list should include prescription medicines, over-the-counter products, vitamins, supplements, inhalers, eye drops, patches and injections. A complete list helps the care team and pharmacy service reduce confusion and support safer medication use.
Support Before and After Surgery
Medication planning is especially important before and after surgery. Some medicines may need to be stopped before a procedure. Others may need to be taken on the morning of surgery or restarted after recovery begins. These decisions should always be made by the physician or surgical team.
Before Surgery
Your doctor or nurse will tell you which medicines to take or avoid before your procedure. This may include instructions about blood thinners, diabetes medicines, anti-inflammatory drugs, heart medicines, supplements or medicines taken on the morning of surgery. For your safety, follow these instructions carefully. Do not stop or restart prescription medicine unless your physician tells you to do so.
After Surgery
After surgery, your care team will explain which medicines are needed during recovery. Some medicines are used only for a short time. Others may continue longer depending on your condition. If you are unsure why a medicine was prescribed or how long to take it, ask before leaving the hospital or contact your physician after discharge.
Patients Who May Benefit
Pharmacy Care Services may be helpful for patients who need extra support with medication instructions or prescription planning.
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Questions to Ask Before Going Home
Patients and family members are encouraged to ask questions before leaving the hospital. Clear medication instructions can make recovery safer and easier to manage.
- What medicines should I continue? Ask which medicines from your regular list should still be taken.
- What medicines should I stop? Some prescriptions may be discontinued after a hospital stay.
- What medicines are new? Make sure you know why each new medicine was prescribed.
- How long should I take it? Some medicines are short-term, while others may continue longer.
- Which pharmacy should receive the prescription? Confirm where the prescription is being sent before discharge.
- Who should I call with a medication question? Ask whether to contact your physician, nurse, pharmacist or emergency services depending on the problem.
Related Services
Pharmacy Care Services often support patients who are receiving care in other hospital programs. Medication planning may be especially important when treatment involves surgery, heart care, wound healing, rehabilitation or long-term recovery needs.
- Surgical Services — medication planning before and after a procedure.
- Heart Care — prescription coordination for patients taking heart or blood pressure medicines.
- Therapy Services — medication support during rehabilitation and recovery.
- Acute Rehabilitation — medication review for patients recovering after a disabling illness or injury.
- Amputation Prevention Program — medication and wound-care coordination for patients at risk of limb complications.
Working With Your Care Team
Pharmacy Care Services are part of a coordinated approach to care at St. Luke’s Medical Center. Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, therapists and discharge planners may all play a role in helping patients recover safely. Our goal is to help patients leave the hospital with clearer instructions, safer medication use and better coordination between the care team, the patient and the pharmacy service used after discharge.